APA Hotel Kyoto Eki Horikawadori

The public bath was great after a long day, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The location is convenient too. My first few nights were fine, but the walls are really thin and the rooms sit close together. On the last night, my neighbor snored, watched anime at 4am, and left an alarm ringing for so long that I called the front desk to help wake him. I had to put on noise cancelling headphones to get back to sleep. If the walls can't be improved, the staff should at least remind guests to keep it down overnight.

I liked the public onsen a lot, and the hotel is handy for Kyoto Station, with plenty of restaurants nearby. There's also a 7-11 right next door and a speciality coffee shop across the street. The coffee tasted great. My room was small but practical, with all the amenities I needed. I could open my suitcase and slide it under the bed, and the room was clean. The TV also had free adult movies, haha. In winter, though, the air conditioner was set to heat and I couldn't switch it to cool, so I ended up turning it off because the room got hot. My first night I was in a room near the road and couldn't sleep because I could hear trains. I asked the front desk about changing rooms, and they let me move for the second night. Thanks so much. I stayed two nights. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a reasonably priced hotel near Kyoto Station.

The breakfast was really good, with both continental and Japanese choices, and the hotel is well placed near the train station. There are a couple of bus lines nearby that go to the temples. The rooms are small but work well, and the decks are very informative. The one drawback is laundry. There are only three machines for a fairly big hotel, so expect a queue, or you may have to get up at 5AM to find an open one.

I booked through booking.com, where it was listed as a small double room, and didn't pay much attention to “small” since Japanese hotel rooms are often compact. This one was such a surprise, though. It felt more like a single room. My room wasn't made up, the towels weren't replaced, and the rubbish wasn't taken out. The polite reception staff didn't make up for that lack of service, and I don't know what went wrong. The hotel says it's eco-friendly, yet uses disposable mugs, four a day times all the rooms. Also, the step up into the tiny toilet is so high I nearly sprained my ankle.