The Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku is lovely. It's everything you'd expect of a four-star hotel, and more. Looks like in Japan, they do four-star with quality that would blow some five-star hotels elsewhere out of the water.
As many of you know, I'm always happiest when I'm in Japan. This is my 10th trip here (seems like a lot, but you really don't feel like going anywhere else after you've had a taste of Japan), and my sixth one to Tokyo. But because my last Tokyo trip was in 2007, this latest jaunt was much welcomed as a refreshing update.
I had wonderful travel buddies on this trip to Tokyo! Here are Dennis and Adrian (Superadrianme), and Irene (Moonberry). Check out their blogs too.
We had just arrived at Narita Airport. This is the first time I am taking the airport limousine express buses to the hotels (slightly over two hours). I normally take the N'EX to Shinjuku. But the advantage of these buses is they drop you off right at the hotel. If you have a lot of luggage, that might be a good idea.
I was pretty amazed that the ground staff (ushers and luggage handlers) would ritually bow to (the guests in) the buses as they arrived and departed. The Japanese have such incredible dedication to their tasks.
The Hilton is located in the Shinjuku Skyscraper district just westwards of Shinjuku station. It's walkable, but there are shuttle buses you can take.
Interestingly, I often stay in Nishi (west) Shinjuku as well, but never tried the Hilton until now. In fact, I realise this is probably my first Hilton hotel experience anywhere.
Photo courtesy of the Hilton Tokyo
After the long plane journey, it was nice to be embraced by luxury and comfort. This is the spacious lobby that greets you as you enter the hotel.
The hotel has 812 rooms and suites. The Executive rooms have all been refurbished. I have to say it was really nice to see such big and spacious rooms in Tokyo! Most other hotels have nefariously tiny rooms that make it a challenge for you to even walk around in.
I also need to get a wide-angle lens to fully capture the size and breadth of hotel rooms! For this trip, I had newly gotten the Canon 5D Mark III (kindly loaned by Canon Singapore), and was just learning how to use it. It's a huge step up from my old 400D. So many new features! First few photos will not be great, I know. Anyway, I have indicated iPhone and official hotel photos where they appear.
Each room comes with the trademark shoji screens across the windows. I really like these. They lend a Japanese touch to the contemporary Western design. You can enjoy the view from the writing desk or the smart-looking easy chair. If you stay on the west side, you might see Mount Fuji too.
The beds are comfortable, softly coddling but with enough firmness for support. You can see through to the shower, but of course, there is a privacy screen. Oddly though, it's controlled from the outside, not inside. So make sure you trust whoever you share the room with!
Executive rooms now have the Japanese style deep bath tub. I love these!
iPhone 4S photo
I don't know how the water naturally is or turns blue in the bath tub, but it's awesome!
There's a nice range of Peter Thomas Roth toiletries - I like the Body Wash with beads. Smells great.
But out there is an even more astonishing welcome ensemble. A pretty persimmon, luscious Kyoho grapes that taste like wine jelly, very well-made macarons, chocolates, and a bottle of prized Hakkaisan sake.
It's so nice to find real tea leaves instead of tea bags, for your in-room tea.
And for the turn-down service, they placed a small bottle of wine, and some exquisitely crafted candy in a box.
Well, it was a pity we only stayed a night here. We didn't get to see what the other rooms looked like, but here are some official photos.
Photo courtesy of the Hilton Tokyo
The Junior Suite by night.
Photo courtesy of the Hilton Tokyo
The City Suite by day.
Photo courtesy of the Hilton Tokyo
The Executive Tower Suite in the evening.
Photo courtesy of the Hilton Tokyo
The Executive Deluxe Suite - this has got to be top of the line.
Dinner was at Musashino, the Japanese fine-dining restaurant within the hotel. Most of the restaurants are conveniently located on the second floor.
Musashino is very traditional in its decor and cuisine. There are three private tatami rooms like this.
They also have rooms specially dedicated to teppanyaki, tempura and sushi. You can also have shabu-shabu or kaiseki, served by waitresses clad in kimonos.
We started the evening with some drinks.
They brought out some premium Hakkaisan sake.
We also had some umeshu.
But it was really the food that was outstanding. The chef prepared a special kaiseki menu for us to showcase the different strengths of the restaurant.
iPhone 4S photo
Our starter of seasonal delicacies included sesame tofu, boiled potherb mustard with globe fish (fugu!) and skin, egg sponge cake and ginkgo nut, pond smelt, roast duck with cheese. And two thick cuts of otoro and chutoro so fresh and sweet. It was a dance of many flavours.
From the teppan, we had Prime Japanese sirloin steak with vegetables and garlic chips. The wagyu was from Iwate prefecture, and expertly seared to a medium rare perfection. You can almost see how translucent the marbling is.
A second helping of sashimi after we had the wonderful otoro in the starter. We could not say no to more.
Tempura of prawns, asparagus, pumpkin, Japanese ginger and shiitake mushroom. Notice how non-greasy it is, with nary an oil stain on the paper.
iPhone 4S photo
Assorted Sushi - Semi fatty tuna (chutoro), flatfish (hirame), sea eel (anago), tuna and cucumber roll. There was a lovely bowl of clear soup to go with this. It had a beautiful smoky hint to it.
A light dessert of stewed pear in syrup, walnuts and raspberry rounded up the evening.
We adjourned to the Executive Lounge on the 37th floor. This is where they earlier did our personalised check-in. There's free wi-fi, access to computers, laptops and a printer, magazines, newspapers and DVDs. You can also get breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails here. But the real draw is the view.
The stunning Skyscraper district in all its night time glory.
On the eastern-facing side you can see the government buildings.
So many people still in their offices at night?
The western-facing side extends towards a more residential area, so there are less tall buildings.
This is the view from my room the next morning.
It was uncharacteristically foggy with a bit of rain. The autumn colours were not out in full force yet, despite it being so late in the year (early November).
Oh well. Breakfast!
Downstairs at the Marble Lounge (first photo above), you get food 24 hours a day including buffets. The breakfast has the usual favourites for both Western and Japanese palates.
Japanese side dishes and condiments to go with rice and porridge.
Need carb to start the day? Fret not. Load up all you want on bagels, breads, doughnuts, rolls, danishes, and croissants.
There's a nice juice and smoothie bar too. Get your coffee and teas here as well.
What's really considerate of them is the takeaway coffee/tea for those who have to dash off quickly.
A selection from the Western offerings: Omelette from the live egg station. Nice beans not from a can, but done from scratch. Smoked salmo, hams and sausages. French beans and shimeji mushrooms. Mini hash browns. The only thing is bacon in Japan always tastes a bit different.
Oh I love a good Japanese breakfast. Rice, seaweed, furikake seasoning. Fish, stewed vegetables, pickles, more seaweed, sweet egg omelette (tamago), and salty plum (ume).
Photo courtesy of the Hilton Tokyo
After all that food, I feel like I need the gym and heated indoor pool. There's a separate gymnastics/yoga area, two outdoor tennis courts, a massage center, traditional Japanese sauna and relaxation zone. The gym runs 24 hours a day and is equipped with 35 PRECOR training machines plus free weights and resistance equipment.
But all too soon it's time to leave.
But it's with fond memories.
The hotel also helped to arrange some experiences around the Shinjuku area. There are lots of shopping and dining options. I'll show you some (including Menya Musashi ramen) in an upcoming post.
We also explored the Conrad Tokyo the following two days, so more on that later too.
For the best available rates, go to the Hilton Hotel Deals website that cover all the brands within the hotel group. The Tokyo page is here - http://en.hiltonhoteldeals.com/tokyo (For the screenshot, I cut and pasted the Hilton Tokyo details upfront, so you can see the what it looks like, plus sample rate).
I also joined the Hilton Honors program. I have friends on it, some of whom are racking up points like crazy. I'm looking forward to do the same!
HILTON TOKYO HOTEL
160-0023, Shinjuku-ku, 6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku 6-Chome, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3344-5111
Email: tokyo@hilton.com
Many thanks to the Hilton Hotel Group for arranging this experience. Special thanks to Ms Momoko Gonohe and Ms Kazuko Ogawa for hosting us throughout.
How nuch is the dinner at musashino restaurant? I couldnt find any information on this restaurant on the web and currently I am in tokyo looking for a nice place to go for new years eve dinner!! ₩
ReplyDeleteHi Charmie, the dinner was a special menu created by our Hilton hosts to showcase signature items, so I'm sorry I don't have pricing details. You could call or email the hotel to find out some sample menus/prices.
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