View From Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
Recently, my wife and I helped a family of five look for a place to stay in Tokyo. We checked AirBnB, Trivago, Agoda, Expedia and Booking.com. Too many options in such a big, cosmopolitan city so we narrowed down the possibilities by agreeing that Shinjuku and it’s environs is the place to be and the hotel/apartment hotel/BnB must be relatively near a train station. After three hours of browsing the internet and discussing the many possibilities, I came up with my 5 places to stay in the Shinjuku area.
1. Sunroute Plaza – our family’s choice hands down. Near the Shinjuku JR station, Takashimaya and Shinjuku Park. Just walk around the area and you will see all sorts of shops and restaurants. Hotel price is reasonable for Tokyo averaging $150 a night. As an added convenience, the Airport Limousine Bus picks up and drops tourists by the hotel doorstep every 3 hours for Haneda and 2 hours for Narita.
2. Citadines – The selling point of this apartment hotel is the kitchenette. If you like to cook, this place is for you. Marusho supermarket and convenience stores are nearby. Train station is about 400 meters away. A bit far if one travels with small kids. During the wintertime. I can imagine the hassle.
3. Hotel Wing Premium Yotsuya – website says this is the first Premium hotel of the Wing Group. This new hotel looks nice in the pictures and it’s location is very near the Yotsuya Sanchome train station.
4. Tokyu Stay Yotsuya – I believe one must stay at least a week in this apartment hotel. Room is cheapest compared to the four others mentioned in this blog. And they even serve breakfast! All reviews from the travel website are favorable. This one I want to try coz of the price but it is farthest from my relatives. Tho it’s next door to Sophia University, my son’s school.
5. Shinjuku City N.U.T.S. Tokyo. The hotel with the funny-sounding name is the wildcard. This used to be a love motel converted into a hotel so it has big bathrooms. Each room looks different tho so choose well. I take this place into consideration coz it’s two blocks from my mother-in-law’s apartment.
These places are normally under $200 a night. Other hotels or apartments can be cheaper but check the location. It may be cheap but if it’s far from a train station, a cab will be needed and that costs. Cleanliness is a virtue in Japan so it’s safe to assume that any place to stay is clean. When booking a room, pls check the room size. Space is a premium especially in Tokyo and rooms can be pretty claustrophobic for some.
My wife and I also recommend Shibuya and Harajuku areas as other places to stay. These areas are bustling and full of fun things to do. Just check the location and amenities. Book a vacation soon!
He Ain't No Goon 
This is really helpful Mike. Am in Tokyo now but returning soon and will definitely choose from your list! Thanks for sharing.
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A good friend of mine and his family are going there next year so we were looking for a place to stay. Has to be cheap coz they need two rooms. Hotel Wing and Tokyo stay are new and haven’t seen except thru the net. I may try Tokyo Stay in February when another friend of mine runs the Tokyo marathon since Sunroute is full.
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