I never used to put much thought into where to stay when traveling to Tokyo, because I knew I wouldn’t be spending much time at the hotel…but going there with a baby and toddler made things quite different. We needed enough space to accommodate our family of four, and somewhere within walking distance to spots we wanted to visit, so we wouldn’t have to lug the kids around in busy Tokyo subways.
以往去東京， 我對住宿並不講究 – 反正，不會花很多時間在房裡。但這次帶了5M和3Y的小小人們，多了不少考量 。比如空間得夠一家四口活動，最好要有隔間，放睡孩子後才能有me time。再來，因為不想拖著兩小去擠地鐵，所以必須地點方便，步行就能抵達好吃好玩的。
It turns out that there is in fact a perfect hotel for us – The Aoyama Grand Hotel. Previously a department store, the building was renovated by Plan Do See Inc. and reopened in 2020 as a hotel. It’s located in Aoyama, one of our favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo, and within walking distance to most of the spots we wanted to visit on this trip. For the areas that are a bit beyond walking distance (such as Roppongi and Azabudai Hills), we took an occasional taxi/uber to save on traveling time.
這次入住的 The Aoyama Grand Hotel 完全符合需求。它的前身為百貨大樓，後來由日本餐旅品牌 Plan Do See Inc. 改裝接手，於 2020 年開業。地點在青山，距離我們想去的大多數地方都能步行抵達，稍微遠一點的（比如六本木、Azabudai Hills）就靠 taxi/uber 解決，節省了很多交通時間。
Hotel reception is on the 4th floor, discreetly tucked away next to the entrance of THE BELCOMO, a bistro that appears to be very popular with the locals. The diners here – regardless of age and gender – are all very stylish, and I couldn’t help but feel a little out of place with our baby stroller and sometimes out-of-control toddler…
前臺位於四樓，電梯打開後首先映入眼簾的是餐酒館 THE BELCOMO，左側的 reception 反而小小的並不起眼。THE BELCOMO 似乎從早到晚都非常忙碌，而且在這里用餐的人 – 不論性別和年齡 – 都打扮的非常時髦。相較之下，推著嬰兒車、拖著兩個孩子的我們顯得有些格格不入…
It was late April and I thought we had already missed the hanami window, but a branch of cherry blossom in full bloom welcomed us at the entrance.
入口處放了櫻花，讓我們抓到了今年最後的滿開。
It was changed into leaves just two days later.
過兩天后，就換成綠葉了。
THE BELCOMO also doubles as the hotel lounge, guests can enjoy a coffee or tea here without extra charge.
THE BELCOMO 也算酒店的 lounge，房客可以免費在這里喝杯茶或咖啡。
Let’s go upstairs! (Em, as always, on elevator duty.)
上樓吧！（走到哪裡都要負責按電梯的 Em。）
We stayed at the Aoyama King Suite on the 17th floor, which has a nice open view of the city. The decor style is Mid-Century Modern and carries warmth of an actual home, a lovely change from the typically minimalistic hotels I’m used to for Tokyo.
這次入住位於17樓的 Aoyama King Suite，窗外有著開闊的視野（雖說沒什麼特別的地標view）。設計風格是 Mid-Century Modern，濃郁的色彩搭配上深色木頭、黃銅金屬、皮革、玻璃等材質，有家的溫度。
Em got her own mini slippers, too cute.
Em 也有自己的小拖鞋，太可愛了。
At 59 sqm, this suite is quite spacious by Tokyo standards. I particularly liked the separation of spaces – after putting the kids to sleep in the bedroom, we could still access the living room, bathroom, and luggage area, having plenty of space for some R&R.
Aoyama Suite King 有59平米，以東京來說挺奢侈的，而且空間和動線設規劃合理，孩子們入睡後，我和A仍可以自由進出起居室、浴室、行李衣帽間，完全不會打擾到卧室里的小孩。
The King bed is very comfortable, as is the baby crib – El slept through the night every night!
大床和嬰兒床都非常舒適，El每晚都一覺到天亮。
The spacious bathroom was also much appreciated, a hot shower and bath here after a long day out really hit the spot.
寬敞的浴室也深得我心，每天最後的行程就是在這裡沖澡泡澡，太舒服了。
The biggest surprise, however, was probably the incredibly well-stocked mini bar, which included fun snacks and a large selection of alcoholic drinks – from champagne to hard liquor – all free of charge (and promptly restocked the next day).
更令人驚艷的是豐盛的 mini bar，酒類超級多，香檳、紅白酒、各式烈酒應有盡有，而且全都含在房費內，盡情享用後第二天都會全數補齊（爸媽帶孩子出門到底是多需要酒精的慰藉…）。
But first, tea (with a beautiful tea set too!)
茶壺茶杯也很有質感。
And after the kids fall asleep…(love the cute little Flos table lamp too).
夜深人靜（小孩入睡）後，爸媽的小酌時光。Flos小桌燈好可愛。
In Tokyo, I don’t usually eat breakfast at the hotel because there are simply too much good food out there, but a friend raved about the breakfast at The Aoyama Grand Hotel, so we decided to at least try it for one morning. And what a breakfast it was!
在東京，我一般不會在飯店吃早餐（外面好吃的太多了），但聽朋友說 The Aoyama Grand Hotel 的早餐非常優秀，於是特別訂了一餐來試試…果然，沒有失望！
Breakfast is served at ROSSI, a beautifully appointed restaurant on the hotel’s top floor, with natural light streaming in from everywhere. There is a thoughtfully put together buffet, even including a small selection of breads from one of my favorite bakeries in Tokyo – bricolage bread & co.
早餐地點位於在酒店頂樓的餐廳 ROSSI，空間高挑明亮。Buffet的部分已頗豐盛，還有來自bricolage bread & co.的麵包，種類雖然不多，但已夠讓這次沒時間去到本店的我滿足了。
In addition to the buffet, there’s also a choice of a la carte dishes or Japanese breakfast set. I tried the pancake, which was quite unique in its chewy texture, while A enjoyed the Japanese breakfast set (I stole a bite of his miso baked tofu, delicious.)
Buffet之外，還可選西式單點或日式套餐。單點的 pancake 和平時常吃到的松軟綿密松餅不太一樣，口感是Q彈的，頗有特色。A說他的日式套餐也很不錯，我嚐到了一口味噌烤豆腐，的確美味。
Em’s little breakfast plate, cute cute.
Em 的早餐盤，小熊造型太可愛了。
Just as we were about to finish the meal, the staff rolled over a dim sum cart…we certainly didn’t expect to have table-side dim sum service at a hotel breakfast, what a pleasant little surprise. Needless to say, breakfast at Rossi was a truly delightful start to our day in Tokyo.
吃的差不多時，服務人員還推出了點心車…在飯店的早餐居然會有這種桌邊服務，有點驚喜。能夠如此悠閒地享用早餐，再開啟東京的一天，太愉快了。
After staying at The Aoyama Grand Hotel for 3 nights, it really became our home away from home in Tokyo. Perfect location, elegant design, thoughtful service…I highly recommend spending a few days here for your next trip in Tokyo. Have a lovely stay.
在 The Aoyama Grand Hotel 住了三晚後，已覺得這里是我們在東京的 home away from home，非常推薦。有小孩的話不妨也試試這里的 suite，沒小孩的話一般客房應該就非常寬敞舒適了。Have a lovely stay.
