Ramada encore by Wyndham Amagasaki

The neighbourhood is nice, with everything within about a five-minute walk. It's near Hanshin Amagasaki station, though JR Amagasaki is far away.

The hotel is about a three-minute walk from a station served by express trains, which helped since it's so far outside the city. We hardly spent time in the room, so it worked out, but I'd rather have paid for a different place than use points here, even for two free nights. My husband and I chose it because I wanted to use Capitol One points with Choice Hotels after using up my other Hyatt points at other properties on this trip. The small room itself was expected. The bed was awful, and the bathroom felt like a cubicle jutting into the room, squeezing the space between it and the desk where luggage goes. There's no safe. They discourage room service and ask you to leave towels outside the door for fresh ones. We didn't experience much customer service, though this was the first hotel on the trip where staff didn't speak English, and we didn't try to ask. It seemed geared more to Japanese businessmen than tourists.

The room was so cramped that you could almost touch both walls. Forget opening a suitcase flat unless you put it on the bed. The bathroom barely deserves the name, it's more like a cabinet, and leaving its door open while showering sets off the fire alarm. This wasn't the holiday arrangement we were sold at the Wyndham session, with its pitch about booking a whole holiday of a lifetime. We didn't get that anywhere in Japan. Maybe it's a three-star hotel by Japanese standards, but it certainly isn't by Australian or US standards.

It's just a two-minute walk from the station, though the area has adult establishments. They were only active at night and practically invisible in the daytime. The lobby lounge was comfortable, with free coffee and wifi, and the staff were friendly. My breakfast plan turned out great: the food was good and the restaurant had a nice atmosphere, though it was a little crowded. The rooms were clean too. I'd definitely stay here again.