We flew into Osaka tired, weary and exhausted after our 12-day road trip around Hokkaido; luckily HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi was just the accommodation we needed to rest up before setting out to explore the city. Read on to find out about our stay…
Disclaimer: Our time at HOTEL THE FLAG was sponsored but all words and comments in this post are our own.
Location
Reception
What initially drew us to stay with HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi was its fantastic location. Based in Shinsaibashi, this hotel is right at the heart of Osaka and just a few minutes walk to the vibrant streets of Dotonbori. Despite its close proximity to the shopping and entertainment district, the hotel is sat along a quiet side street which means it does not suffer from traffic nor tourist noise. If like us, you intend to explore other areas of Kansai (e.g. Kyoto, Wakayama, Kobe, Nara etc.) you will be able to walk to one of Osaka’s main train stations Namba station in no longer than 10 minutes. A perfect 10/10 for location.
Rooms
Deluxe Double, clean and simple design
For our stay, we slept in the Deluxe Double room which offered plenty of space for two. HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi is architecturally stunning, choosing a simple yet modern and sleek design throughout the property including their bedrooms. The bed was one of the comfiest we’ve slept in on our travels which was perfect considering we had been roughing it up in a small car in the previous 12 days.
Bathroom
The bathroom included a bathtub, powerful shower, and a ceiling shower head. Nice extras included free bottles of mineral water, tea and coffee set, and a smartphone with its own SIM plus data for you to use while exploring the city, handy!
Facilities
Lovely breakfast to start the day
On the first floor, you will find all HOTEL THE FLAG’s facilities including a restaurant, library, laundry room, coffee machine and a lounge with a beautifully modern fireplace. We recommend going for their buffet breakfast which has a wide choice of food including Western and Japanese dishes. Vegans and vegetarians will generally find Japan a little difficult considering how much meat they consume here. Having said this, HOTEL THE FLAG do a great job with their breakfast which includes a wide selection of salads and vegetable.
Things to do
Just one minute walk from the hotel is Shinsaibashi shopping street which has countless shops and cafes. We recommend checking out Rikuro Ojisan no Mise if you’re a cake lover (tip: queue up for the ‘straight out of the oven’ cakes). HOTEL THE FLAG’s location is also within walking distance (3.5km) to Osaka castle, one of our favourite photography spots.
Final thoughts
Osaka can be a very overwhelming city, especially for first-time visitors. That’s why we feel it is so important to be located somewhere very centralised like HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi. The staff were fantastic throughout our stay and we thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast which provided a good start to the day. All-in-all, we couldn’t recommend HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi enough.
Hello, we’re Eric and Sarah – a couple of travel photographers and creatives from the UK.
