The hotel looks exactly as it does in the pictures and yet it still exceeded my expectations. Breakfast is kaiseki style and cold but let's you try a lot of the regional/seasonal vegetables. It's really delicious and nutritious. The public bath was simple but came with a lot of amenities. I was pleasantly surprised by everything and would stay here again.

If you have a lot of luggage... Exit 6 on Karasuma Oike Station does NOT have an escalator or an elevator going up to the street level. There's about 4 mini flights of stairs. You've been warned. Instead, I suggest getting a taxi to and from Kyoto station when you are bringing your luggage along.

Staff was very friendly and helpful.

The bed pillows. Much too thick and hard. Prevented me from having a good sleep. Asked for a different pillow; it was different but still uncomfortable.

I loved the mix of traditional Japanese design in the reception/front part of the hotel and the modern, luxurious rooms and spa area. There was a gorgeous set of kimono gowns in the room to wear which I was seriously tempted to buy, but not sure that is an option. The breakfast was beautifully presented and tasty (I went for the traditional Japanese style on most days which was generous and set me up for the rest of the day). The spa area was relaxing and quiet and it was a great way to end a long day of walking. Great location near Nishiki market and lots of places to eat and shop.

There are few things I can critique. They operate a reduced room cleaning service which is great from an environmental perspective. However my used glasses/cups were not replaced at all during a 4 day stay. I think it would also be great if they can use less disposable items in their meal service (e.g. not use plastic stirrers, napkins in plastic wrapping etc.).

I liked the location on a side street which was quiet but near everything as far as restaurants and shopping. Transportation was very nearby but we took Ubers and taxis but walked to dinner every night. The shower was excellent and I loved the women’s bath on the second floor. It was a great experience.

For me the bed was not comfortable. I needed a memory foam pillow which would have helped. You had to order breakfast 2 days in advance and book your time to eat. We went to Starbucks across the street and had the joy of gazing at a temple built in 587! Housekeeping needs more people. Sometimes they came at 4 pm. I booked three rooms. Two for friends. The hotel charged my credit card for all three. Why not let us pay separately for our own rooms? They said Booking.com does that, I think the hotel structured it that way as booking didn’t charge our hotel in Tokyo that way.

Friendly and knowledgeable staff, clean facilities. Two pillows per guest is appreciated. Water supplied daily appreciated. Onsen well maintained as we see staff come in to check and clean bath water. Peaceful atmosphere and elevators come quickly. They were accommodating and let us check in 30 minutes earlier when we asked.

Would be nice if they had more than one rack or install some hooks to hang multiple bath towels to dry as there was only one rack that was big enough to hang one bath towel and we are family of 3 staying in the room. This might help promote people to re-use their towels as there’s no where to dry them.

We LOVED our room. Very comfortable and luxurious feel. We will certainly come back!

I think it would be nice to get some better dryers. I had to dry my clothes so many times and it still never dryed completely. I asked the front desk for hangers and hung all my clothes in our room because I was fed up with trying to dry them with the machine. I also think you guys could provide towels in the spa room so we don't have to use our own from the room. There was also construction in the back where our window faced with wasn't ideal but luckily, we were so tired each night the noice was not an issue.

Room was comfortable and spacious. Staff were friendly, courteous and helpful. The spa/onsens (mens: dry sauna, indoor onsen, outdoor onsen, cold pool + womens: wet sauna, indoor onsen, outdoor onsen) were exceptional. Perfect way to unwind after a day of walking around Kyoto. They are open 20h/day, closed only between 11am-3pm and there is a channel on the tv which estimates how busy they are, although we didnt find this to be particularly accurate and they were often empty or close to. Lobby, breakfast room and library were all lovely, clean and relaxing spaces. Location was very close (5-10min walk) from Karasuma Oike and Shijo Stations, close to Nishiki Market and extremely easy to get around.

Sauna occupancy channel was often innacurate

Great location, 15 min via metro to Kyoto station. 15-20 min walk to the main area. Great shower with rain water. Onsen facilities were nice. The hotel is a mix of old style and modern facilities. Comfortable bed and a small couch were nice touches compares to other hotels.

The room is smaller than western standards, be aware of this. The photos were taken with a wide angle lens, they make it look a lot bigger. We didn’t have breakfast, but it was all Japanese style and you had to either eat in their dining area or come down to get it for your room. No in room dining options. Some lesser used areas of the hotel and room had dust, probably the cleaning team are rushed. Finally the shower and sink area are in the room, not separate. Not an issue for us, but important to note.

Very creative architectural design in merging the old traditional Japanese building with the new modern hotel. The location was great and there are taxis coming through the small alley all the time so easy to catch them. They were very accommodating with our requests. And best of all - they are tattoo friendly so we could bring our niece who wanted to experience the onsen bath.

A few things that could be improved - the breezeways are completely open to the elements - so it is really really cold in the winter months. We stayed in January (when it started to snow) and it was freezing to walk to and from the onsen baths. The food was typical old Kyoto food - looks pretty but tastes not so good (BTW, I am Japanese so I know this to be true). Also, they could make the baths herbal or something special - because in the winter months, they close the windows so we got two identical baths in the onsen area. Also the onsen is just regular water - not hot springs. And we could use the cold water baths in the women's area too (not just men).

An incredible stay that exceeded our expectations. Location was incredible, within walking distance to many great restaurants, shops (and also a train station for easy access to explore Kyoto and surrounds). Central location, but nestled away in quiet privacy. The onsen and steam room were incredibly clean and well maintained. Bonus: You can check how busy it is from your hotel room if you prefer more privacy or quieter periods. The quality of restaurants nearby was outstanding, and the hotel's lounge area + library were such a nice touch. Our room was spacious, the cleaning staff were top-tier and always passed by with a smile and hello :-) Highly recommend!