Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel

Rooms and decor

The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel is a Disney Official Hotel on a massive scale — over 50,000 sqm, the largest in the Official Hotels group, split across two linked towers, the Bay Tower and the Park Tower, with 801 rooms between them. The Bay Tower lobby runs to a 12-metre ceiling hung with a crystal chandelier and Mediterranean paintings on the walls. The Park Side Room measures 40 sqm and goes for about $300 a night — and what sets this place apart is that every room has a balcony, something you won't find elsewhere in the Disney group. The look is resort-style in soft green, cream and brown, with two 120×200 cm twin beds plus a sofa-bed, sleeping four. Step onto the balcony and Tokyo Bay fills the view, with Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland visible 800 metres off. The bathroom is a roomy 10 sqm with a jacuzzi tub, a rain shower and Sheraton signature toiletries.

Food and amenities

The big draw is what the kids can do without leaving. The 9-hole mini golf runs about $5.50 a person and is laid out like a Japanese garden, with a waterfall, a bridge and maple trees around the holes — collect points across four balls, good for about an hour of family fun. The Bow Bay flight simulator is around $10 for 30 minutes: kids take the pilot's seat while an instructor talks them through take-off and a loop around Tokyo, past a mock-up of Mt. Fuji. Reviewers say their kids loved it. There is also a 25-metre indoor pool, a 35-metre outdoor pool (open July to September) and a sauna. For food, dinner at the Grand Café is an international buffet at about $44 a head — Japanese, Western, Chinese and Thai across 80-plus items, with chefs making sushi, ramen and tempura to order, plus a dessert station with Mr. Whippy ice cream, crepes and cake. Breakfast buffet runs about $30 with omelettes to order, bacon, pancakes and a Japanese set. Sunset Wing does Western Bayside food, and Maihama serves sushi-kaiseki at the higher end, above $68 a head.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits a 2-minute walk from Bayside Station, and the free Disney Resort Cruiser shuttle is built right into the property, so getting to the parks is easy. As a Disney Official Hotel it sells park tickets at the front desk and lets you book Premier Access ahead of time. From a Park Side Room on the 7th floor and up in the Bay Tower, you can watch the Tokyo Disneyland fireworks from your balcony every night at 20:30 during July and August — reviewers describe kids bouncing around at the window, calling it as much fun as the park itself.

Things to know before booking

This place is genuinely enormous, and that cuts both ways: the walk from the lobby to your room can take about 8 minutes, so leave a little extra time. In-hotel dining is on the pricey side, with meals from around $30 per person and the top restaurants well past that. And as an Official hotel rather than a Disney Hotel, you do not get Happy 15 Entry — that early-park perk belongs to the three Disney Hotels only. If you want the fireworks view, a Park Side Room costs about $57 more than the standard.

Our take

The Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel is the biggest and best-value Disney Official Hotel — every room 36+ sqm with a balcony, plus mini golf, the Bow Bay flight simulator, indoor and outdoor pools, four restaurants and Marriott Bonvoy. It scores 8.9/10 from over 15,000 reviews, with rooms from about $243 a night. It is the right call for a family of four and for anyone who wants the hotel itself to be a destination rather than just a place to sleep — and Marriott Bonvoy members get real value out of staying here.