Koko Hotel Premier Kumamoto

This is a very modern and luxurious hotel located on top of the Sakuramachi bus terminal and shopping mall in central Kumamoto. I don't think a better location even exists as buses to and from the airport, as well as all destinations of note to a tourist call at Sakuramachi. The mall itself has some interesting shops but there are several busy shopping streets and tons of cool bars and restaurants within a few minutes' walk. I opted for a Deluxe King room which came with a view of the castle, plenty of space by Japanese hotel standards and a huge, very comfortable bed. I opted for a stay without meals and although the restaurant at the hotel seems very upscale, I never had a chance to try it. Staff were extremely courteous and pleasant throughout my stay, and some of them spoke excellent English. I strongly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting Kumamoto.

Hotel was in an excellent location in Sakuramachi above the shopping mall & bus terminal - also 5min walk from Kumamoto Castle. Parking facilities nearby was excellent & the hotel offered a fixed daily overnight rate of *1,200 with these parking facilities. We had a twin room which was very spacious. We did not interact much with the staff as we didn’t need to. Very interesting concept of going up to 14F for the reception from the 2F of the shopping mall then changing lifts to go down to the 10F for our room. And when we had to go down, we had to change lifts again on the 14F. The hotel seemed to have a fabulous restaurant on the 14F with fabulous views of the city but we didn't eat there this time. We loved the convenience & location of the hotel as we used it as our base for some travels around Kyushu.

The room is a bit small, limited space for luggage. But everything is new and clean. The location is great as it's above the shopping mall with food court. The entrance is a bit hard to find, I went into the shopping mall and took the elevator to the 2nd floor then went to the side corridor next to h&m, but apparently u can also enter from the bus terminal entrance on the south side. Our room can see the Kumamoto castle, but it's kinda far away so I guess it doesn't make a difference for a one night stay.