Where to Stay - Tokyo - page 104

104 hot-spring bath (fee: ¥4,200; available for guests older than 24); room service; free shuttle service to

Hamamatsucho Station 30 min; bowling alley w/darts and billiards. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, high-
speed Internet, minibar.
SHINAGAWA
Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo This hotel is one of my favorites in
Tokyo, for its calm peacefulness as well as its small-luxury-hotel service. Because it's a bit
off the beaten path, it has a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere than those found at more
centrally located hotels, evident the moment you step into its lobby lounge with its gas-
flame fireplace (winter only) on one end and the lush greenery of a garden on its other.
It offers average-size rooms, with good bedside reading lamps and beds so comfortable
you'd sneak them into your luggage if you could. The best rooms are on higher floors,
with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the hotel's own lush garden, a famed
garden next door, or Tokyo Tower. This is a fine choice of hotel, despite its out-of-the-
way location (mitigated by frequent complimentary shuttle service to Meguro Station).
1-1-50 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8640. & 800/325-3535 in the U.S. and Canada, or 03/3447-
3111. Fax [phone]. www.miyakohotels.ne.jp/tokyo. 495 units. ¥28,350-¥44,100 single; ¥31,500-
¥47,250 double; from ¥74,550 suite. Rates exclude service charge and hotel tax. AE, DC, MC, V. Station:
Shirokanedai (4 min.), Shirokane-Takanawa (5 min.), or free shuttle from Meguro Station. Amenities: 3
restaurants; bar; lounge; concierge; health club w/25m indoor heated pool and spa (fee: ¥735); room
service; free shuttle service to Meguro Station every 15 min. and Shinagawa Station (mornings only);
dental/medical clinics. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, high-speed Internet, minibar.
The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo The Strings has many things
working in its favor, including its affiliations with InterContinental and ANA (All Nip-
pon Airways) and its location just a short walk from Shinagawa Station, surrounded by
a sea of office buildings. Guests—corporate CEOs during the week and well-heeled tour-
ists on weekends—take express elevators to the 26th floor of an office high-rise, where
the lobby soars seven stories in a light-filled atrium featuring slatted wood and a reflect-
ing pond. In fact, natural sunlight, stone, wood, and water are dominant themes
throughout public areas, in almost defiant rejection of the marble so favored by hotels in
the past. Brown is the color of choice for contemporary, high-ceilinged rooms occupying
the top six floors, with sofas and walnut furnishings that are low-slung so as not to
obstruct city views; but the beds are higher than normal, so guests can see outside while
resting.
Shinagawa East One Tower, 2-16-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8282. & 800/424-6835 in the U.S. and
Canada, or 03/5783-1111. Fax [phone]. www.intercontinental-strings.jp. 206 units. ¥31,000-
¥38,000 single or double; from ¥96,000 suite. Club Room ¥43,000-¥50,000 single or double. Rates
exclude taxes and service charge. Children 11 and under stay free in parent's room. AE, DC, MC, V. Station:
Shinagawa (Konan exit, 2 min.). Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; lounge; babysitting; concierge; executive-
level rooms; exercise room w/steam room; room service. In room: A/C, TV/DVD, CD player, hair dryer,
high-speed Internet, minibar.
ODAIBA
Hotel Nikko Tokyo This is by far the most un-Tokyo-like hotel in the city.
Located on Odaiba in Tokyo Bay with its convention center, shopping malls, and sight-
seeing attractions, this grand, elegant lodging is surrounded by parks and sea, which give
it a relaxed, resort-evoking atmosphere. Billing itself as an “urban resort,” it's especially
popular with young well-to-do Japanese in search of an exotic weekend getaway. A
curved facade assures waterfront views from most rooms, which have the added benefit
of private balconies with two chairs. The most expensive rooms offer commanding views

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