Originally Posted By leemac <<Or maybe I should just stick with the Hilton again if I don't want to splurge on the MiraCosta? >> The Hilton is a good hotel. I've only ever stayed at that official hotel but people also rave about the Sheraton. TP2000 have you stayed at the Conrad? We are there this week and have stayed at a few other Conrads (Hong Kong is my favorite) but not this one since it opened.
Originally Posted By SuperDry Last month, I stayed for 2 nights at the Hilton followed by 4 nights at the Mira Costa. The problem I had with the Hilton was that I could not get my room cool enough to my liking despite turning down the thermostat all the way and letting the AC run for awhile. The Hilton otherwise did seem to be a fine hotel. I definately noticed far more Westerners there than at either the Ambassador or Mira Costa, where I usually don't see any other westerners during my entire stay. The thing that continues to bug me about the Mira Costa is no high speed internet. It's just about the only place left I go these days where I have to fall back to dialup. But the atmosphere and location make it definately worth it in my book. Depending on how long you're staying, you might consider to split your stay between the two.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I definately noticed far more Westerners there than at either the Ambassador or Mira Costa, where I usually don't see any other westerners during my entire stay.>> OLC put Disney CMs in the Hilton so that is probably why. I've never stayed at the Ambassador or MiraCosta on OLC's dime.
Originally Posted By TP2000 >>"TP2000 have you stayed at the Conrad? We are there this week and have stayed at a few other Conrads (Hong Kong is my favorite) but not this one since it opened."<< No, I have never stayed in a Conrad, but funny you mention it! I saw the Tokyo Conrad last October on the morning we wandered through Hamarikyu Garden, and I thought "Wow, that looks like a very fancy place". I had a vague reference of what a Conrad was, sort of a super-luxury Hilton, as they really don't exist yet in North America. I did some research when I got home, and liked what I saw on the website. Now that it's official that I'll be returning to Tokyo in January, I've convinced the group I'm going with that we should get rooms at the Conrad. Its location appears to be very, very convenient to many things in Tokyo. Plus, well, it's the Conrad. Have you stayed at the Tokyo Conrad leemac? Is the service and amenities as nice as everyone says? All of the info I can find online on tripadvisor, etc. just raves about it.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Have you stayed at the Tokyo Conrad leemac?>> I can let you know this week! I've stayed at a few Conrads before (they are starting to open up in the US including Chicago, Miami, Cincinnati, LAs Vegas etc.) and they are impressive. I spend a lot of time in hotels so need to be comfortable with what they offer me. The reason I opted for the Conrad this time was that a colleague of mine that has always said the Park Hyatt (might be the Grand I can't remember) is the finest Western hotel in Tokyo and then she stayed at the Conrad and it blew them out of the water. Plus it has a Gordon Ramsay restaurant on site! TP2000 you did say was the MiraCosta worth the splurge on another thread. Personally I find it ridiculously over-priced for what you get and would only recommend it if this was your one and only trip to Tokyo. I find the service and comfort of the Hilton to be as good as both of the OLC-owned hotels. Plus I love being able to get some Western comfort foods (especially for breakfast) that the Ambassador and MiraCosta don't offer.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I love the Sheraton. Closer to the monorail and the building is much more airy and rooms a bit bigger over most similar fare in Japan.
Originally Posted By TP2000 That was one of the things that goes in the Hilton's favor; food service. I was surprised that the MiraCosta just has those two nice restaurants that close at 10:00pm and a lounge. I would think the MiraCosta would also have a little bistro or something that was less formal and stayed open later. We loved the Patisserie that was off the lobby of the Hilton. We started every morning there. The cocktail lounge was also very hip and stayed open late for post-park cocktails and deserts/snacks. I understand they now have a Starbucks in the Hilton, which is even better news. There's just something about the MiraCosta that makes me think it's not quite worth the Conrad prices for my needs. Don't get me wrong, it's a stunningly beautiful hotel, and I'm sure the service is top-notch. I can't wait to walk through the lobby again. But the more I think about it I think I'll be mad at myself if I shell out 40,000 Yen a night for a basic Venice view room, when I could have been staying at the Hilton for 22,000 Yen. When we were there last the Hilton was remodeling it's rooms into that mod/hip style that seems to be all the rage in Japan now. That was my only quibble with the Hilton; the rooms were imacculate and well cared for, but you could tell the decorator hadn't been in for an update since the first George Bush was President.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< That was one of the things that goes in the Hilton's favor; food service. I was surprised that the MiraCosta just has those two nice restaurants that close at 10:00pm and a lounge. I would think the MiraCosta would also have a little bistro or something that was less formal and stayed open later. We loved the Patisserie that was off the lobby of the Hilton. We started every morning there. The cocktail lounge was also very hip and stayed open late for post-park cocktails and deserts/snacks. I understand they now have a Starbucks in the Hilton, which is even better news. >>> I just wanted to add a bit to the "Hilton vs. MiraCosta" discussion. The Hilton has a lot more in certain categories, such as the Starbucks, the pastry shop, the wonderful breakfast buffet served either in the restaurant or the lobby (not to mention a place where you can actually buy a Diet Coke without trekking over to Ikspiari). But in the end, it's a Hilton, much like many others around the world. It's a nice hotel in a great location, and has a lot of guest-friendly features (especially for Western guests), but no magic. The MiraCosta is a wonderful experience as far as the design, the buildout, the rooms, and of course the location. But you pay a big premium for those. If the hotel amenities outside of the room are very important to you, then the Hilton is probably a better choice. For me, those things are usually very important to me, but the MiraCosta is enough to overcome those, but I wouldn't want to recommend it without mentioning the downsides.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Great points SuperDry! Thank you. And I've considered all of those. The MiraCosta was stunningly beautiful, but it seems just a bit lacking on the amenities list. I'm sure the service at MiraCosta is wonderful, but quite frankly the Tokyo Bay Hilton bowled us over with their grace and style and willingness to be of service. I'm now leaning to saving 15,000 Yen per night and stay at the Hilton again. Plus, I'll have a cup of Starbucks on my way to the Parks each morning!
Originally Posted By Mr X My question is WHY would an otherwise awsome hotel like Mira Costa (or some of the other Disney resorts) be LACKING in shops, restaurants, cafes, etc...??? It would seem to me that they would WANT those hotels to be top-notch in every way. No? Why not make a hotel that is head and shoulders above the rest...in every aspect? At least, since they're charging so much for it anyway, you'd think they wouldn't want the customer to have to "think twice" before booking.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< My question is WHY would an otherwise awsome hotel like Mira Costa (or some of the other Disney resorts) be LACKING in shops, restaurants, cafes, etc...??? >>> That's something I've been wondering about. I can't think of much wasted or unused space in the MiraCosta, so it was obviously by design. Two things come to mind: looking it up just now, the Hilton has 801 rooms and the MiraCosta 502. So, all other things being equal, with 60% more rooms, the Hilton can support 60% more "stuff." But I would have thought that at least they'd have a small pastry/coffee location, as these are almost ubiquitous in high-end Japanese hotels. The second thing I was going to say was the fact that it's literally inside TDS means that hotel guests have access to what's in the park (at least on days when they otherwise have admission), but that cuts both ways, as people not staying in the hotels have access to the hotel restaurants (and in fact there's that priority seating desk for hotel restaurants inside the park, right next to the hotel entrance in the park). Of course, all of the above speculation is just for just Disney (and hotel) geeks. When making a recommendation, the "why's" are far less important than simply what is.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I'm now leaning to saving 15,000 Yen per night and stay at the Hilton again. Plus, I'll have a cup of Starbucks on my way to the Parks each morning! >> TP2000 it really isn't worth it IMHO. The rooms just aren't that special. You can experience the best that the MiraCosta has to offer by just being a day guest. Paying extra for the spa and pool and things like that leave a very sour taste in my mouth. That said the Hilton at TB is my home away from home. Another extended stay this time and I feel the employees are better than anything OLC has. Truly. Exceptional service.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Same way I feel about the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay, which to me is just as, if not better than, any of the luxury hotels at WDW. Anyways... Here are the latest pics from the TDL Hotel construction site. <a href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32112112&f=" target="_blank">http://albums.photo.epson.com/ j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32112112&f=</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X >>>Paying extra for the spa and pool and things like that leave a very sour taste in my mouth.<<< I agree, but isn't that pretty much a Japan "thing"? When I stayed at the Urayasu Brighton for a couple of weeks (back in the glory days), I was shocked that the pool/spa cost an extra $20 or so PER DAY! I mean, this is a $400+ hotel, they couldn't just "throw" everything in?? It was the same at the New Otani, if I remember correctly (or maybe they just didn't have anything there). I suppose, if it's typical of Japan, people just say "shoganai" and pay if they want to use it.
Originally Posted By Kayoss Eh, you only live once. What's saving 140-200 a night compared to losing a one-of-a-kind experience offered by MiraCosta? There's nothing quite as beautifal in all of the Disney Theme Park's anywhere in the world as looking out to the Harbor, Volcano sputtering, boats sailing, all lit up at night, from the comfort of your room (in your complimentary silk robe.) It truly feels like another world. And truely, the reasons for not having so many things in the MiraCosta itself is because of Ikaspari. Like the Downtown Disney's in the American parks, Disney encourages people to hop on the monorail and go to Ikaspari should they need a fix after park hours. That way, MiraCosta remains this awesome, secluded (and quiet) experience totally removed from the 'hotel' scene.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Great observations and perspective. I am sure others would feel differently about the Miracosta if they could add milage to their airline frequent flyer accounts by staying there.
