Hyogo Prefecture accommodation from NZ$63

A lovely hotel located centrally within the city. Stunning views across the city - i had the mountain view and it was beautiful. Had limited interactions with the staff beyond check-in and check out, but they were very polite. The room was definitely on the small side with limited space for opening a large suitcase and moving around, but it had a massage chair in which was much appreciated after a lot of travelling. The bathroom has see through walls, but aso blinds to pull down for privacy, I was on my own so it was fine, but something to be aware of if you are sharing a room. The shower was a rainfall and the pressure and temperature were perfect, definitely the best shower I had over my trip. My only slight issue was that I could hear the noise from the city below, but was nothing that ear plugs couldn't fix. A really lovely hotel that I would definitely stay in again to continue exploring Kobe

This was the worst hotel stay I have ever experienced in Japan. 1. The hotel struggled to find my reservation and made the check-in process far more difficult than necessary. 2. I was charged an additional 5% credit card fee because of a clerical error by hotel staff (which management refused to correct.) 3. When I requested a taxi to the airport, the hotel staff booked a ride for me through their preferred taxi service; upon arrival at the airport, I was charged a "gaijin tax" by the driver and paid nearly double the Kobe city taxi rate for my fare. 4. At checkout, I handed the hotel staff a stamped postcard to mail out for me and they flat out refused it, instructing me to "go to the post office." 5. There was a lot of anti-foreigner policing by staff near the lobby area, where I was bizarrely followed by an employee and subsequently asked to leave the lounge area (even though domestic guests were allowed to stay.) ... Overall, this hotel stay was terrible. Everything comes down to the awful, impassionate, and intolerant staff, who made me feel unwelcomed as a guest (and used as a customer.) If you have the choice, stay elsewhere in Kobe and save yourself a horrible customer service experience.

Stellar overall experience