Last year I spent a fair bit of time in Kyoto. On multiple trips, I tried out three hotels, each with a different feel that suited me for different reasons. So here is what they were really like.
Hopefully, it might help if you’re trying to decide where to stay on your visit. All are pretty central and easy to get around from. To be honest, that is the most important thing since you’ll spend your days outside exploring the neighbourhoods and temples.
Here’s what I found at each.
My Review of Three Kyoto Hotels
Courtyard by Marriott Kyoto Shijo Karasuma
Courtyard by Marriott Kyoto On my initial visit, I chose to stay at the Courtyard and it was a good decision.
It’s situated in the heart of the Shijo area, near both the subway station and plenty of restaurants (so I could stagger home after a night out with minimal difficulty). From the exterior, it appears quite typical, the lobby at night, however, had slightly more warmth than expected.
The inside lobby was calm and moddern without being overly so. The staff were friendly and efficient as I checked in at the wooden reception desk. A few people sat around working on their laptops at the communal table in the lounge area, giving the space a bit of life.
I didn’t spend much time down there, but it seemed like a decent spot if you wanted to sit down and plan your day.
The rooms are simple, nothing fancy, everything works, and my room was clean and spacious without feeling cluttered or stuffy after a long day out. It’s also a twin room. Before I went to sleep, it was nice to be able to see out of the window at night.
It looked over the city, showing just lots of rooftops and a handful of buildings with lights on. I could hear very little despite our location right in the middle of the city, so I really enjoyed having a quiet room.
My room featured one of the nicer bathrooms I’ve seen at this price range. It had a separate shower area, a full bathtub, and plenty of counter space where I wasn’t forced to juggle my items about. After a long day of walking, I took a bath a couple of times (I never bother with bathtubs).
The toiletries was basic but fine.
If you like that sort of thing, there is a small fitness centre on one of the higher floors. I only poked my head in to see the treadmills and some machines, but it was not extensive. But it looked functional and clean, and I didn’t use it anyway.
The restaurant downstairs, Le Bon Vivre, serves breakfast. This was part of the price and for me was a good reason to get up in the morning well-fed. There’s a fairly decent buffet.
It has cold and hot options, juice dispensers, and an actual coffee machine that produces drinkable coffee.
It consisted of mainly fruit, cold cuts, cheese, and salad. It was not a huge range, but it was enough to cover the bases and everything tasted very fresh. There were lots of condiments and dressings, small jars of honey and jam, and yoghurt tubs, enough to vary it so you wouldn’t get sick of it after a couple of days.
And there was also some pre-cut fruit, which is always nice. They also served hot food (and some things that weren’t).
Scrambled eggs are my go-to in the morning and they were good, nothing fancy, but exactly what you would expect out of a hotel breakfast. Everything was efficient and I didn’t find myself waiting long for anything.
Hotel Emion Kyoto
My second hotel in Kyoto was Hotel Emion which felt completely different.
It’s close to the station, so getting around by train was easy. The exterior is simple and modern.
Inside, it feels more like a local experience, which was part of why I chose it.
It was a really well thought out room. Again, there were two single beds, both made and with the room wear folded up on them. There was a desk that you could easily sit at and work or look at from your bed while watching tv.
Everything was in its place and although it was small it didn’t feel cramped.
My favorite part was the bathroom. It had a spacious walk-in rainfall shower, a tub located just beside the sink, and a vanity topped by pendant lights that added some warmth to the space. Overall, it was well thought out and finished a notch or two higher than other hotels in its price range.
The room even had a small lounge area with a round table and little sofa. Aside from sitting on the desk or the bed, this was where I sat. In the evenings, I’d look over photos and plan out the following day from there.
It really did make the room feel like a proper place to settle into.
This is a bit of an nitty-gritty but something I found very useful: Hotel Emion has laundry machines on one of the floors. By this time, after several weeks of travel, I had some dirty laundry that I wanted washed, so it was nice to be able to do it right inside the hotel. They worked well and were kept clean.
Compared to the Courtyard, the common areas and lobby had more personality. There was a small, soothing garden filled with gravel and rocks right by the front desk. A wood-paneled coffered ceiling with lanterns added warmth to the space, and there were comfy lounge sofas for those waiting around.
While I never hung out in that area much, I liked that they took some effort to make it not-so-generic.
There is also a deck with views of the city lights (and a sky terrace up on the roof). I checked that out one night. It was quiet and open, making it a nice place to get some air before bed.
The Hotel Emion’s ground floor buffet restaurant served breakfast. It was a light and airy space, full of seats and with a counter that ran around one wall. On my first morning, I headed down early and it was already packed; always a good sign.
There was also a bread station with a toaster and a decent selection. Croissants, danishes, rolls, all laid out in baskets. I took a croissant and it was flaky and fresh; much better than I’d expected.
You could help yourself to a coffee at one of the automatic coffee machines and these did their job well. Most mornings I had a couple of coffees without any issues.
Breakfast is served in a buffet restaurant on the ground floor, with the counter running along one side. It’s pretty basic fare: breads, yogurt and granola cups, cereals, fruit, some veggies, salad in a large wooden bowl, ham, and cherry tomatoes.
Dessert items included mochi and various mini cakes. While the variety leaned more towards Western breakfast staples, there were enough options that I never left hungry. The hot items was really good, the charcoal-grilled fish smelled great and tasted even better; I also put together a plate with eggs and a few other things from the buffet.
Breakfast had been kind of meh at the Courtyard, but it was slightly improved here: there was more thought behind what they served, and in fact I looked forward to breakfast every day.
The Royal Park Hotel Kyoto Umekoji
I stayed at the Royal Park Hotel on my last trip to Kyoto as it was near the two places I wanted to visit: the railway museum and aquarium.
It is a modern looking hotel with a slick exterior. Its entrance felt polished: there was a corridor, an emblem, and then you entered the main lobby.
There were some fresh flowers by reception and a logo worked into the design of the floor in the lobby. Check-in was smooth and the staff were welcoming and professional. It’s all just a little more formal than the other two hotels, but it isn’t stuffy.
Everything is well put together.
In December I randomly visited and they had this huge sleigh out for decoration in the lounge area, it was slightly over-the-top but still sorta cute. It made the space a bit more festive, though, while not overwhelming the entire lobby.
The room had two twin beds, a seating nook in front of the window, and a runner across the bed. It was one of the most comfortable rooms I’ve been in. It was spacious, well lit, and had free water bottles on the table.
With enough room for me to not have to trip over my bags, and a layout that made sense, it was exactly what I wanted from a hotel.
There’s a tub in the bathroom, vanity area, and all the standard amenities. Everything worked as expected, and while the fixtures aren’t fancy, they’re well maintained and sufficient.
Located on the ground floor is Umegoromo, the hotel restaurant that serves breakfast. The dining room itself was large and quiet; tables were laid out so it wouldn’t feel cramped, even when the restaurant was fully booked. Each morning I went down and found a pleasingly relaxed atmosphere.
Selection at the buffet was good. On my first morning there was a steaming pot of egg soup which I sampled, it was light and comforting. At the drink station, there was orange juice and milk.
There were also cereal and granola dispensers, and an automatic coffee machine with touchscreen controls. I got myself a coffee and it turned out to be better than expected for a machine. If you didn’t want coffee there was tea to choose from as well.
They even went so far as to serve some more local food instead of just sticking to eggs and toast.
They served dashimaki tamago (a rolled omelette) and bara-zushi (a kind of scattered-sushi dish with vegetables). They were both really good; and I loved that they took the time to include some actual local food. On the hot counter was vegetables, bacon, and scrambled eggs; the bread selection included croissants and rolls.
Typically, I would grab a little of this and that until my plate was full. Everything was fresh and well-prepared. Breakfast at this hotel felt like a real meal instead of something you eat so you can go about your day.
Each hotel suited our needs differently: the Courtyard offered a convenient and reliable location; Emion was more character-filled with those awesome showers; and the Royal Park was a little more polished (and they had the best breakfast spread). Depending on what I want to do in the city and how I’m feeling, I’d stay at all of them again. Have you stayed at any of these?
Do you have a favourite spot to stay in Kyoto? I’d love to know what worked for you.
