Our first time to Tokyo and Japan, we chose to stay away from the hustle and bustle but still close to subways, shops and eateries.  We also found we could get a nicer place for our money and The Blossom Hibiya turned out to be in the perfect location with stunning views, modern rooms and an amazing all you can eat breakfast.

Address

1-13 Shimbashi, 1 chome, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105-0004 Japan

Date stayed

Saturday 9th March, 2024 for 6 nights

Room Type

Superior Double room, 22 sq metres, non-smoking

Price

$2,021 AUD for six nights averaging $336.83/night.  We booked through Hotels.com and had free cancellation up until the day before.

Location

Located in the city centre just a 5 minute walk from Shimbashi station and 13.6 kilometres from Haneda Airport, The Blossom Hibiya is surrounded by over 300 restaurants and 227 attractions within half a kilometre.  We found the location to be ideal as it was close to stations, supermarkets and eateries and some attractions such as the Karasumori Shrine but away from the hustle and bustle of the more touristy areas.

Check-in/Check-out

• Check-in is from 3pm to Midnight
• Check-out is at 11am (we asked for an extra hour and the hotel kindly obliged without charging us a fee)
• 24 hour front desk
• No pets allowed

 

Parking

There is no on-site parking available at this hotel.  Public transport is so good here that we found a car was not necessary.

Internet

Free high speed internet with Wi-Fi and a wired connection is available in all rooms and free Wi-Fi is available in some of the public areas.

Room Features

This 4 star hotel features 255 sound proofed non-smoking air-conditioned rooms.  Our Superior double room on level 21 featured:

•  A Queen bed with a down duvet that is fully enclosed in a cover
• Floor to ceiling windows showcasing stunning city views
• Blockout blinds and sheer blinds
• Daikin air-conditioner
• Toshiba flatscreen TV
• Desk and small table and couch
• Fridge
• Tea and coffee making facilities with green tea and drip coffee
• Wardrobe with six wooden hangers, shoe horn, brush & cloth for polishing shoes
• Full length mirror on wardrobe
• Iron, ironing board and a bottle of air freshener and fabric mist
• Robes and slippers
• Ipad beside bed to control air-conditioning and lighting
• Panel on bedhead with power to control lighting
• Plenty of power outlets including four USB ports at the desk, Type A power 100V (compatible with most US plugs) beside each bedside table and above bed head, LAN connection (for laptops etc) and power below couch, 2 power outlets beside wardrobe on wall, 2 power points on ledge under the TV beside the phone and 2 power outlets in the bathroom.
• Private bathroom with shower and bath
• Complimentary bathroom amenities including Darjeeling tea scented shampoo, conditioner and body soap by Aromad’or, eco friendly toothbrushes, razors, cotton sets etc
• Toilet and bidet functions as well as a heated toilet seat

Hotel Facilities

• A lounge with complimentary soft drinks, water, tea and coffee on the 19th floor
• Fitness centre on the 19th floor
• Restaurant and bar
• Laundry with washer/dryers and ice and vending machines on the 20th and 24th floors
• Free newspapers and luggage storage in the foyer

Breakfast

A buffet breakfast is available at the hotel for JPY 3,300 or about $35 AUD per person.  It’s a must do at least once during your stay as the range and quality of food as well as the magnificent views make it a special experience.  We ate breakfast here on our last morning and thoroughly enjoyed it.  There is a good mix of Western and Japanese food though we mostly stuck to the Japanese.

Things to do in the Area

There is much to do in Tokyo and six days was not nearly enough time to do the place justice.  Some of the things we did whilst there were:

• Tried lots of yummy food including ramen at Ichiran and soufflé pancakes at Benizuru Pancake
• Visited the stunning Mt Fuji
• Spent the day at the magical but overcrowded Disneyland theme park
• Explored the streets of Asakusa by tuk tuk
• Learnt how to make sushi whilst enjoying the views and eating our creations
• Took the lift up to the top of the 634 metre Skytree tower, the world’s tallest tower

Pros

• The views from the lobby and room were incredible
• The staff were very friendly
• The buffet breakfast was impressive
• The rooms were modern and clean
• Lots of power outlets for charging
• Robes and slippers plus a heated toilet seat made it feel 5 star
• Bottled water and a fridge
• Blockout blinds allowed us to have a good night’s sleep
• I liked having the ability to control lighting and air-conditioning from bed
• A lounge serving complimentary drinks
• Having access to laundry is very handy, especially on longer stays

Cons

• The room smelled musty despite the air purifier/humidifier
• The room was a little small making it a bit hard to store luggage

Summary

We loved this hotel and would definitely stay here again.  The location was perfect for us – quiet but still close to plenty of subway stations, supermarkets and restaurants.  The hotel despite only 4 stars felt like 5 stars and we loved the stunning views, fantastic breakfast and friendly staff.