Petit Bali Forest Shinjuku Sanchome

The free things were a nice perk, including face masks, coffee, and even some food. But our room was visibly dirty, and we found a cockroach. It was really unpleasant. The rest of the service has potential, which makes the poor cleanliness a shame.

Good value for the money. There were lots of snacks and drinks to choose from, and all the staff were kind and helpful.

The room was dark and cramped, and looked like it hadn’t been dusted in a long time. Its only window was blocked by a 55” TV. The mattress was thin, and the bottom sheet barely covered the plastic sheet beneath it, so sleeping was difficult. The walls were thin, and I could hear people in the hallway at night. The hotel is in an area with lots of small restaurants, and on Saturday night the streets were busy and sirens were noisy. There’s no key card needed to use the elevator at Petit Bali Forest, unlike at most good hotels, so anyone from the street can reach your floor. That didn’t make me feel comfortable leaving during the day. The most unsettling part was the small table at the lobby entrance displaying two prices, one for “Stay” and one for “Rest”. That explains why many Japanese guests call Petit Bali Forest a “Love Hotel”. I wouldn’t recommend the property. There were some positives: the desk staff were pleasant and helpful, and the cramped lobby was stocked with free drinks, alcohol, snacks, desserts, and other amenities.

The private baths on the fourth floor have no time limits, so you have to keep checking whether one is free, then rush down when it is. I think some guests stayed for hours and took advantage of the facility. It seems fair to set a 15-20 minute limit, since you shouldn’t spend much longer than 15 minutes in a hot tub or Onsen. Apart from that, I loved the Bali theme. Even the small room looked beautiful, with the drapes around the bed. The hotel had excellent amenities, either downstairs or available if you asked, and the afternoon and evening open bar was a nice touch. It’s close to several subway stations and well placed for great izakayas, restaurants, and shops.