APA Hotel Shinjuku Gyoemmae (Tokyo, Japan)

If you want to be close to shopping, nightlife and transport without being in the thick of the action then this is the place for you. Walk left out of the hotel and you’re a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Sanchome station and all the restaurants and shops that surround it. Walk to the left and there’s another metro station just around the corner and a million-and-one coffee shops to boot. Pretty handy.

The stylish little on-site onsen in the basement is a wonderful place to hang out and/or retreat from the hustle and bustle of this super-hectic city. Get the place to yourself (in the evenings is the best time) and it will transport you to a whole different world...

This hotel doesn’t just look swish and sleek because it’s quite modern; it looks swish and sleek because it is cleaned to within an inch of its life every single day. Impressive.

If you’re someone who likes to spread out in your hotel rooms then do yourself a favour and opt for one of the superior rooms when booking. The standard rooms offered here are tiny, even by average Japanese standards!

The TVs in the guest rooms have very few channels. Moreover, most of the international channels (including BBC World News) are translated into Japanese (a voice is simultaneously translating). However, the most irritating thing about the televisions here is the size of them – they’re absolutely massive! In rooms this tiny they’re like oppressive cinema screens!!

Why even bother having pillows when they’re as flat as a pancake? Not good.