Hey guys. So I’m currently going to Kyoto from February 3-6. I will be in Tokyo on Jan 30-Feb 2 and 7th (although I may flex the 7th and turn it to a 4th day in Kyoto).
Anyhow I’ve narrowed down my possible places of stay down to 3 different places. However each has their own pros and cons and so I’m having difficulty choosing. I need some opinions on the places.
Things I’m looking for in ryokans in order by first to last: Nice interior/garden, decent location (transportation), private bathroom, storage space to send luggage ahead of time, nice view inside ryokan, price (not a big deal because 14 out of 19 days I will be using points+miles for free stays). Which would you choose if you were me?
General concerns:
**Can I use takuhaibin to have my bags delivered to ryokan? I imagine it’s no problems for larger hotels, but what about ryokans?** I noticed they have storage space, but is it any more of a pain to send my stuff their ahead of time compared to say the Hyatt Regency in Kyoto?
**I have absolutely no idea about the transportation in Kyoto. I’ll probably figure it out when I get there.**
**Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo Hotel** (biggest gripe is no view room, noise, and lower reviews)
Pros
* Decent price at $174 per night
* Has own bathroom and is 29m^2
* Is in Gion so near a lot of tourist sites I want to visit
* Has a very nice interior/garden as well as a very simplistic and traditional looking room. Absolutely beautiful from the pictures
Cons
* I’ve read that there’s a lot of traffic and sounds near here during the night. Not a big concern for me if it’s not overly loud
* The rooms with the nice views are out of the price range I’m willing to pay. The rooms on the second floor that are available has no view
* Has an 8.1 on booking.com other two has 9.2 and 9.4 rating on the site.
**Yadoya Kikokuso** (biggest gripe is location and shared bathroom)
Pros
* $177 per night garden view, or $210 private bathroom+toilet but no garden view
* Close to train station
* Pretty much all top reviews/5 stars on tripadvisor and booking.com
Cons
* Further south from the 2nd and away from Gino area and temple areas.
* Shared Bathroom if I choose cheaper option
* Interior not as stunning as first, but still amazing
**Matsui Honkan Inn** (biggest gripe is interior view is different and some of other ones look much better)
Pros
* Has the central location out of the other two
* $189 per night, great reviews on booking.com
* More modern, it’s sort of a love-hate relationship, I like it but it at the same time it doesn’t beat the first’s view.
* Private bathroom
Cons
* Not as nice looking interior/garden compared to other ones
3 comments
I am also staying in Kyoto around that time. I can offer some other suggestions for places to stay, some can be much cheaper depending on how much you want to spend and what you are looking for in a ryokan or hotel / hostel.
I have read a little about the takuhaiben service and it can take up to 2 days for your luggage to move from place to place. So if that is still good then pack some spare clothes in a backpack or something. You will need to communicate your intentions with your hotel / ryokan owner to see whether they accept this service. Most should. Please continue talking with me because I would love to help in the best way I can
Seriously though anyone have recommendations on which of the 3 I should pick?
Staying in a Ryokan in Arashiyama in May. If you want beautiful ryokans with gardens, you’ll look to spend $250+/person and it won’t be in the city center.
Would recommend looking into Arashiyama, Kibune, or Kurama.
One I’m staying at is Togetsutei, has good reviews.