I did a lot of research when choosing where to stay in Tokyo, as we were on quite a strict budget but we wanted to be central as possible. I came across APA hotels during my research and quickly realised they are based right across Japan, which refers to itself as the 'new urban style hotel'. I booked our accommodation in Japan in advance which I think helped get a good deal.
We stayed for 6 nights at the APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho costing us £365.00 in total, which worked out to around £30.41 each per night which worked for our budget. The hotel is noted as three stars.
The Lobby
The APA hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho hotel lobby is modern and clean and will store your luggage for free if you arrive before the check in time. The staff were helpful and polite. There was a bit of a language barrier but it didn't cause any problems and still got all of the information we required. There are lifts which are handy for travellers who have heavy baggage.
The Room and Amenities
My first impression of the room was 'wow this is small' but this is standard in Tokyo and the room actually had everything we needed. The way they have set out the rooms utilises all of the available space and as long as you haven't got a massive amount of luggage, you should have enough space to fit it in the room with enough space to walk around. The bed was comfortable and didn't feel small, there was a flat screen TV and lots of plug sockets including USB sockets, which was handy for us to charge all of our devices. There is also a small desk if you do have to work during your stay. The rooms come with a fridge and a kettle with tea and coffee.
The room even had little extra touches like providing a robe, slippers, tooth brushes and hairbrushes. The rooms also have great views out of Tokyo's incredible skyline. There was even a cute origami on the bed...welcome to Japan!
The bathroom was compact but did the job and was clean. The shower was actually really powerful and the hotel provided shampoo and shower gel which was a bonus to us as we were backpacking. The rooms were cleaned daily.
If you are sensitive to light, there are blackout curtains which is handy if you fancy a lie in after a night out in Tokyo.
There is free wifi through the hotel which is helpful when planning your days exploring Tokyo.
We don't usually pay for breakfast, as we like to go out for a coffee in the morning but there is a restaurant on site which offers breakfast but I can't comment on this as we didn't eat at the hotel.
The Location
The location was important to us and the APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho was perfect. The hotel is around a 5-minute walk to the Hanzomon station (to get to Shibuya or the Skytree) and Kojimachi station (to get to Ikebukuro or Ginza) and not too far from the Akasaka-mitsuke station (to get to Akihabara, Ueno or Asakusa). The area is quiet which was nice after a long day exploring the busier districts of Tokyo. We felt extremely safe when we are walking home even late at night.
Better still the hotel is only a 6-minute walk to the entrance of the gardens were the Imperial Palace is housed. The area is beautiful and we were lucky enough to be exploring this area in December when the leaves had started to change to a deep red, orange and vivid yellow colours.
There are some local cafes and restaurants to grab a bite to eat and there are 7/11's and other convenience stores in walking distance to grab a cheap meal on the go. APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho did offer a microwave which we did use one night and there is also washing facilities on site.
Address: APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho 1-3-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-0093, Japan
Where to Book
We booked the APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho hotel through Booking.com as we found the website easy to use. There are loads more reviews which you can read here.
Summary
APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho is affordable for different types of travellers and really is in a great location.
If budget and location are the most important factors to you, then you can't go too wrong with APA Hotel Hanzomon Hirakawacho. As long as you aware the rooms are small I don't see why you wouldn't be happy with your experience here.
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