Must see hotels in Kansai

Imagine spending the night in a first-class suite of an Airbus A380 – inside an office building. Cabins, closed off by sliding screens, contain private TV…

The Hilton has spacious rooms with king-sized beds and lovely touches such as shoji (sliding rice-paper) window screens. Staff speak English and are at…

A foreign-travellers' favourite, this 10-room ryokan in a nearly 100-year-old wooden building has heaps of traditional atmosphere and friendly, English…

This is a classic capsule hotel, with over 400 pods on separate floors for men and women as well as communal baths, conveniently located in Ame-Mura. They…

This fairly new inn, with both Japanese- and Western-style rooms, is well set up for solo travellers and those who don't want to be locked into a meal…

Squat and concrete, family-run Denyō doesn't look like much but delivers on dinner, which features fresh local specialities such as ise-ebi (spiny lobster…

This long-time traveller favourite is a reliable choice and has friendly, English-speaking staff. Rooms have toilet and sink, and the communal onsen bath…

One of Japan's most historic hotels (1870), in Kyū-Kyoryuchi (the former foreigners' settlement), the Oriental was rebuilt after the 1995 earthquake and…

This welcoming little ryokan, conveniently located in Naramachi, has Japanese-style rooms with toilets (and some with bathroom). It's warm, homey and well…

Miyoshiya is a simple travellers' ryokan from the 1940s, and the knowledgeable English-speaking owner makes a stay here worth it. Most of the Japanese…

Right on Yanagi-dōri, conveniently located for Kinosaki's soto-yu (public bathhouses), this long-running ryokan (350 years!) is well kept and welcoming…

Opposite an elementary school, Mitsuwaya has wooden bunk dorms with lots of power points, shelves, a storage locker and privacy curtains. It's full of…

Minami's most elegant hotel, with stunning views and direct connections to KIX airport via Nankai line trains that depart from Namba Station below the…

A boon for budget travellers, this light and clean guesthouse has capsule-style bunks and a few private rooms, all with shared facilities. It's also a few…

This is a great budget choice, with owners who love welcoming foreign guests. Rooms are simple (with shared facilities) but well cared for, and the onsen…

One of Kōya-san's smaller temples, with only 14 rooms, Sōji-in is also one of the most modernised: all rooms have air-conditioning, some have baths (and…

Housed in an atmospheric old wooden rice-store building, Pax Hostel is hidden away from the buzzing neon in Shin-Sekai. Dorms have coloured wooden bunk…

This friendly, contemporary ryokan (inn) aims to please. The 11 stylish, large Japanese- and Western-style rooms have private facilities, including a…

In one of the thatched-roof homes within Kayabuki-no-sato, this three-room minshuku is traditional on the outside yet clean and modern on the inside, with…

In a 160-year-old machiya (shophouse) with a courtyard garden, this quiet, atmospheric spot beautifully integrates both traditional and contemporary…