Apa Hotel Kyoto Ekimae Chuoguchi

The room was the smallest I had during five weeks in Japan, and the stay was really disappointing. It was noisy, with thumping through both walls. The window looked onto another building’s junk, and I had to squeeze between the bed and desk. There was an air conditioner, tiny fridge, wall hooks for hangers, and hair dryer, plus a standard capsule-style bathroom. The room itself felt cramped and wasn’t good value. Service was poor too. The check-in area is about 2 metres wide, wedged in a corner beside the only lift, so things moved slowly and I was always waiting. The staff didn’t seem interested. There’s a cafe downstairs that also serves breakfast to guests. It was the most expensive breakfast I encountered in my entire 5 weeks, and it wasn’t included in my stay. The location is convenient for the main bus and train stations, but that’s all it has going for it. I wouldn’t recommend it. If I hadn’t prepaid, I would have moved somewhere else. For Japan, it was especially disappointing.

There’s no laundry service in the hotel, which was the one drawback for us on a longer trip. Otherwise, we had a really decent stay and would recommend it. The service was great, and we liked having filtered, purified water in the shower that was safe to drink. There’s a cafe right in the lobby with really good, affordable coffee and matcha. The train station is about a 3-minute walk, and a couple of convenience stores are nearby.

The rooms are very small, even for one person, and there’s no sound insulation. In the morning, the cleaning staff are loud enough to hear shouting across the floor. There’s only one elevator, and the staff use it while cleaning, so getting a ride can turn into a nightmare. I waited as long as 5 min.

The room was great, though the pillows were hard. I’d stay again, but might bring our own pillows next time.