“What a beautiful room,” I exclaimed, as soon as I entered the garden suite of the Hotel Chinzanso in Tokyo. Just like many Tokyo residents spending the summer in Japan amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we had decided to book a staycation at a hotel in the city.

Tokyo has many luxury hotels. However, for many people living here, the Hotel Chinzanso occupies a special place full of nostalgia and good memories.

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So many new hotels have sprouted up all over Tokyo. Many of them occupy the upper floors of skyscrapers and upscale buildings. However, the old-fashioned Chinzanso, with its sprawling estate, is a testament to the fact that some good things should never change.

This hotel is a great favorite among Japanese aristocrats. For one thing, it is located in a quiet and genteel residential neighborhood, away from the tourist areas of Tokyo. Also, it is perhaps the most spacious hotel in the city. When you’re at Chinzanso, you feel like you’ve traveled elsewhere both in location and time. You see, this hotel with its garden full of history harks back to the days of Old World Japan.

A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IN TOKYO

I booked the premiere garden suite because it comes with a view of the gardens. I love waking up and seeing the gardens and the temple first thing in the morning. The gardens are also easy on the eyes as I enjoy my room service breakfast. Even when I’m working on my laptop on the desk in the suite, I feel that the entire Tokyo is literally at my fingertips.

In the evenings, I often can’t take my eyes off the pagoda in the garden. It’s lit up dramatically and it makes quite a picture. In the distance is the skyline of Ikebukuro, a modern suburb of Tokyo. Meanwhile, in the foreground are the lush gardens of Hotel Chinzanso.

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The hotel has many kinds of suites, each with its own decor. The garden suite I stayed in was a combination of Western and Asian interiors, with Japanese accents. It was very comfortable to spend several days here, just relaxing away from the heat and the stress of the pandemic.

The furniture are classic antique-style pieces merged with chintz, everything in elegant proportions. Meanwhile, the main bathroom is massive by Tokyo hotel standards, and there’s a second bathroom in the foyer. Even with years piling on it, the Hotel Chinzanso is so impeccably maintained that the rooms look fresh.

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It was so easy to feel at home here, especially as room service was excellent. I stayed three nights and only checked out with the greatest reluctance on the last day, determined to find some reason to return to this beautiful garden suite again someday.

Read more about the best hotels and resorts in Japan in Travelife Magazine.

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