Paulo59

Never been, but read good things about the Mitsui Garden Hotel in Ginza. Looks like a nice boutique. Looks like decent rooms for around $200.
http://www.gardenhotels.co.jp/eng/

emilyblue

Lucky you! We loved Tokyo. Can't wait to go back.

On a recent Tokyo trip we stayed at the Granbell in Shibuya.

We really liked it -- the location is great, right in the middle of Shibuya which was our fave area of Tokyo. Resto/bars/shopping central. Rooms are small but well designed so in a weird way it actually felt spacious. Breakfast (nothing to write home about) and internet are included.

If you do end up there, do go up to the bar (Bello Visto, I think?) on the 40th floor of the Cerulean Tower hotel. Stunning view of the city at night.

Sydney2K

This summer I stayed at the Dormy Inn in Akihabara. I paid about US$83 per night for a single room, which has a small kitchenette, an adequately sized shower room, bed and table. The room itself was very clean and tidy, and the same with the hotel. The hotel chain prides itself as being very environmentally friendly, with a lot of the furniture, linen, etc., made of recycled materials. The best thing about the hotel is the top floor hot baths, which are great to relax in after a hot day's summer sojourning. In fact the management suggest that to save water to clean and bathe in the hot baths rather than use the showers!

The Dormy Inn in Akihabara is only a block away from Suehirocho subway station, with a direct route to Ueno subway station (and Keisei Ueno) to the north and Shibuya subway station to the south on the Ginza line. The biggest pain is that there is no elevator nor escalator at the station.

sassy_cat

Thanks for the clock analogy, HT. It helps!

chinese_chicken

I've stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo, mostly because for $1k i got RT air & 7 nights there. It is an excellent location, right near the metropolitan office with the observation deck. The best reason to stay in this hotel however has to be it's underground connection to the shinjuku station. When it rains, it's nice to be able to walk to the station without getting wet. Plus all those incredible underground shopping markets to eat at.

Too bad you are there for such a short period, I love how there are so many cheap vacation packages to areas around tokyo, like Hakone. We spent $50/person, which included all transportation there and around the small town

filmwill

Is 6 nights not enough? I figured we were there for more than adequate enough time.

chinese_chicken

it depends on how fast you see the rest of tokyo. In 3 full days I was able to see and do pretty much everything. It wasnt high tourist season so that made it easy. Then we took a 2 day/1 night trip to hakone. We booked our "Hakone Free Pass" at the travel agency in yodobashi camera but any of those agencies, maybe even at the hotel can help. It took only a couple hours to get to the base, then the fun train ride begins going up the mountain thru the valleys. Makes sure you plan a couple hours either on your way there or back to stop at the open air museum. Much easier than planning a side trip after you get to the top. Once you do reach the top take time to visit some of the shops while they are open, then take a taxi to your hotel, stay in a ryokan to get the full experience. The bus lines can be confusing at first, get your bearings then use them. It's definitely worth losing 2 days in tokyo. There are ropeways up to the peak that give you a beautiful view of mt fuji. Best vacation within a vacation I ever took, your inlaws will love it. This site is invaluable for doing anything in japan, especially hakone: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html You can see my own pics at http://www.buytokyo.com just click on the hakone link

DonTopaz

How many days does it take to see New York? Paris?

filmwill

Think I'm narrowing this down a bit.

Right now, for the 1st leg in Tokyo (2 nights on arrival) I'm leaning towards the ANA/Intercontinental in the Roppongi area. My company actually has a fantastic corporate rate there and it makes it extremely affordable (in comparison to other options.)

For the 2nd part (4 nights at the tail-end of the trip) I'm torn between the Cerulean and the Conrad. We probably don't want to stay in the same area twice (Roppongi)--and I really like the look of the hotel itself--which is why I'm leaning towards the Cerulean. But they have not published their rates for April yet, so a lot of the decision will have to do with the cost.

If the Cerulean is too expensive and won't work out for us budget-wise, then I would swap and do the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku on arrival and the Conrad for the 2nd leg.

Am I on the right track here?

mel1

We are headed off in 6 days...2 weeks in Japan, v excited.
THANK YOU for the clock analogy...really helpful as I am having trouble wrapping my head around the names and city.
We are staying at the Cerulean, got good rates and with 2 teenage girls, we want the buzz.
I will be happy to report upon return.

hawaiiantraveler

Looks alright to me Will. If staying at the Tokyu Cerulean you might want to join their club. IIRC it is the comfort member club or something like that. Anyways it will entitle you to a few privileges. It got us a free upgrade to ocean view room in Kagoshima. I think they also give you 10% or so off of most everything you buy at their establishment. You might want to check but I think you are also privy to see prices earlier on their website than the regular people. They give you an access if your a member....or is that the Toyoko Inn member site...sorry, too early here. Main message is join the club.

The area around the Conrad is not particularly interesting but walking a few blocks will get you to the Ginza area. I think rizzuto has stayed there before and would have the better info on that property than I.

Aloha!

DonTopaz

Only thing I'd add to my previous comments re: Conrad is that the gardens behind the hotel, Hamarikyu or something similar, are easily the most interesting thing in the immediate vicinity. They're non-obvious, but worth finding your way to. You can also catch the river cruise to Asakusa from the gardens. I found the river cruise to be less than fantastic. (The boat was enclosed and the day was splendid; also, the riverscape was not nearly as visually appealing as, say, the Seine in Paris. The again, what is? Still, it is a nice way to get from Shiodome to Asakusa, and it does give you a sense of how massive Tokyo is.)

Paul1950

It is a businessmen's chain, but we were very happy with our stay at the Toyoko Inn Asakusa Komagata Kaminarimon. A deluxe double room with a simple but more than adequate Japanese breakfast buffet was 9,800 yen a night. Large bed and a nice size modern bathroom.

Easy walking distance to 2 subway stops (Kuramae and Asakusa) with different subway lines made it easy to get around the city. Also within easy walking distance of restaurant areas and Sensō-Ji (Senso Temple)

ekscrunchy

saving