APA Hotel Hakata Gion Ekimae

My first stay here went well, but the second, during the same month of November, left me with a bad impression. I’d bought furushiki cloths at Daizafu shrine as souvenirs, along with mitarashi dango sweets after my day trip. I was sure I’d brought them back to the hotel, not left the bag on a train or at a restaurant. When packing for my flight home, I found the dango in my backpack, but the souvenir furushiki were gone. I know I wouldn’t have put the sweets in my backpack. That left me convinced the furushiki had been taken. I’ll be more cautious at hotels in Japan from now on. It was a bad experience.

Gion Station is right outside, and Hakata is within walking distance. The rooms and service were excellent for what we paid. Highly recommend it!

APA hotels are usually reasonably priced and in handy spots near train stations and other amenities, which is why I like staying at them. During this trip, Mr T Nagafuchi at the front desk was a big help arranging delivery of our luggage to the next hotel. He was coughing from some throat irritation, and his English wasn’t very good, but he still took the time to explain everything clearly through a translation app. I’ll stay with APA again when I’m in Japan.

The price was frustrating for what we got. The room was so cramped that it was hard to move around or settle in, with almost nowhere to put luggage. The layout felt poorly planned. The bed sagged in the middle and was uncomfortable, and the pillows gave almost no support, so getting a good night’s sleep was difficult. For that cost, I expected better comfort and quality, especially with other options nearby. The three-star rating also felt misleading given the room size and overall experience. I wouldn’t come back or recommend it unless there were no other choices.