tokyo hotels - hard to decide!
 

Ok, read a few threads here about tokyo and very helpful. Might have been slanted towards higher end hotels, so I am posting this message.

Been looking all over the net, and it seems like Shinjuki is a good choice of exciting Tokyo areas for first timer. (we have 4 days to see all kinds of things all over the city)

Assuming you agree on Shinjuku, now we need a hotel.

Shinjuku Prince looks okay to me, but very open to comments and better suggestions. It's only about 125/night which sounds nice to me.

Not so much worried about it even being a western style hotel, and smaller hotel ideas also very welcome. (I normally prefer basic stylish places with some soul and character.)

Thanks!

Its Shinjuku btw. :cool:

I've stayed at the Shinjuku Prince before, nothing special about the rooms or hotel, just your average Japanese business hotel, had a IBM feel, rooms are small but functional for a single traveler, the hotel has a nice restuarnt on the top floor with nice views of the area, its about a 10minute walk from Shinjuku Station.

I don't think I would recommend Shinjuku for a first time visitor, especially on a short stay such as yours. Do you have business there ?

According to his other posts he's stopping in Japan for (2 days?) after a trip from Thailand.

I can think of other places more worth visiting in Tokyo, but it depends on the traveller.

We are arriving on a Sat night, and will stay till thurs morning, so have 4 full days in Tokyo before we continue to Thailand.. We were in Japan a few months ago, but never Tokyo. Interested in basic shopping, record stores, fish market, food, electronics. That kind of thing.

It seemed like an area where we could quickly get on and off trains as we tend to wander a lot and stay out late. Some of you think better elsewhere?

Also looking at Nishi Shinjuku Hotel, whcih seems to have more style, but maybe a bit more of a walk? E-rate is $100.

Thanks!

The Shinjuku Prince is over the Seibu Shinjuku station, a rail line you probably won't use, and about 700m from the main station, although it's a bit closer to some subway lines. Still pretty convenient.

The Nishi Shinjuku hotel is a bit further away, but still quite walkable to the station. There is a coin-op laundry I've found that is buried in the small streets behind the Nishi Shinjuku hotel so that's a factor if you're running out of clean clothes. The hotel will probably guide you to it if you ask.

To be honest, I tend to think that both places would be clean but character-less! But there's more of a chance you'll find something unusual, maybe good, maybe bad, at the non-chain hotel.

If you are looking for stylish and not too expensive, check out the new crop of "boutiquouid" hotels popping up all over Tokyo. The Japanese are very good at style, and the places will usually look like a million dollars, even though they aren't that expensive. My suggestions are the Marunouchi Hotel in Tokyo station, the Cerulean Tower in Shibuya, or any of the Villa Fontaine hotels in the city. They might be within your price range, or at least within spitting distance, making them worth the investment.

Word of warning, though: expect small rooms. But well appointed and designed. If you want large rooms in Tokyo, be prepared to pay for them. Even the GHT has small rooms.

I'm sure there are others, but I'm a high-end man myself (Mrs. Pickles has certain, ahem, minimum standards), so I can't help too much. Having said that, if I didn't have an apartment in Tokyo, and Mrs. Pickles wasn't traveling with me, I'd happily stay at one of the above places.

Personally I've always thought Ikebukuro was a better area to stay in. The first time I was in Japan I stayed in Shinjuku (the Grand Hyatt, I think), and while it was nice, it really seemed like a business area. I've been to Tokyo like six times since then and I've always stayed in Ikebukuro, which I like a lot more. Ikebukuro seems smaller, but also seemed more interesting. It's a decent area to wander around late in, as sometimes it can seem deserted, but other times it won't. Anyone else is free to chime in on this (especially as I was last in Shinjuku in 1998, but I was in Ikebukuro in January).

Have a good time in Tokyo. I'd reccomend you visit the Imperial Palace. Here is a link (if you want to go on the tour) for signing up (with the Imperial Household Agency):
http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e17/ed17-03.html

Of course, this doesn't help the OP much, and it is only my personal opinion, but I wouldn't be caught dead in Ikebukuro. It isn't called the "Tijuana of Tokyo" for nothing. And I've been to Tijuana.

Fire away.

Ehh I've never thought that Ikebukuro was that bad. And I've been to Tijuana too (I don't think any place in Japan could ever be compared to Tijuana though). And I've never heard that. I've actually heard bad things about Roppongi (mostly due to foreigners and crime, which, given Japanese police, means all foreigners are suspects). I just really wasn't impressed with Shinjuku overall - far too much of a business area. Kind of like (if you're familiar with Chicago), being in the loop (downtown) in Chicago.

Ouch! :D

On the other hand, I don't disagree with you. I prefer to stay a bit further out of the city core - Asakusa, Nippori, Kanda. I'm definitely not a "high-end" kind of guy. Give me a couple of subway lines and maybe access to the Yamanote line, along with some neighborhood noodle shops and izakayas and I'm good.

JR

To me, Ikebukuro is honky-tonk without the history or culture of, say, Ueno (which is also honky-tonk but has Asakusa, ....amachi, and the museums to make up for it). It is dumpy, loud, dirty, scruffy, crowded, and low-rent (like Tijuana). It is also far from anything worth going to as a first-time tourist (like Tijuana). If you want to see funky low-rent, head to Ueno, some parts in Shibuya, Shimbashi 4-chome, and the east side of Shinjuku, which is a loaded entertainment district.

You are thinking of West Shinjuku, which is rather sterile and business-like, although you can always stop by the Park Hyatt for a course in civilization, or head to the east side and enjoy the chaos. Having said that, as a first-time visitor to Tokyo, I could see staying in Shinjuku (I did, a long, long time ago), but I'd probably stay somewhere in Akasaka or the east side of the Palace, closer to the basic sights.

The area of Roppongi that remains a dump is getting smaller and smaller. Mori took care of that, and although the Hills complex is quite controversial, I think it is overall a very positive development. Not so sure about that new brutalist Ando monster in Omotesando, though. I think the original 1920's apartments, decrepit as they were, were much more atmospheric.

I'll admit Ikebukuro doesn't have all this history or culture, but I still think it's decent (being in an area with history or a lot of culture is never particularly important to me). I don't think it's all that bad in terms of location though because it's in Tokyo and there's no particularly good place in Tokyo in terms of being everywhere (and having Ikebukuro eki nearby certainly helps).

Shinjuku isn't that bad for a first time visitor, I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of picking a hotel in a decent place (which didn't happen when I was there). I've heard how Roppongi is looking better (I actually have a NYTimes article on Roppongi from like 3 years ago saved), but I've never actually been. Never particularly seemed that interesting to me.

This is the kind of thread that should be included in any sticky.........

I once stayed at the Intercontinental (Keio Plaza?)Hotel.....let's just say I have never had the occasion to go back. :p I have also stayed in salaryman hell of Shinagawa, and while the rooms are small, they were functional. I also once stayed at the FS for a wedding........that was nice!

I'd also agree that this would be in a sticky.

I've stayed at the Intercontinental a few times (also got stuck in a Clarion once, that place was ok but I've decided to splurge and spend the extra $20 and get a better place since then) and thought it was ok for one person (if you got a cheap room). The rooms are a bit outdated, but still decent. If you go there several times, you'll definitely notice a difference in how nice (and big) your room is and how much you paid for it. If you actually want a place with a decent amount of space, I wouldn't consider staying anywhere but a western run hotel.