Aoi Hotel Kyoto

We really enjoyed our stay at Aoi until the pest problem came up. Our ground-floor suite had a balcony and a great design, and it felt like we had our own apartment in Kyoto. The floor around the beds was quite dusty, and the bathtub looked like it might have mold or need refinishing, but neither bothered us much. We stayed five days and dealt with roaches on multiple nights. At first we thought it was a one-off because the weather was warm and humid and we were on the ground floor. By the time we realized it was an ongoing problem, we had just one night left. We still let management know so they’d be aware. They offered to move us to a higher floor, but we declined since packing up for one night didn’t seem worthwhile. At checkout we were running 20 minutes late, and I told staff. Even so, a man I assume was the manager essentially chased us out, waiting outside our room for us to hand over the keys and leave. It felt really uncomfortable and surprising, especially since he was one of the people who’d replied to my email about the pests and knew what we’d been dealing with.

We loved the balcony over the river, especially for winding down with a drink before heading to one of the many restaurants within walking distance. Kyoto sake is worth trying. The hotel sits on a peaceful little street, though the busy parts of town are still close by. Our room was thoughtfully decorated and had everything we needed, and the staff were attentive and kind. A lovely little find. We’ll stay here again.

We woke to buzzards swooping low over the river, with turtles and fish below. The room was really spacious, with three single beds and a couple of sofas facing the water. The hotel is in old Kyoto, and it was easy to walk around from there.

The room turned out to be large and clean, and the location was both quiet and central. I’d been a little worried because there were so few reviews and one mentioned bugs, but there was nothing to worry about in the end.