Hotels near The Philosopher's Walk, Kyoto

Stayed 4 nights at Celestine with my mom in a Twin Room. We chose this hotel due to it's location in Gion - and after walking around Kyoto and seeing other areas, we are happy to have chosen Gion. The early morning walks and after-sunset walks are magical in this area and we did them every day. Hotel staff are great - always willing to help. They assisted us with checking availability of tea ceremonies and restaurants. Public bath is great - I used it nightly. Very warm, very peaceful and discrete. A highlight. Breakfast was another reason we chose Celestine - great reviews online. Most places in Kyoto open 10/11am, some even at midday. Finding breakfast is difficult, unless you're happy to eat 7-eleven. Breakfast was varied and delicious. The tempura was fantastic. Salmon, miso, salads, yoghurt, honey, fruits, pumpkin, broccoli, eggs, pastries, sausages, bacon, mini toasts with toppings, coffee, mixed juices. Worth it to have the convenience of breakfast included, especially with early mornings, the breakfast starts at 6.30am. Only downside was the harsh lighting overhead - directly in eyes and over faces. Lighting needs to be indirect/redirected for it to be enjoyable and calming. If you're a morning matcha-needing person, Kafe Coffee is a 7 minute walk away - they open at 7am with amazing matcha. From the hotel, we walked mornings and evenings. and proximity to Kiyomizu-dera was a few minute walk away. Seeing the temples and winding streets almost exclusively before and after crowds was highly valued. Concierge services and taxi assistance is needed in Kyoto - easy to get assistance with at Celestine. Aesthetically, the hotel tends to be quite dark. It's a 'hushed' tone more than a peaceful one. Skews more towards business hotel than holiday retreat - materials, lighting, furniture. Personal insight. Hotel beds were comfortable enough and pillows typical Japanese small pillows - oh what we would pay for oversized soft pillows for a good sleep :) The shower bath area would be the primary drawback - dark black plastic is more masculine than peaceful. Room TV was tiny - didn't expect to comment on the TV as we don't typically watch it but after 25,000 steps during the day, you want to put a movie on and zone out. For an overwhelmingly foreign clientele, all electronic fixtures like remote, AC are in Japanese. TV has an English menu when you can navigate to it, however there are only local channels with one CNN channel. Movie channel, like other hotels, would be most welcome. Celestine is recommended for location in Gion. The upside is proximity to Kiyomizu Dera and gion streets. Very clean. Great breakfast. Wonderful staff. Public bath a highlight.

Everything was just great. Quiet place in a good neighbourhood. Probably some towel hooks beside common washbasins would be helpful. As well as some instruction to sorting the waste. Good luck to the staff!

Everything was superb with the one exception, for an onsen hotel that have one of the selling point, in room onsen bath, the water was just regular hot water, why would I need to stay at an onsen hotel with in room onsen bath if any bathtub with hot water would do? Trip.com site did not specify that it wasn’t hot spring water. But luckily there was a better room with actual hot spring water supplied to the room available for upgrade, so I spent the extra to make my stay absolutely perfectly memorable.

The hotel is one of my favourite places to stay. Nice workers and easy to get there. The breakfasts are also good. Rooms are not cleaned often but you can ask for changing towels. Also the reception area is full of amenities.

It’s my first time traveling to Japan and also my first time visiting Kyoto. The place was very clean inside, and I had a comfortable and pleasant stay. Thank you.

Great hotel with stylish rooms, perfect cleanliness, and delicious breakfast. Friendly staff always ready to help. Excellent location with everything nearby.

Comfortable and nice room we are very satisfied staying here.. highly recommended

I stayed here in a double room and overall had a pretty good experience. The room was clean and comfortable, and both the air conditioning and heater worked very well. One thing that really stood out was the bathroom — the bathtub was much larger than what you usually get in Japan. I’m a tall person, and I could actually sit down and lie back comfortably, which is rare. Most hotel baths feel very small, but this one felt closer to around 1.4m in length, which made having a bath genuinely enjoyable. The bed was comfortable, and housekeeping did a great job — the bed was made every day with fresh sheets. Wi-Fi was also very fast, which was a big plus. Amenities were decent, and you can pick up extra items if you need them. Check-in is a bit late at 3pm, which I didn’t love, but that’s balanced out by an 11am checkout. Having that extra time in the morning made it feel worth it overall. I did have a couple of negatives. The strangest one was finding an old sock behind the TV when I arrived. It was very obvious and not hidden, so I’m not sure how it was missed during cleaning. It was a bit gross, but I just left it. Another downside was the mini fridge — it’s more like a cooler than a real fridge. It keeps drinks from getting warm, but they don’t get properly cold. In summer, this really wouldn’t be good enough. Replacing it with a proper mini fridge would be a big upgrade. The other major issue was the lift. It is painfully slow, and there’s only one lift for the upper floors. On checkout day, I left my room about 10 minutes before checkout time, and I almost didn’t make it downstairs in time because of how slow it was. That part was honestly pretty ridiculous. Location-wise, this hotel is excellent. It’s very easy to get to from Kyoto Station — just head south and you’re there in about 4–5 minutes. It’s also very convenient when leaving Kyoto by train. A tip for using the subway: instead of going back to Kyoto Station, walk right from the hotel to Shijō Station. It’s on the same subway line, you’ll get on before Kyoto Station, and the train is empty — so you’re almost guaranteed a seat and can ride comfortably to your destinations. For food and shopping, there’s a shopping mall just across the road toward the station with a Don Quijote, McDonald’s, and other options. The hotel is also right next to a Coco Ichibanya curry house, which is fantastic and open late. Overall, despite a few odd issues, this was a solid stay with a great location, good comfort, and very easy access to transport. I’d happily consider staying here again.

I read a few bad reviews and almost missed out on this hotel! Honestly idk what the ppl who left nasty negative comments are talking about because this hotel is heaven!! There’s soothing piano jazz light Xmas music in the background (shows how much tot went into this hotel! Japanese staff are all so polite and understanding even with abit of language barrier(you can use translator app). Room is cozy! Washer for 300yen and dryer 100 yen! Sauna room and bathhouse with shampoo and hair dryer! And breakfast and dinner is provided? Idk what else I can ask for.!!

Good room for stay, commute also convinience.