Hotel Monterey in Kobe

Compared to Kyoto, the Monterey in Kobe offers much better service. Sona is quite small, and lately, there's been too much of a Korean presence there. Although the hotel is a short walk from the station, it's still easy to find. There is indeed a red-light district nearby, making it a bit noisy and messy (though understandable). The room layout is reasonable, the TV supports screen mirroring, and the toiletries are generously provided, with the DHC lotion being particularly good. Don Quijote is just a short walk away, and it's very convenient to get to Sannomiya Station and Kitano Ijinkan (home to the famous 'Life Toast' and the 70-year-old coffee shop), all within walking distance. The breakfast selection is rich and delicious, with the bread being a pleasant surprise.

On a side note, you should definitely avoid the Monterey in Kyoto. Their unfriendliness towards Chinese guests is blatant, especially from the middle-aged Japanese female receptionist! She denied us available rooms unless we insisted and argued on the spot. She also reneged on a promised room type change, even rolling her eyes when a colleague confirmed it with her.🙄

Getting to the hotel from Osaka Airport was quite convenient. We took a bus from stop 6 to Sannomiya, Kobe, and it was about a seven-minute walk from there. A one-way ticket was 2200 yen, and a round-trip was 3700 yen, so we opted for the round-trip. The hotel is located near Ikuta Shrine, which made it very easy to find with navigation. It’s an older hotel with a Western architectural style, and the rooms are quite spacious. They provide a full range of toiletries. There's a free coffee lounge on the first floor, and you can enjoy the hot springs on the second floor. The hotel breakfast was extensive, but since there are many famous cafes around the hotel with delicious coffee and pastries, we only booked breakfast for one day. There are also many great dining options nearby, and the Kobe beef was fantastic. From the hotel, you can walk about ten minutes to catch a Shinki bus to Universal Studios Japan, which takes about half an hour. It's also very convenient to take the JR to Himeji Castle.

Excellent location, just a five-minute walk from the JR station. Lots of great food options nearby. The hotel service is nice, and they offer free self-service drinks. The room is spacious, and there's a private hot spring bath, which is a big plus for privacy. You need a key card to access your floor.

Good location. Very accessible to food and shopping by walking. Room is big and quiet. Have parking bay.

Kobe is a beautiful city, and I've stayed at several Hotel Monterreys in Japan, all of which have been great. This one also has a good location.

The room was spacious! Although a bit old, it was very clean. Check-in was at 3 PM, and we were able to store our luggage in advance. The only minor inconvenience was an uphill walk to the hotel. Out of the three hotels we stayed at, I'd recommend this one. It's close to the main street, and especially nice to have a clean public hot spring bath – it was really relaxing.

Very convenient location, just a short walk from Sannomiya Station, with convenience stores and Don Quijote nearby. The hotel has a great bath, perfect for relaxing. The style is European, and the bed is comfortable. You can also call for a car from B1, which is very handy for moving luggage.

The hotel's location is excellent. Even though it's in a bustling area, the main entrance is on a side street, making it very quiet. It also has an underground parking garage and hot springs.

The rooms are spacious and very comfortable. My only minor complaint is that the hot springs close too early. I had to queue twice. I'd suggest the hotel consider extending the operating hours by an hour; it would be much more convenient for international guests.

A family of three, we were extremely happy with this hotel during our trip to Japan 🏨. The public bath was great, and not too crowded. But the absolute highlight was breakfast – the service was top-notch and the selection was amazing. We got to try all sorts of local specialties, and the bread was incredibly delicious. You could tell they put a lot of effort into making breakfast special. The room was spacious enough to open two suitcases, which was a bonus, and it was quiet with good soundproofing. Plus, it's really close to Ikuta Shrine ⛩️.

The hotel location is good, everything else is great, and the room is quite spacious. The only issue was that the air conditioning was too warm... There's a public bath that you can visit every day, which is very relaxing. It's also super convenient to get around from here.