Hotel Graphy Shibuya

The staff were generous and really nice, and the rooftop balcony was a lovely place to unwind after walking around the city. I had a small room with a shared bathroom, but it was more than enough for me. This is hostel-style accommodation with some private rooms, with or without their own shower. The atmosphere was great, and I think the place is underrated. I didn't eat at the restaurant, though it looked good. There's a convenience store around the corner and a larger food shop a little farther along the main road. The shared shower could use some maintenance, but I had no real problems. The location worked perfectly for Shibuya crossing, with easy Metro connections to anywhere in Tokyo.

For what you pay, it's a good deal, and I'll stay here whenever I come to Shibuya. The rooms are small, with public toilets and three individual showers on each floor. In Shibuya, a bigger room with a private toilet would cost two or three times more. The facilities make up for the limited space. Everything was spotlessly clean and modern. Technically it's a hostel, but it has the class and feel of a hotel, and it's the nicest hostel I've stayed in across 30 countries. The bar and restaurant are classy, the food and drinks are good quality, and the staff are incredibly friendly, helpful, fun, and full of good vibes. That's why I'm giving it five stars.

The beds are comfortable, and there's a fridge, lockers, and cupboards in the room. The staff are all friendly and speak good English. I liked the perks too: free beer from 5-6pm, a pool table, complimentary coffee and drinks and snacks upstairs, fresh towels every day, and Dyson hairdryers. It's about a 15-minute walk to Shibuya crossing and the train, but the hostel itself is in a quiet neighborhood where you can get away from the busy area.

The staff were really nice and the room was clean, just as expected, but my experience didn't match the reassuring Google reviews. There are two shared bathrooms at the end of each floor, one for women and one for all genders. The women's bathroom was reasonably clean and organized. The all-gender one was bad: one of its three toilets didn't work, the stalls were dirty, and body fluids were splashed around. The three showers were a little cleaner, but the extraction fan had a lot of mould, which didn't seem sanitary. In the afternoon, people were sitting on the floor by the bathrooms with all their bags spread around, almost camping at the end of the hall. That wasn't something I expected to see. I wouldn't recommend this place. I'd pay a bit extra for a decent hotel.