We stayed at the Toggle Hotel Suidobashi over the 8D7N we spent in Tokyo this trip. It was tough trying to find a property that could hold the four of us: either a family room, or a property that guaranteed adjacent rooms if not interconneced rooms. The kids are getting older now, so it’d likely be another year or two at most where they shared their own room and need not be near us. That would certainly make it much easier to find suitable properties to stay at when we’re on vacation!
But for the moment and a Japan trip like this, and also because there would be so much travelling both within and out of the Tokyo city, we had to find a property that was close to a train station, and also not too far from Shinjuku Station where many Tokyo lines interconnect. This was especially coming out of our experience in the 2019 trip to Tokyo where we spent a good amount of time just getting to where we need to get to and fro from the hotel then.
In this sense, the Toggle Hotel Suidobashi fitted our needs perfectly: it offers interconnected rooms, is fairly new, is within 3 minutes walk from the west exit of Suidobashi Station, a station that is a manageable 20 minutes ride away from Shinjuku Station, and the Chūō-Sōbu train line also directly connects to a few places in our itinerary. Of amenities, Tokyo Dome City is just another 6 minutes walk away, and there are plenty of small eateries and restaurants clustered around Suidobashi Station too. There are two Starbucks outlets located at Tokyo Dome City, and a McDonald’s, two cafes (Excelsior Cafe and Caffe Veloce) are all located within 5 minutes walk. Aside from the about half-dozen 7-11, Lawsons, and Family Mart outlets all within 5 minutes walk, there is a also a pharmacy located just opposite Suidobashi Station: the latter proved valuable as I needed large plasters for my Achilles heels as I got blisters early on from the amount of walking we’ve done.
Our comments after our 7 night stay!
The hotel is located along the Chūō-Sōbu train line. Guest rooms are from levels 2 to 8, with level 9 being where the reception and hotel cafe. The laundry machines and dryers are at level 2: and is operated by e-money e.g. IC cards and credit cards.
Many guests have observed that vehicular noise is a possible issue. The train noisily accelerates and decelerates as it approaches or leaves Suidobashi Station, and other visitors have reported also that the other side of the hotel likewise faces a main road. For us, our two rooms at level 6 was facing the train track, but it was bearable when we weren’t sleeping. And when we were, a complete closure of the windows shut out most of the train noises. To note: we could still hear it, but it was sufficiently muffled that I reckon one might only be further bothered if you’re a very light sleeper! And in those cases, the hotel will pass you ear-plugs if you want them. Also, the trains stop running at around midnight, but that’s also when the occasional train track maintenance starts: a couple of times I woke up at 2-3AM to observe workers doing such maintenance.
Each room in the hotel is very colorfully painted: ours was yellow and blue, and it provided a cheerful and modern look to our stay.
We found the desk areas in each room somewhat dim though: additional lighting that brighten up the desk areas would had been much appreciated.
The shower stall and toilet are in separate rooms, and this bathroom area is separated further from the bedroom by a sliding partition.
The large screen TVs support Netflix, and the kids binged-watched Teen Titans Go during our evenings!
Our room was a ‘Light Blue Connection Room B’ with a 4 single beds bedding arrangement. That was what we got: two mattresses in each of the two connecting rooms, and they sat on oversized platforms. The mattresses aren’t especially think: perhaps around 4-5 inches would be my guess. They were fine for us as we’re not especially large sized or heavy individuals, but if the mattresses might not provide sufficient support if you weigh substantially more.
The only complimentary in-room beverages were a few tea bags, but there was a mini-fridge if you still need cold drinks in winter. The hotel also provides the standard amenities in the bathroom, including shower foam, conditioner and shampoo: and shavers, combs, cotton buds etc. are picked up at reception.
In all, we loved our stay at this property, as did both kids! It was a combination of many things: that we got interconnected rooms, the rates were affordable, and the decent location and surrounding places to dine. The only caveat is the vehicle noise, and while it finally didn’t bother us that much, your mileage might vary on that. That aside,we’d recommend this property to families with kids!