APA Hotel Matsuyama-jo Nishi — Stay Report

Date: 2020-01-12

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Overview

Address: 2-5-5 Honmachi, Matsuyama City, Ehime 790-0811

Scale: 144 rooms, 11 floors

Rate: £65 (~¥9,400) per night for two, including buffet breakfast. Booked via Hotels.com. (Note: New Year period rates are significantly higher than normal.)

The building originally operated as a Chisan Hotel before being rebranded as APA. The structure is over 20 years old and the rooms show it — the feel is of walls and fittings that have been refreshed rather than rebuilt. As a result, the rooms are noticeably larger than a typical APA Hotel — the original Chisan floor plans were more generous than the compact new-build APA standard.

There is no large communal bath.

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Location

The hotel stands on the west moat road (Nishi-bori-bata-dori) beside Matsuyama Castle's moat. Castle Park is directly adjacent — a pleasant environment with mature trees and space for morning walks. The castle grounds can be accessed on foot; the Ehime Prefectural Office is a short walk through the park.

Nearby:

• 7-Eleven convenience store directly across the road
• The Ōkaidō shopping arcade is about 20 minutes on foot — a comfortable distance for an evening stroll
• Izakaya Majimeya (10 minutes walk) — staff recommend it on their local restaurant map, available at the front desk. Affordable prices, good food.
• Fujigran supermarket (10 minutes walk behind the hotel) — well-stocked, with a food court for casual meals

The area is quiet in the evenings; the hotel is far enough from the main entertainment district to avoid noise.

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Getting Here

No airport shuttle. From Matsuyama Airport:

Option 1: Take the limousine bus to the Ehime Shimbunsha Mae stop, then walk 10 minutes to the hotel.

Option 2: Take the limousine bus to Matsuyama-shi Station, then the Line 6 Honmachi streetcar. Board Line 6 at Matsuyama-shi Station and ride 4 stops to Honmachi 3-chome — the hotel is directly opposite the tram stop.

Important: Line 6 runs only 1–2 trams per hour. Take a photo of the timetable at the stop so you can time your movements accordingly.

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The Room

We booked a double room (16 sqm). We had prepared ourselves for the typically compact APA standard, but the room had more space than expected — legacy of the original Chisan layout. The area behind the door provided extra floor space for luggage, and a small closet accommodated coats and shoes.

Corner room, 10th floor — with a direct view of Matsuyama Castle. Luck played a role here; castle-facing rooms have the better outlook.

Bed: Double. We normally sleep in a king at home, so the transition took two or three nights to adjust to — but by day three it was fine. One desk chair only, meaning one person is always on the bed. Two pillow firmness options provided: hard and soft, one of each — a thoughtful detail.

Noise issue: An embedded motor (likely the air conditioning unit) in the wall beside the bed made a periodic low hum during the night. It woke us up on the first few nights before we adjusted. Worth noting for light sleepers.

Bathroom: Shower with bathtub (generous tub size — full soak possible), washbasin. Standard amenities: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a combined hand and face wash at the sink.

Smart detail: Towels, paper cups, and toothbrushes came in two distinct colours for the two guests — immediately practical for knowing which is which.

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Facilities

Coin laundry (2nd floor): Washing machine ¥300/load; dryer ¥100/20 minutes. Bring ¥100 coins. A Hoshizaki ice machine and microwave are also available on the same floor.

Luggage storage: Available. We arrived at 10am (check-in from 3pm) and left bags at reception before heading out to explore — no issues, handled smoothly.

WiFi: Available throughout, but slow. Usable for browsing and email; image uploading was unreliable and often dropped mid-transfer.

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Breakfast

Served 7:00–9:30am in the ground-floor restaurant. Japanese and Western options both available.

Highlights:

• Jakoten — a deep-fried fish paste cake specific to Ehime Prefecture. Slightly chewy, mild, excellent with rice and miso soup. A local speciality worth trying.
• Original black curry — the restaurant's own recipe, not the famous APA President Curry. A dark, rich, intense flavour that becomes immediately addictive. We ate it every single morning.
• Ehime mikan dressing — mandarin orange-based salad dressing in the salad section. Bright, citrusy, distinctive.

Coming from the UK, simply being able to eat rice and miso soup for breakfast every morning was its own joy.

New Year bonus: During the three-day New Year holiday period, osechi (traditional Japanese New Year foods) were added to the buffet alongside the regular items — a seasonal treat.

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Staff

Friendly and efficient at the front desk. We had ordered several items from Amazon in advance, asking for them to be held at the reception for our arrival. Despite a substantial number of packages, staff handled this without complaint or any sign of inconvenience.

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Rating: 7 out of 10

A solid choice for Matsuyama on a moderate budget. The location by the castle is genuinely pleasant, the breakfast is above average for a budget business hotel, and the larger-than-standard rooms compensate for the dated finishes. For anything under ¥8,000 per night (normal off-peak rate), the value is strong.

For first-time visitors to Matsuyama: Buy the unlimited tram pass on arrival — available in 1, 2, 3, and 4-day versions from Iyotetsu ticket counters and tourist information offices. The entire city is accessible by streetcar: Matsuyama Castle, Dogo Onsen (one of Japan's oldest hot spring towns), the Sakanoue no Kumo Museum, and all the main shopping areas. The tram is the city.