CAFETEL KYOTO SANJO for Ladies

Such a sweet little hostel, and our room was adorable. It’s basically right in the train station, so the location is hard to beat. The bathrooms were spotless and had curling irons, face steamers and hair dryers to use. Check-in was a little confusing. The main thing that bothered me was having to pay for every piece of luggage we stored, even when we only needed to leave it for a couple of hours before the room was ready. Apart from that, it was a perfect little place.

The location was great, right by Sanjo station, with shops and restaurants just across the bridge. We could hear and feel the trains rumbling below, though it wasn’t especially loud. We were on the second floor, so you might want to request the third if that would bother you. The beds were comfortable, everything was clean, and the shared bathroom had body and face soap, shampoo and conditioner. There was also a shared fridge and microwave near the elevator. The setup was really cute and felt very secure, which would be reassuring for a woman traveling alone. I’d absolutely stay here again in Kyoto, with friends or on my own.

The cafe stayed closed for our whole visit, which was a real letdown. Getting coffee and breakfast where we were staying was one reason we picked this place. Our four-person room also had bare windows, so bright streetlights came straight in. When we asked about it the next day, staff took a while to come up with an idea, then gave us bath towels and tape to put up ourselves. We could hear trains going through the station below, too. Our room, 211, shared a wall with the powder room, and hair dryers carried through until 23:00, well past quiet hours. The city location was handy for both the station and bus stops. The decor was very cute, and the powder room had nice amenities.

The room setup was adorable, and everything felt top notch. The bathrooms and showers were great, too. Downstairs, the cafe is cute and works well as a dining room in the evening after it closes to the public. Also, there’s a vending machine outside with HOT TEA. I know that’s available in most vending machines, but I thought you guys should know 💪☕️