APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi review – After having visited Japan several times, I’ve already seen lots of APA Hotels. And I’ve been always curious about the quality of service the 3-star hotel in Japan offer. So, here’s my review of our recent stay at APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi.
I don’t know why, but I didn’t even bother reading other APA Hotel Sapporo reviews before booking. Maybe a part of me wants to be a bit adventurous when it comes to traveling (pun intended).
But you don’t have to be like me and just enjoy reading this post to gain insights during our winter experience in Sapporo. Don’t worry, because I’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks about our Sapporo trip, so stay tuned and follow me on Facebook to be updated!
Do check out my recent post about Gaja Susukino review, which is an unlimited yakiniku restaurant, because I have included a bonus Sapporo best places to visit in winter!
APA Hotel Line
Maybe not all APA Hotels are near the train station, but APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi is a hotel near Susukino station. And while Susukino is not the center of Sapporo, there are many locations to visit when you stay there. (I included them below)
And it’s one of the cheap hotels in Sapporo that you should check if you plan to visit Hokkaido in winter. If you’re wondering why, below is a list of reasons to book APA Hotel (Japan) that you won’t find anywhere else.
Besides Japan, there are other APA Hotels across the globe. But since we frequent Japan more than other countries, I believe I haven’t seen Japan hotel names in other parts of the globe.
APA Hotel Room Size
Japan hotel rooms are mostly very small and cramped, so when I found APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi’s Standard Twin Room, I immediately locked our dates!
Surprisingly, for an affordable price, we were able to score a large hotel room size unlike others. It’s unlikely to find a 23 sq meter room in Japan hotel list. But most of all, for that size, you’d have to pay twice as much price as our booking.
Japan hotel prices usually range from 10,754 JPY (4,000 PHP or 69.94 USD) per night. And for that price you can have about 15 sq meters. We’re happy to be able to book a bigger space so we can rest well and have more room for movement.
Note: Most hotels in Tokyo are pricier, so you can’t compare them with Sapporo hotels.
APA Hotel Bathroom
If you’re traveling with your husband to Sapporo, you should consider booking APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi. If you may ask me why, that’s because APA Hotel bathroom is big and the shower and toilet is separated.
And when one of you stays in either parts of the bathroom for a very long time (just guess who), it’s great that the other can shower or relieve himself or herself at APA Hotel Sapporo.
APA Hotel Amenities
The APA Hotel is a 3-star hotel offering lots of useful amenities much like what you’d see in other hotels. However, what we liked about APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi is the other amenities not readily available in others.
The usual bathroom amenities such as toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, hairtie, towel, shaver, shower cap, cotton, and cotton swabs are displayed in the bathroom sink. A huge bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and bath gel in inside the shower area.
There’s even a water dipper and basin inside the shower so you can scrub your roommate and vice versa. It’s just like how you’d see in a spa service place!
It’s great that the toothbrush included in our Standard Twin Room was in contrasting colors: black and white. It prevents you and your roommate from exchanging toothbrushes. I wish other hotels would also do the same!
Warming area
After entering the APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi, we were welcomed by a warm lobby space. And it’s a relief especially since we just walked through a long way covered with snow with a temperature way below our body.
The lobby is a great place to warm yourself up after spending a long day outside when you visit Sapporo in winter. There’s even a heater near the couch so you can return to your normal body temperature.
Microwave
Our Japan hotel booking must be a place where we can readily heat food since we have a young child. When traveling with kids, you must know that your child can get hungry anytime of the day.
Thankfully, APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi has a microwave, and on the same floor as our room! So, I just have to go out and walk a little bit to heat my son’s food.
Ice Machine
Even in the cold weather, sometimes we still want a cold drink as we rest after our winter journey. And suppose you want something nice and cold before you sleep in your APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi room. In that case, you can buy your drinks at the nearest convenience store (that’s to the right after exiting through the hotel back door).
Then, get loads of ice on the ice machine found on the 2nd floor, and enjoy a super icy drink in your warm room. What a cool way to retreat after a very tiring day!
Hotel coin laundry service
Another thing we consider when traveling is looking for a Japan hotel with washing machine. Some you may find for free, buy for others, you have to pay for a small fee. But does it matter having to pay a little just so you have more baggage room for more shopping?
At APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi, you can enjoy clean clothes by using the hotel coin laundry. You can even buy a small pack of detergent just beside the washing machine, or you can buy from groceries and convenience stores nearby.
We bought our detergent and brought home the leftovers for future use.
Umbrella Rental
New or even frequent travelers sometimes forget to bring umbrellas during trips. But APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi offers umbrella rentals for 700 JPY in case rain pours and you have a long bucket list in Sapporo.
The best part is that their umbrellas are made of plastic, so it adds aesthetics to when you want to take Instagrammable photos!
Convenience Store
Who doesn’t love Japan convenience store food?
When you’re someone who browses through social media often, you’re sure to see lots of people posting Japan convenience store food recommendations.
And if you want to save a bit on food, you can buy prepacked goodies in convenience stores which are actually really good!
My son was delighted with the one rice bowl with sliced beef toppings during one of the days when we couldn’t eat breakfast outside. And we kept coming back for it, however, sadly, the variant was always sold out after our next visits.
If it’s your first time (or even the nth time) to visit Japan, make sure to try out the combini food for a Japanese experience!
APA Hotel Slippers
What’s fascinating about APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi is the hotel slippers we found inside the room. There were 2 different sets inside: 2 pairs of disposable and another 2 pairs of leather slippers.
I don’t know why but what we believed is that you can use the disposable ones as bedroom slippers, and the leather ones so you can walk at the hotel room corridors without the hassle of wearing your shoes again.
So, in case we wanted to heat food or wash our clothes, we need not tie our shoes and just use the leather slippers. Very convenient!
APA Hotel Cleaning
Earth-friendly campaigns are on the rise, and APA Hotel is one who also wants to take part in it.
APA Hotel cleaning is not what you’d expect to happen every day. To save on washing and detergents, the housekeeping only does their part when you place the card in your door.
Nonetheless, you get fresh towels, coffee, and tea refills left on your door everyday.
Sapporo Places to Visit Near the Hotel
Tanukikoji Shopping Street (6 minute walk, 450 meters)
Nakajima Park (15 minute walk, 1 km)
Odori Park (15 minute walk, 1.1 km)
Nijo Market (16 minute walk, 1.1 km)
Sapporo TV Tower (18 minute walk, 1.3 km)
Sapporo Clock Tower (19 minute walk, 1.3 km)
APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi Review
I did my best to give a very honest APA Hotel review so you can have an overview of what to expect should you decide to stay at APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi. But if there’s one thing that makes me want to go back there is its accessibility to lots of places.
A convenience store on the side, a grocery a few blocks away, Tanukikukoji Shopping Street in a short walking distance, and the Sapporo TV Tower is just a chilly walking distance away from APA Hotel Sapporo Susukino Ekinishi.
You might think that it’s not one of the best hotels in Sapporo Japan, but I believe that it’s worth every penny we paid for.
I hope that this APA Hotel Hokkaido review has helped you decide whether to book your stay or not. Have you stayed at any APA Hotel? How was your experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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