APA Hotel Namba Shinsaibashi

The 7-Eleven inside the hotel was handy for snacks and daily essentials, and a supermarket, Starbucks, and McDonald’s are about five minutes away on foot. Staff were courteous and respectful, and made a sincere effort to communicate in English. Still, I wouldn’t return, especially with better hotels in Osaka at the same price. I booked specifically for the advertised rooftop hot tub, pool, and gym, looking forward to relaxing after long days of walking with a view of Osaka. The pool and hot tub were unusable for our entire five-day stay, with permanent signs telling guests not to swim or use the tub. Nobody explained why, and the booking page hadn’t mentioned it. The gym charged around 3,600 yen per hour, which felt like an unreasonable hidden cost. For a 40-story hotel, the room felt unnecessarily impractical. There was nowhere to open or store our suitcases except under or on top of the bed. Two office chairs in front of a long, narrow, unusable desk made it feel even tighter. Our 22nd-floor window was frosted, with no view, adding to the claustrophobic feeling. Perhaps ask for a room with a view when you check in. The check-in lines were very long. Arriving around 2:30 PM or after 5 PM might help avoid the worst of them.