Summer hotel sale

In case the swelteringly hot weather hadn't already alerted you to this fact, summer isn't done yet. So if your longed-for summer holiday has yet to materialise, there's still hope – and Time Out Tokyo has teamed up with online booking service Ikyu.com to provide a few options, ranging from bayside towers to Kyoto's most exclusive, geisha-approved boutique hotel. The following summer hotel offers are only available until September 2, 2011, and the folks at Ikyu guarantee that you won't find a cheaper rate anywhere else...

Tokyo

Grand Pacific Le Daiba

Odaiba's prime luxury hotel is conveniently close to Tokyo Big Sight and Fuji Television, though it's also within easy striking distance of Tokyo Disney Resort. The rooms are furnished in an elegant European style, and many of them afford gobsmacking views of the waterfront and Rainbow Bridge – well worth the extra yen. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥14,000

Gotenyama Garden Hotel Laforet Tokyo

The Laforet chain generally deals in countryside resorts, but they've managed the next best thing with this Shinagawa hotel, which offsets its inner-city location with a vast, 6,800m² garden. Being close to Haneda Airport, it's a popular option for travelling businesspeople, though there's also plenty to please the idle crowd, including a yoga and pilates studio and floodlit tennis court. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥16,300

Celestine Hotel

Just a quick trot from Shiba Park, the Celestine Hotel occupies the upper reaches of a modern office block, though they still somehow managed to squeeze an outdoor patio onto the 14th floor. The facilities include a guests-only lounge, where you can enjoy a complementary drink while browsing the hotel's library. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥10,500

Hotel Seiyo Ginza

Maintaining a reputation as one of Tokyo's classiest hotels is no easy task. The Hotel Seiyo Ginza was the first place in Tokyo to introduce personal concierges, and it now also offers a 24-hour butler service – another first, natch. The rooms are each furnished in their own distinct style, and come with uncommonly large bathrooms. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥28,000

Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo

Even Tokyo has a few quiet corners, and the Sheraton Miyako is located in one of them: the verdant, largely residential neighbourhood of Shirokanedai. If the fitness facilities and on-site Japanese garden don't keep you, the luscious Happo-En is just up the street. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥16,000

Kyoto/Osaka

Kizashi The Suite

No excess is spared at this high-end boutique hotel, located in the traditional geisha district of Gion, where guests can take advantage of a 24-hour concierge service and even have dinner with a maiko (apprentice geisha). Kizashi's eight suite rooms offer a sumptuous, modern update on traditional Japanese interiors. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥62,000

Hotel Monterey Kyoto

You’ll either love or hate the design here. The lobby looks more like the entrance to a Bubble-era nightclub, and the odd design continues in the guest rooms, with burgundy and cream stripes conveying the look of an upmarket Punch ’n’ Judy booth. But beneath the quirky surface is a great hotel, with comfortable rooms and helpful staff. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥6,500

The Westin Miyako Kyoto

The setting can’t be faulted: the 501-room Westin sits against a verdant mountain in the east of Kyoto and boasts gardens by master Jihei Ogawa and his son. Inside, there are artworks galore, including door panels by Domoto Insho. The rooms are well appointed, and they feature the chain’s trademark 'Heavenly beds'. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥13,000

Hotel Osaka Bay Tower

Located slap on the Osaka waterfront, Bay Tower improves an already enviable perch by situating all of its guest rooms on the 30th floor or higher. Yup: the views are great. The more esoteric features include a 'low-calorie buffet restaurant', while the hotel offers a convenient base for people heading to Universal Studios Japan. Read more
Summer offer: Rooms from ¥5,500