[Japan] Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba

Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba served as our wonderful home while we were in Osaka. I will say though that this hotel wasn't actually my first choice. I looked for hotels with the best reviews in the Dotonbori area but the ones I saw that were in my price range were no longer available when I was trying to book. I then used Agoda to look for available hotels in the Dotonbori area that were within my budget and Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba was recommended. I saw the ratings and they were pretty high. As it turned out, Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba was a great hotel and perfect for us for so many reasons.

The lobby and breakfast area of Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba

First, the price. Compared to many other hotels in the area, Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba is pretty inexpensive. I booked our accommodations before we had our visas and Agoda didn't provide a free cancellation option for this hotel so I actually ended up paying an extra Php 1000 per room per night (I wanted the option to cancel since I wasn't sure if we would all get visas). Even with this additional free, the price of the room was still very competitive. And it included breakfast!

Twin Sharing Room

Next, the location. Dotonbori is only a stone's throw away, making it very easy for us to have dinner after a long day of traveling and sightseeing. The Nihonbashi Station is just about a 5-minute walk away. There is a taxi stand almost right outside the entrance (this made it easy for us to get a taxi heading to Universal Studios Japan). There is also a 7-Eleven right next next to the hotel (which had an ATM, making it very easy for us to get money). 

Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba Entrance

Next, the room. Yes, it was small, which is normal for hotels in Japan, especially inexpensive ones that are in a great location. However, I love the fact that the bath area is separate from the toilet. 

Bath area inside our room

The sink is also outside both the bath and the toilet areas. This meant that someone could be using the toilet while someone else was in the bathroom or was brushing their teeth. As such, morning preparations and evening clean-ups were much faster and more efficient.

A separate toilet area with the famous Japanese toilet

Then, the breakfast and the lobby. As I mentioned, buffet breakfast was included in our room rate.

White and banana bread, jams and spreads, and fruits at the breakfast buffet

There is free coffee and free water at the lobby. There is also free shaved ice! (There are also print and video instructions on how to make shaved ice.) However, you can't eat food at the lobby if you purchased it outside the hotel. This wasn't an issue for us because any food we had, we would just eat inside our rooms and we just could get coffee and water from the lobby and bring it to our room.

Free coffee, water, and shaved ice available at the lobby

I read a review saying that the breakfast buffet was pretty basic and I guess it kinda is but I thought it had enough options - bread, savory items, fruits, even soup and salad - making it satisfying enough for me and my family. My favorite breakfast buffet item was the the pasta with sausages (I always had a lot of this haha).

More breakfast buffet options, including my favorite: pasta with sausages

The service was also very good. The staff at the lobby were always kind and helpful. When I asked the receptionist about how easy it would be to get a taxi to the Shin-Osaka station, she informed me that it would be better to reserve a taxi in advance since we needed a big vehicle for our luggage and she booked one for us (I even got an email confirming the reservation). When I randomly shared my disappointment about not being able to see Osaka Castle, she suggested that maybe the taxi could make one stop at Osaka Castle so we could see it before taking us to the train station. I can't recall if she was the same receptionist who helped me call and talk to Maikoya to reschedule our Tea and Kimono ceremony and Samurai and Ninja bookings that were cancelled due to the typhoon. Finally, my nephew and I lost one of our room keys and surprisingly, they didn't get charge us for it when we checked out.

Finally, one additional thing I loved about the hotel is their effort to be more sustainable. They inform guests upon check-in, and through posters in the elevetors and cards in the rooms, about their Eco-clean approach. Regular full cleaning is done only every 3rd day of a guest's stay. On other days, they only replace towels and dispose of garbage in the rooms. They don't fully clean the room and they don't change the beddings. Personally, I think this is sensible because I don't think it's necessary and definitely not environmentally friendly to change sheets every day. (For guests who prefer more frequent cleaning, I think it's possible to request this.)

Information on the hotel's Eco-clean approach

I really loved our stay at Hotel Vista Osaka-Namab. I'm not sure why but it kinda gave a bit of a family vibe, almost like you were part of a small albeit temporary community and that you were being cared for by the staff. If I have a change to go back to Osaka, I will most likely stay here again.

Hotel Vista Osaka-Namba
https://www.hotel-vista.jp/en/hotels/osaka-namba
〒542-0084
1-1 Soemon-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka
Tel.06-4708-5519
Fax.06-4708-5509

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