Hiwasa Castle

Room was clean but a bit dated

Amazing hotel right at Tokushima station. Just outside the hotel is a major bus terminal with both local and express buses to places such as Kobe and Osaka. A 5 to 10 minute walk west of the hotel takes you to the Tokushima Castle Museum and it’s excellent garden. A 10 minute walk south of the hotel takes you to the Awaodori Kaikan with awaodori shows, and ropeway access to Mt Bizan. Many shopping and dining options right next to the hotel in the Clement Plaza and also in the surrounding area (including 7/11’s). Although I didn’t try it this trip, the hotel also has a number of dining options itself (they also appear to do banquets for larger groups). Breakfast buffet (which had excellent seating capacity), had a huge selection of food options with attentive staff to ensure tables are cleaned, and food always kept stocked. Many reception staff speak English and are extremely helpful e.g. offering advice and helping with luggage forwarding. My room was large, luxurious with mini-fridge, coffee and tea. Wifi was good, and although I didn’t use it my room also had an ethernet cable. Unrelated to the hotel, please note that as far as I could tell IC cards (such as Suica and Pasmo) cannot be used on Tokushima trains, although many shops and restaurants in Tokushima do accept them. Service area on the hotel second floor with combination washer/dryers, microwave and vending machine. Overall a fantastic hotel and I would definitely recommend.