The Sotetsu Grand Fresa Namba was where we stayed for our short one night stay in Osaka. The hotel was reasonably priced, costing us $107 CAD a night after taxes and fees, had pretty good ratings and looked nice. The location seemed good so I booked it. When we got to Osaka via the Bullet Train, I punched the Sotetsu Grand Fresa into google maps. The hotel we arrived at looked nice and looked like a good area, but when we found out we weren’t registered guests we had to take a cab and find our actual hotel… there are multiple Sotetsu Grand Fresas. Well I’m glad we booked the Sotetsu Grand Fresa Namba because it was in an even better location.
The Grand Fresa Namba is literally located right across the street from Dotonbori. Dotonbori is the place to be in Osaka. The hotel is also close to a taxi stop. We didn’t spend much time in our hotel because our time was limited, but the hotel was nice. The lobby was basic but was clean and each day the staff would set amenities on a table in the lobby. Instead of stocking your room with a bunch of amenities, you can choose what you want with no one policing if you take a few extra for the road. There was coffee, toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, body lotion, bath oils, bath robes, slippers, etc. The list was endless.
The room was small, but compared to our room in Tokyo it was gigantic. It was clean and the bed was comfortable. The only problem was the window was pretty much pointless. The window looked out to a small industrial looking courtyard shadowed by the hotel floors above us. But oh well, we didn’t stay there for the view.
In Japan it’s hard to find a hotel that has free breakfast, as a matter of fact it’s hard to even find a restaurant serving breakfast and the Sotetsu Grand Fresa Namba was no different. There was breakfast but for a charge. We decided to pay for breakfast before we headed off to Osaka Castle. It was a buffet with numerous options. The food was fresh, tasty and worth the price.
Overall, the hotel was nothing to rave about, it was a good hotel for the price we paid but the location was phenomenal. It had to be one of the best locations in all of Osaka. In Osaka, Dotonbori is where you want to be and the hotel is literally right across the street. You’re safe from the lights and noise if you want to call it an early night, but you are under 5 minutes’ walk from Dotonbori Street.
Overall, here is how I’d rate the hotel:
Price – Good
Location – Excellent
Amenities – Good
Service – Okay
Rooms – Okay
Food - Good
Add comment
Comments