Mandarin Oriental Tokyo

The views from the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo are extraordinary: the hotel begins at the 38th floor, a height from which you can just about take in the whole of the city. If anything the interiors are a bit more conservative than the Mandarin standard, sporting a buttoned-up look that suits the location in the Nihonbashi banking district. Guest rooms are all restrained elegance — what interior decorator would want to challenge those picture windows head-on — though functionally they’re almost extravagant, with enormous forty-five-inch flat-screen televisions and bathrooms you could mistake for the spa.

Don’t, though — the spa itself must be seen to be believed. Also impressive are the dining options: too many to remember, they include fine Italian and Cantonese offerings as well as French-inspired cuisine in the Signature restaurant and even futuristic micro-tapas in the impossibly small (six-seat) Molecular Bar, in the corner of the Oriental Lounge. In the heat of it all you may have to remind yourself to save some energy and a few yen for shopping — the upscale Ginza district borders on Nihonbashi and some of Tokyo’s best shops are within easy reach.