Best Western Astina

What a great hotel. i was suitably impressed upon discovery of a nice deep tub in my room which was unbelievably welcoming after a big day exploring the city.

A little pricey by western standards but average for tokyo!

The view from my window wasn't as amazing as the one i had from my hotel window in shibuya (full view of the famous crossing!), but to a newbie traveller like myself it was still impressive enough to spend a suitable amount of time gazing out from it after my nightly bath!

The western breakfast which was complimentary with my booking, was fantastic. i love the small, weiner-like sausages they have in japan (some people hate them... so this really is highly subjective!) they had a great selection on offer; scrambled eggs, sausages (japanese style), bacon, toast, coffee, juice, pastries. as well as plenty of japanese & korean offerings - kimchi, nori, rice, pickle etc.

The hotel is located smack bang in the heart of kabuki-cho, shinjuku's entertainment district. the area can get a little seedy (it's a red light district of sorts!) but japanese are very good at cloaking seediness and the streets are relatively clean and filled with bright lights, hustle-bustle, banter, restaurants, bars and plenty of characters to observe!

We did have an emergency evacuation during my stay there due to a burst water pipe in the basement (turned out the be nothing serious) but it was hardly their fault and the staff were great about it. although i was a little shaken by being woken by an alarm at 2am and a calm and instructive japanese voice (speaking japanese!) over a loud speaker.... all in all i went back to bed feeling not too phased by it all. bit of excitement really!

Also, for extra convenience (midnight snack anyone?) there is a 24hr lawson convenience store located right next door! Great for a cheap bento box on the run or a naughty ice cream treat after dinner...

i would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in a central location and who doesn't want to fork out for 5 star luxuries. The rooms are fairly big by tokyo standards and i felt safe and comfortable (important for a solo female traveller). A great hotel in a great location - what more do you need? :)