Hotel Relief Namba Daikokuchou

There are lots of restaurants and street food options around Namba City, and the hotel is walkable from there, about 11 minutes away. Dotonbori takes around 15 minutes on foot. We had free breakfast each day, with assorted breads, cereal, ice cream, and waffles you can make yourself. It runs from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM, but it was packed when we arrived around 8:30. I’d get up earlier before the bread runs out. Around 6:00 PM, they also offer free alcoholic drinks to mix yourself. One downside: there’s no complimentary bottled water in the room, so bring or buy your own. Check-in at Hotel Relief Namba Daikokucho was smooth. We worried the beds might be too small for three, but putting them together gave us enough room to sleep comfortably. There’s a family mart downstairs too.

We got a free breakfast with several kinds of coffee, freshly baked bread from the hotel’s baking kitchen, and even ice cream. The apartment layout gave us shoe storage, a wardrobe for hanging clothes, a separate shower room and toilet, and a balcony for smoking or drying clothes. The lift is tiny, fitting about three people with three carry-on bags, and takes a while to come. The shower room has no curtain, so water gets everywhere. The toilet being separate was lucky, since the wet floor nearly made my son slip and fall. There’s no place in the shower room for clothes or laundry, even though there’s room for a table. I had to leave a chair outside to put clothes on, and there wasn’t even a spot for towels or washcloths. There was no bedside dressing table either, so my phone ended up on the floor. An outlet sat right above my head while I slept. In winter, make sure the heat works: our room was cold, with a cool draft from the glass balcony door, which was close to the beds. Overall, the apartment hotel wasn’t bad, but these things annoyed me.

We had a great time walking around here, since nearly everything we needed was nearby, including train stations. Namba and Daikokucho stations are within walking distance, and there are food places, a drugstore, and konbini all around. The hotel is inexpensive but well maintained. We visited in late spring, and nights were cold. My kid loved the free ice cream, and we enjoyed the fresh bread baked every day. A good family-friendly place if you’re traveling with kids.

The staff are helpful, and as a budget option the place is fine, though very basic. It sits beside a road, so you can hear traffic. If you want somewhere quiet, this may not suit you. There’s just one lift and it’s tiny, probably only enough for around three people, so waits can be long. Taking the stairs is another option.