We tested it out so you don’t have to–but you’ll want to!
Cherry blossom season is coming soon, and there are likely lots of people planning a trip to Tokyo to see the beautiful spread of pink and white blossoms in the city’s many parks. But where should you stay? With so many hotels in town, it can be hard to pick, and if you’re traveling in a fairly large group, it’s a lot harder to find a nice, comfortable hotel that’s still a reasonable price.
But we stayed at one recently that checked all of those boxes and more…and it’s perfect if you also plan to visit Tokyo Disneyland, since it’s just a 10-minute train ride away!
The Tokyo East Side Hotel Kaie is located just a one minute walk from Shiomi Station on the Keiyo line, which is also just a few stops from Tokyo Station. The hotel is right in front of the east exit, so you should have no trouble finding it.
We got to stay in a “Wayoshitsu” 4-bed room, which was a traditional Japanese-style tatami room with Western-style beds instead of futon. A low table and a set of chairs occupied the center, surrounded by the four beds.
Despite being full of furniture, it didn’t feel crowded, perhaps because the beds were low to the ground. Also, the window overlooked a terrace with lots of greenery, which added to the open feel of the room.
The space was also very well-lit, making it bright and welcoming.
Rather than being flat cushions with a back, the “chairs” were slightly elevated, which made them much more comfortable to sit in. The room was both modern and home-y, combining the best of both onsen ryokan inns and large-name hotels.
There was also enough space to accommodate four people. The washroom, for example, had two sinks, which was convenient for a room that sleeps four.
And there were also two mirrors outside of the washroom, so that everyone had room to get ready in the morning.
What’s more, the closet was huge, with plenty of room for not only everyone’s coats and jackets but also large luggage.
The room was stocked with lots of amenities–there was more than a hot water kettle; it also had a Nespresso machine, a scale, a stool for children to use the sink, and a shoe dryer. Pretty much anything you could ask for was there!
As far as bathroom amenities, only toothbrushes and bath towels were in the room, but if you needed anything else, you could pop by the Amenity Port by the front desk, where they had all the essentials, from make-up remover and face toner to hair bands.
What’s more, they even had specialized goods like hair treatments, nail buffers, and even kids’ toothbrushes. But what really caught our eye were the bath salts. They had all kinds of powders of different scents and colors, including bubble bath powder, and you could even mix and match to make your own personal bath salt.
We couldn’t decide which to use and in the end ended up taking two baths during our stay to take advantage of the different options. Well…we were on vacation, and leisurely baths are part of the fun of a vacation…right? The front desk also stocks beauty masks. If you get one for each person staying with you, you can have a spa night together!
There were plenty of ways to make good memories in this hotel, and not least among them was at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant, Akekure. It’s open only to guests and offers a premium dinner called “Akekure Gozen.”
The food was really delicious, all designed to draw out the flavor of each ingredient. With a mixture of textures and umami, served on a variety of beautiful dishes, both our eyes and our tongues were treated to a luxurious experience.
Breakfast was served in the main dining room, called “Ensemble”, and was a buffet of both Japanese and Western food.
Our favorite was the “Ochazuke and Okayu” section, which offered lots of different ingredients to top your green tea rice (ochazuke) or your rice porridge (okayu). With so many options, we wanted to go back for seconds!
There was so much to eat, we were plenty full before leaving for the day.
Lastly, the hotel has an extensive collection of over 1,000 volumes of manga, which guests can borrow for free and take back to their rooms for leisurely reading.
In addition to microwaves, vending machines, and coin-operated laundry facilities, there was even a convenience store and a fashion outlet store, which were both super handy to have on hand!
The only negative might be that there were no cute cafes nearby, but for some that might not matter because the hotel’s location makes it easy to get to the main part of town. Besides, the area around the hotel is quiet and calm, making for the perfect place to get a good night’s rest in between the bustle of Tokyo sightseeing.
We booked our stay through the Hotels.com app, which gave us a special price starting at 11,420 yen (US$77.99) per person per night for the four-person room, which included breakfast. There was also the option to omit breakfast for a starting price of 9,000 yen. If you’re planning a trip to Tokyo this spring, maybe to visit Tokyo’s newest hot-spring bathhouse and foodie spot, this hotel could be a great candidate for your stay!
Hotel information
Tokyo East Side Hotel Kaie / 東京イーストサイド ホテル櫂会（かいえ）
Address: Tokyo-to, Koto-ku, Shiomi 2-8-11
東京都江東区潮見2-8-11
Website
Images © SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]