Description: This is a beautiful and nicely located hotel. It is quite western in style, and most Americans will feel quite at home here. It is rather pricey, both for room and other things. I chose this hotel because Yokohama is only about 30 minutes from Tokyo, and this was an SPG category 3 hotel (the Starwood Preferred Guest members will know what this means and it doesn''t apply to anyone else).
The location of the hotel is great. It is across the street from the Yokohama train station, and is even connected to the train station through an underground shopping mall. It is a 3-4 minute walk at most, and if it rains, you won''t need your umbrella. The Yokohama train station has most of the trains the tourist (and business traveler) will need, including the Narita Express, except for the Shinkansen (bullet train). The Shinkansen trains stop at the Shin-Yokohama train station, which is about 10-15 minutes away by either train or subway.
I stayed in a "Tower" room on the 26th floor. The tower lounge is here, and every morning it served a free continental buffet-style breakfast. This consisted of various croissants, toast, ham or salami (they seemed to alternate), some fresh fruit, juices, tea and coffee. You can also check in and check out at the lounge, avoiding any waiting at the lobby. The lounge has great views of Yokohama Bay. There are several western and Japanese style restaurants.
The room was your standard "2 double beds" room. There was a TV (with RCA-type video inputs), a tea/coffee maker and a minibar. The bathroom had a separate bath and shower. One odd thing I noticed was the lack of an iron and ironing board. The hotel will bring you a set free of charge if you ask, but you can only use it for a few hours at most, so plan to do all of your ironing at once. It is also a portable board that has to be set up on a table. I''ve included a picture of it, just for fun.
The concierge will be able to provide you with maps, travel directions and suggestions in excellent English. I owe the success of the trip to her.
The hotel has a small exercise room, with several bikes, some free weights and several "relaxation machines." Don''t ask me what they do, since I didn''t have time to try them. There''s also an indoor pool.
How to get there: From Narita Airport take the Narita Express to Yokohama train station. From Tokyo take the Tokaido Line to Yokohama train station. Follow the signs for West Exit. Either go outside and to your left, crossing the street using the pedestrian bridge, or go downstairs into the Diamond shopping mall, walk straight to the end (there''s a lotto shop there) and then turn left.
Hotel web page is at http://www.yokohamabay-sheraton.co.jp
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