Hotels near Shimyoin Temple, Kyoto

Aman Kyoto - Japanese hospitality ????? Having travelled around the globe for decades either visiting staying or working in some of the best luxury hotels it came somewhat as a surprise that the Aman Kyoto refused the family access today to see the lobby or have a coffee or drink in the lobby. In fact the Four Seasons Kyoto where we are staying recommended we visit the Aman. Sabine my wife who also works as a Luxury Travel Advisor. Kyoto is not that busy today. The lady at the entrance called mentioning we were 4 Seasons Guests and that my wife a Travel Advisor - all to no avail. Alas we had to wait in the heat and return to the Four Seasons Kyoto …. A very sad experience and indeed the only dark side of what has been a wonderful visit to Japan - the Ritz Carlton in Tokyo Hyatt Toranomon Hills and the Four Seasons Tokyo has been amazing …. This has to be a one of … I can’t believe such a respected and leading brand such as Aman would treat guests in such a manner ….. there has to be a better way to show why you are the best in class. It cannot be by being arrogant and aloof and snobby. I am sure you will work it out ..... I hope this helps find a solution on how this can me managed in the better way and not leave such a sour taste in such a beautiful and hospitable country like Japan

Located a few minutes walk to the Imperial Palace is this hotel. This area is considered to be a ”quiet zone” so there is a minimal commercial activity. There are very few restaurants and the closest convenience stores are a block or two away. If you ever watched movies like Die Hard or In the Line of Fire, you remember scenes in a hotel with a large indoor atrium with glass elevators. All the room doors face the open atrium. That is exactly what the design of this hotel is like. All the amenities are on the ground floor or below. As for the rooms. For Japan, these rooms are quite large. It would be comfortable for international visitors who are used to larger rooms. The amenities are not branded but of higher quality. There are three areas for parking. Ground level, basement, and outdoor. While checkout is at noon, you get complimentary parking until 3 pm. We choose this hotel for this feature. Allows you to spend the day exploring without worrying about the expensive street parking costs. There is a taxi stand with taxis until about 10 pm. There are five restaurants, be fair warned, all are quite pricy. There are two breakfast options. If you want a traditional Japanese breakfast, you go to the Japanese restaurant Hotaru. If you want a ”western” breakfast, there is a buffet at the Terrace restaurant. We were not interested in seeing the nightlife but wanted to be close to the Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle. This hotel was perfect for our needs. Would recommend without hesitation.

G/f layout is very strange with restaurant/ breakfast place, being cut into 2 halves by the lobby lounge. You can’t enjoy your breakfast at all coz 1) I have to hold a tray with food carefully walk through the huge crowds, 2) more luckily I got Australian tour & Taiwan tour today, over 50 people including eaters & tourists gathered at the lounge+breakfast place chatting waiting to set off. Then the tour guide yell with high voice for announcements. What a lovely scene. If you like meeting vibrant & overwhelming global tours or groups of secondary school students dashing around, that’s the place for you.

Hotel is conveniently located next door to a subway station. It is a few stops from Kyoto station. There are many stairs and no escalator or elevator when you exit the subway so not the best when you have luggage. Front desk’s staff English is quite limited, which surprised me given that Hyatt is an American chain and most guests were American while we were there. There are two Nespresso coffee machines in the lobby but no milk. There are three laundry machines on the lobby level. Each machine serves as both a washer and a dryer and takes 120 minutes for 600 yen. People lock their load with a code and you end up waiting for a long time waiting for someone to show up to remove their laundry. Room is tiny, the size of a closet. Our room had two twin beds and a sofa bed for a single person. There is no room to move. There are no sheets in the room so we called to ask for sheets. The person who answered the phone did not know what sheets mean so we had to go to the lobby and describe what we need. The language barrier is real. Our room was on top of a road and we could hear almost every car that went by. It does not seem like the hotel invested in good windows. Make sure to pack ear plugs. The bathroom is quite small and has a weird setup with a shower next to a bathtub. Front desk staff is also not helpful with recommendations for places to eat. They show you a barcode that lists restaurants, but do not provide recommendations. We found an excellent Indian restaurant very close to the hotel. You exit the hotel and turn to the right towards the subway, pass the dry cleaners and cross the street, you will see a mini-mart and then a basement with an Indian restaurant. They open at 5 pm for dinner. It is very inexpensive and delicious. I recommend the butter chicken and cheese nan. Front desk will print for you, there is a charge of 10 yen per page. There is no concierge and staff was too busy to respond to questions about how to get places, instead they offered a map. Breakfast gets busy so be sure to get there early. They offer rice, curry, soup, fish, fruit, bread, coffee, juices and more. The egg is extremely runny and when I asked the attendant if they have egg that is better cooked, she had no idea what I was saying. I would not stay here again because of not being able to communicate with staff and because the room is so small.

I and my mother stayed there for one night 20000 yen per person, with dinner and breakfast. It was a very comfortable stay. This was more like a hotel, except that we needed to walk around without your own shoes (without getting dirty feet) inside. It was fully booked on that day. We had an earlier check-in, which mean that we could enjoy our relaxing private Onsen bath without standing in line. We also tried the large onsen baths later in the evening after a long walk in the beautiful Arashiyama area nearby. It was hot, but great. One of the baths was outside in a Japanese garden. We got warmed up from the inside out, and had an ice popsicle before we went up to our room for good nights rest. We also enjoyed a huge dinner and breakfast, true local cuisine with typical taste in Kyoto that supposed to be refined and ”delicate” - you shouldn´t expect any strong taste, and correctly cooked. This supposed to be a 3-star-hotel, but the amenity was completed. We didn´t miss anything here. We thought the staff at the front desk were not amazing, but definitely not poor. We didn´t need to deal with them so much as we had good information in written form. Everything was clean and pleasant. Had absolutely nothing to complain. We would definitely love to come back again. My rating is 4 - not more or less. I certainly see that they still have a room for improvement, but overall I didn´t personally understand all the poor reviews.

We were a group of 6 people staying at the Hotel Mitsui on a trek through Japan. Suffice it to say, that the group was all pleased that we stayed here. Our initial check in process was a bit bumpy (no tea service) as it was clear everyone was checking into the hotel for a holiday weekend. However, within 30 minutes, we were all on our way to our rooms. Overall, the hotel and the rooms are designed in muted tones and a modern zen vibe. Where other hotels would simply have drywall covered with pictures, the Mitsui has clearly thought about every surface. We were in a room that looked out to the central garden, which is beautiful. The room had a nice long marble bench at the entrance which was nice for putting shoes on or setting things down to pack / unpack. Further in the room, there is a bar area, desk area and a nice long padded bench by the window. Controls for the room are near the bed and you can dim lights or raise and lower blinds with ease. The bathroom is a very clever design with two pocket door entrances, offering a closet area, double sink, a wet room with tub and shower and rom for the toilet. The room for the toilet is wide and very peaceful. Of course, it comes with the fancy Toto Neorest toilet that raises and lowers the seat automatically, has a heated seat, has a bidet feature and more. The shower offers both a hand held and a rain head that with a fine spray. Bathroom toiletries are crafted for the Hotel Mitsui. Of course, robes were available (just ask if you need a different size). Let’s talk about sleeping…. The bed was among the most comfortable that I have ever tried (firm, with just the right amount of softness). Down pillows and a duvet complete the scene. And course, should you not like your pillow, there is a pillow menu. The rooms at the Mitsui are quiet with blackout shades. At night, gentle nightlights illuminate the path to the bathroom. In all, the sleep experience is well thought out and devine. One of the stand out features of the hotel would be the Thermal Springs in the basement. The Thermal Springs are a modern version of a traditional Japanese onsen. Access is open to everyone in the hotel, but the number of people permitted in is managed to in more than 14 people at a time. You have to call ahead to make sure there is space, but in our case, we were always able to get in. Anyone who out touring in Kyoto, should make time in their busy schedule to visit the Thermal Springs between their tours and dinner - it is a great way to wash off the city and relax before dinner - very civilized. This review is particularly fun for me as our stay at the Mitsui ultimately caused us to break up with our travel agent. He was SO insistent that we stay at the Ritz , he could not imagine trying something new like the Mitsui (nor was he willing o have his team check it out). In the end, I feel vindicated, we loved our stay at the Mitsui and would happily return

Location is very good just in front of Nijio station which is just 2 stops from Kyoto station . Staff are helpful n excellent services . Room are bright with Big window facing station . In the lobby they provide all day coffee n tea free of charge . There is also A public bath provided , nice hotel Will come again

We stayed in this hotel for 4 nights during our first visit to Kyoto. This hotel is very clean with nice accessories and modern Japanese accommodations located in quiet neighborhood away from constant tourist crowds but at the same time in walking distance from the emperor palace and right across from Nijo Castle. It is only 10-15 minutes away on taxi from Gion district and other main tourist attractions that Kyoto can offer. I also would like mention Garrya Nijo Castle Kyoto staff that made us feel very welcomed and specifically to Timothy Hui (front office manager) who went beyond his duties and make special accommodations for us during our visit in Kyoto.

Very suitable for a family, the store has turned on the heating in advance when checking in, very comfortable. In the kitchen operation position, the dining table and the tea table have floor heating, there are capsule coffee and tea bags, very close to the subway Erjo Chengqian Station and the bus Asahikawa Yuchi Station, the traffic is very convenient. Located in a residential area is quieter. It must be said that the lack of water is that the water from the wash basin faucet is relatively slow, and the water basin is very shallow and it is easy to splash water. It will be the first choice to come to Kyoto again.

The room is not big, but if you put two single beds together, the space will be larger, which is convenient for opening the suitcase. You can see a small part of the street view outside the window, and you can see the city view of Kyoto outside the window of the corridor. The bathroom toiletries smell like black tea, which I like very much. There are subway stations and bus stations around, as well as two super large convenience stores. There is a 24-hour Japanese fast food restaurant downstairs. It is not very delicious, but it is very cheap and convenient. It is very quiet because it is surrounded by residential areas. You can feel the life of Japanese residents by walking around. We stayed for a total of six nights. The hotel only cleaned the room on the middle day. The garbage was piled up to the trash can and there was no room... And on the day of cleaning, it should be halfway through the cleaning and left because one of the two beds was made and the other was not made. The hotel has only one elevator, which is shared by tourists and staff. If you encounter the staff's room cleaning time during the day, the elevator will be more busy and the waiting time will be longer. There is an old lady staff member who can speak Chinese at the front desk. Her attitude towards Chinese and Japanese people is very different. She was very gentle and kind to the Japanese, and even chased me to say goodbye. When she saw me, she spoke Japanese first. Seeing that I didn't understand, she raised her forehead and looked at me sideways, ”English?” I agreed to speak English, but she still tried to speak Chinese in a cold and rough northeastern accent. After knowing that I was Chinese, her attitude changed 180 degrees, cold and unfriendly, and liked to use an imperative tone. She asked me when I could pick up the stored luggage. Considering that my companion was still on the way to the hotel, the future plan was still unknown, and I couldn't determine a specific time, so I casually replied ”I don't know”. She immediately said in an imperative way, ”You can't say you don't know, you can just say a time, three o'clock or six o'clock, but you can't say you don't know, otherwise I can't store it for you.” Although I was surprised, I still gave an approximate time of ”8 o'clock”. As a result, she took the initiative to say ”I'll write it for you at 6 o'clock.” I was really speechless. Why did she ask me? Just write a time at random. And later, when she saw me in the corridor, she even looked up and ignored me. However, she would greet me when she saw me in other occasions, but it was always stiff and fake, and she looked reluctant. Except for this old lady who could speak Chinese, the other staff were quite friendly. Every time I returned to the hotel, they would greet me with a smile.