Hotel Mystays Kiyosumi Shirakawa

“Great quiet hotel”

The hotel is located in a quiet place, although a bamboo workplace nearby can be cutting during the day, it'a only audible with an open window. That was important to us, and nights certainly were quiet, with almost no traffic noise.It's also near two metro stations with access to three lines in tot… more

The hotel is located in a quiet place, although a bamboo workplace nearby can be cutting during the day, it'a only audible with an open window. That was important to us, and nights certainly were quiet, with almost no traffic noise.It's also near two metro stations with access to three lines in total, all rather convenient, as one circles the city and the other two go straight to the center. We got a triple room (for two persons) with kitchen (they call it Superior Twin Room with Kitchen), and in another occasion a "Deluxe Twin Room" with no kitchen. Both were non smoking and really there was no smell of any of them, and I'm rather sensitive to it. I would definitely recommend the one with kitchen, and it was even cheaper. It decently sized, ample by Tokyo standards. The kitchen was very small and with no kitchenware. I understand that kitchenware can be requested, or rented, I'm not sure, we didn't use the option, the extra space and the microwave was the most important consideration for us. In any case I found remarkable that the mini-kitchen had the same carpet as the rest of the room. That seems prone to staining, but in any case the carpet was clean everywhere, perhaps nobody cooks much. Everything was clean in the room, except a thin dust cover on the courtesy slippers, which obviously didn't see much use. Not much furniture for eating in the room, a small coffee table and a couple of chairs. There is also a working desk, functional. There is also an open wardrobe with a set of drawers. There is cleaning only every seven days, as this is considered more an "apartment" than a room, even if room-sized. You take your own trash out to a place in the basement of the hotel. Most consumables you will find at the lobby free to take, including trash bags. There was also a big TV that we didn't use. Also air conditioning and what I believe was a dehumidifier. As we went in October, the weather was very nice, and we didn't use any of them. The Bathroom was raised for some reason, you had to step up to it, but it was also decently sized and with enough surfaces to be comfortable. It was western style in the "Superior" room and Japanese style (separated toilet room, and lavatory with ofuro type room) in the "Deluxe" room. The Deluxe room fittings were more modern. The microwave was a bit of a mystery, because it had a big red button, which, if pressed, would heat up things inside till it felt that they were hot enough. It was prone to mistakes, and the way of setting it to warm for a period of time wasn't obvious. I downloaded the manual and translated it, but probably you could ask the staff to help you with that. An English notice would be useful there. There was also a nice little kettle that worked more intuitively, and allowed you to make tea (bags provided by the hotel free of charge). Reception personnel are attentive and ready to help, some speak English, some don't, but usually there is one that does. The reception is open only in more or less office hours, and some extended hours where you can call to get service. The door of the hotel is locked by night but you can enter with a code. There is also WiFi, of course, and the reception and speed was good in both our rooms, no problems at all. The beds are wide and long. Didn't bring my measuring tape but I'd say 120 cm wide by more than 200 long (I couldn't reach with the tip of my feet the end of the mattress, and I can if it's just 2 meters). Consistency was good for my taste, firm spring type, we found it comfortable, both of us, and we are different weights and tastes. The pillows were better than average, with a foam "anatomic" one and a regular one for each bed. I liked the foam one, very comfortable. You have washing machines and dryers by the lobby, coin-operated. A full cycle will set you back like 700 Yen. The "Deluxe" room, even being more expensive than the "Superior" didn't have a microwave, you had to go down to the lobby and warm your delicious konbini dinner in a public microwave there. Also there was no wardrobe, open or closed, and a smaller working desk. Instead it has a sofa and a bigger table. The "Deluxe" room, with its separated toilet and shower rooms, is perhaps more convenient if you are more than two persons, but for us, we much preferred the "Superior" room with kitchen. Another thing to note is that both these rooms are corner rooms, with two outside walls, so they can probably get hotter in summer and colder in winter. All in all, I think the hotel is fantastic, specially if you stay more than two or three nights. It's very well communicated, you can dine in your room, which is something to try in Japan, with all its prepared food options, and the atmosphere is unassuming and relaxed. We had a great experience, and this is certainly now our hotel of preference in Tokyo.

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