Palace Hotel Tokyo Review

Palace Hotel Tokyo sits right across the moat from the Imperial Palace gardens in Marunouchi, a few minutes' walk from Tokyo Station. There's been a Palace Hotel on this spot since 1961, but the one you'll stay in was rebuilt from the ground up and reopened in 2012, with 284 rooms over 23 floors. It's Japanese-owned and independent, it has three Michelin Keys, and Travel + Leisure readers have just voted it the best hotel in Tokyo, two years running.

It's the hotel I hear about most from friends who've been to Tokyo a lot. Not the most glamorous, not the most famous, but the one they quietly go back to. I wanted to see why.

A typical night is about $650. That's less than the Ritz-Carlton (about $740), about two-thirds of the Four Seasons and the Park Hyatt, and roughly a third of the Aman. And every one of those hotels would love to have its view.

Things I Loved about Palace Hotel Tokyo

The balcony. This is the thing. A lot of the rooms here have their own balcony looking straight out over the Wadakura moat and the palace gardens, and in Tokyo that's almost unheard of. We were in a Grand Deluxe room with a balcony on the 9th floor, in cherry-blossom season, and I took my coffee out there every morning, watching the swans on the moat, the joggers on the palace loop and the fountain park below, with the ginkgo-lined avenue running off toward Tokyo Station. In the evening it was a glass of wine and the city lights coming up. On a clear day, from some rooms, you can even see Mount Fuji.

The calm. You're in the middle of the business district, but the moat and the gardens make it feel green and quiet. The lobby smells faintly of lavender, eucalyptus and lime, there are fresh flowers everywhere, and deep green carpets with a leaf pattern run through the halls. It's not flashy at all. It's just calm and very well run.

Our room. Ours was about 55 square metres, with a little sitting area by the window that the smaller rooms don't have, a tea set laid out on the table, and an entrance hall where you take your shoes off. The design is earthy and understated, inspired by the gardens outside, and the bed is SO comfortable. I slept so well that I nearly missed breakfast.

The bathroom isn't huge, with a single basin and the tub and shower together in one wet room, but the tub looks straight out over the city, and that's what matters. At turndown they left pyjamas out and a little packet of bath salts made with cherry blossom from Chidorigafuchi, the famous blossom moat just up the road (part of what they make from selling it goes to a fund that looks after the city's cherry trees). It's such a sweet, local touch.

My one tip on rooms…the balcony is the whole point, so book a room that has one. The Grand Deluxe with balcony (55 square metres) is the one I'd book, and if you can, ask for a higher floor (on the 14th and above you start to see Tokyo Tower too). Note that the Grand Deluxe Twin doesn't have a balcony, so check before you book. And if you book through a third-party site, you'll probably get a lower floor…ask the hotel directly.

The staff. The service here is some of the best in Tokyo. We arrived at check-in rush hour and were asked to wait a few minutes in the lounge, but from then on it was smooth. I'd had a couple of parcels sent ahead (including one the airline was returning to me, cash on delivery), and the hotel had signed for them, paid the delivery fee, and had them waiting. Turndown came with slippers set out, a choice of pillow mists and an eye mask. When we came back late to the Club Lounge, someone made us fresh snacks. Nobody hovers, and nothing is missed.

The Evian Spa. The spa on the fifth floor is one of only a few Evian spas outside France, and it's beautiful, with heated baths, a marble sauna, a cold plunge and separate lounges for men and women. I had a jet-lag massage, and I slept nine hours that night. If you're celebrating, the four-hand signature massage, with jasmine and green tea, is the splurge.

The pool. Next to the spa, there's a 20-metre indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling windows, and it's lovely for a morning swim before the city wakes up. At night the windows fill with the lit-up towers.

Breakfast by the moat. Breakfast is at Grand Kitchen, the all-day restaurant, and the best seats are out on the covered terrace by the moat (they bring blankets and heaters in the cold months, which I loved). There's a semi-buffet with eggs cooked to order and a few hot dishes, plus a Japanese set. Go early for a terrace table. It was windy the morning we sat outside, but we were wrapped in blankets next to the heaters, looking at the moat and the old palace walls, and it was one of my favourite breakfasts of the trip.

So many places to eat. There are ten restaurants and bars here, and some of them are seriously good. Sushi Kanesaka is a branch of one of Tokyo's most famous sushi counters. Wadakura does a beautiful kaiseki. Tatsumi is a six-seat tempura bar. Amber Palace has a Michelin star for its Chinese food, and Estérre is Alain Ducasse's French restaurant. You could eat here every night of a week and never repeat yourself.

The bars. The Royal Bar is a dim, cosy, grown-up room built around the original bar counter from 1961, perfect for a martini. The Palace Lounge in the lobby has jazz every evening. And Lounge Bar Privé, up on the sixth floor, has a leaf-shaped bar and views over the gardens and the skyline. I'd do all three.

Cherry-blossom season. We stayed in spring, and it was magical. Chidorigafuchi, the moat with the most famous cherry trees in Tokyo, is a short walk away, the palace East Gardens across the road are free to wander, and even the lobby was full of blossom. There were weddings going on downstairs all weekend, which made the whole place feel festive. Just book early, because the suites sell out months ahead.

The palace run. The famous five-kilometre running loop around the Imperial Palace goes right past the front door, and at dawn it's full of Tokyo office workers getting their run in before work. It's flat, beautiful, and the best way I know to beat jet lag. Come back, shower, and have breakfast on the terrace.

The Club Lounge, if you go Club. If you book a Club room, the lounge on the 19th floor is lovely, with its own terrace, breakfast, a really good afternoon tea and evening canapés and drinks. It never felt crowded, even with the hotel full. Is it worth paying for? Only if you'll spend real time in it.

Afternoon tea. In the afternoon, The Palace Lounge in the lobby does afternoon tea in front of the big windows onto the moat, and in the evening the same room turns into a jazz lounge. On a rainy day, a long tea there with a book is about as relaxing as Tokyo gets.

The location. This is about as convenient as Tokyo gets. You can walk to Tokyo Station for the bullet train in a few minutes, there's a subway connection underneath, the palace gardens are across the road for a morning run, and Ginza is a short walk. The Marunouchi streets around the hotel are lined with shops and cafés, and Naka-dori, the tree-lined main street, is lovely for a slow evening stroll. There's a little shop in the basement for cakes, juice and bread, too.

Things That Could Be Better

The rooms are showing their age. The rooms haven't been redone since 2012, and while everything is well kept, you can tell. The TV is dated, the tech feels a generation behind newer hotels, and a couple of guests have mentioned the pillows. It's still a comfortable room. It just isn't a new one.

The best restaurants are hard to book. Sushi Kanesaka, Wadakura and Tatsumi are small and in demand, and if you leave it until you arrive, you probably won't get in. Book as soon as you have dates.

It's busy downstairs. The hotel hosts a lot of weddings and events, so the lobby and public spaces can get crowded, especially at weekends. Upstairs in the room or the lounge, you won't notice.

The Club Lounge isn't a club floor. If you pay for a Club room, you get the lounge on the 19th floor, which is lovely, with a terrace and good afternoon tea. But the Club rooms are scattered through the hotel, not on their own floor, so don't expect a hotel-within-a-hotel.

The spa and pool are a bit clinical. The spa reception is very white and medical-looking, a bit like a Swiss clinic, though the treatment rooms are softer. And the pool is on the small side, with time limits for kids. Neither is a reason to stay here.

A few service slips. In a hotel this good, they stand out. Room-service food can arrive lukewarm, and the front desk is occasionally a little cold. Small things, but worth knowing.

Breakfast often isn't included. Many of the rates don't include breakfast, so check what you're booking.

Palace Hotel or Four Seasons?

They're five minutes apart, they both look over the palace gardens, and they're both excellent, so this is a close one.

The Four Seasons at Otemachi is newer, the rooms are more modern, the bath sits right at the window, and Virtù is one of the best bars in Asia. It's about $400 a night more.

The Palace gives you a balcony over the moat (which the Four Seasons can't), more restaurants, a lovely spa and some of the best service in Tokyo, for a lot less money. If you want the newest room, book the Four Seasons. If you want the best value for a beautiful stay by the palace, book the Palace. Honestly, I'd be happy at either. And the Ritz-Carlton? It's about $90 more, with the whole city below you instead of the palace, older rooms and a great bar. I'd pick the Palace.

Overall

I think Palace Hotel Tokyo is right for couples, first-timers, anyone planning bullet-train day trips, and anyone who loves good food and doesn't need the newest, flashiest room. It's less suited to people who want nightlife outside the door, or a very modern design.

For a newer room with the same gardens, I'd book the Four Seasons at Otemachi. For the city spread out below you and a great bar, the Ritz-Carlton. And for the most beautiful room in Tokyo, at about three times the price, Aman Tokyo.

So here's my bottom line. I gave it 8.4 out of 10. The balcony, the staff and the location are the best things about it, the 2012 rooms are the worst, and for the money it might be the best luxury hotel in Tokyo.

If you're booking it

Stay three or four nights. Book a Grand Deluxe with balcony on a high floor facing the moat, and check whether your rate includes breakfast. Book Sushi Kanesaka, Wadakura or Tatsumi as soon as you have dates, and the spa before you arrive. Club rooms are worth it only if you'll really use the lounge. Rates start around $650 on a typical night and climb in cherry-blossom season and the autumn foliage weeks. Tokyo Station is a few minutes on foot, and Narita is about 90 minutes by car.