Hostel Gion SORA

For what it costs, the room was huge, which is unusual in Japan, especially in pricey Kyoto. It's in a lovely neighborhood, too. I'd read complaints about noise and was a little concerned, but our room was completely quiet. The building is large and made of concrete, with proper walls, rather than being a wooden house.

Our group of seven had a lovely stay right in Gion. Yasaka Shrine and Hokanji were about a five-minute walk away. The two-bedroom apartment had everything we needed, including a fully working kitchen.

The room was larger than we'd expected, and the bathroom facilities worked well. We also liked being on a quiet street while still having easy access to the main areas we wanted to visit. Some better quality, more local restaurants were close by, too. Thanks for having us!

The room had most of what we needed and the location was good, but we couldn't sleep there. The place is very basic and worn, and the beds and pillows were uncomfortable. Poor design was another issue: the shower sits beside the kitchen, with no towel hooks or foot mat, so the kitchen got wet every time someone showered. What made us leave, though, was the noise. There was no soundproofing between floors, and every footstep or chair movement upstairs seemed to shake the room below. We could hear every little thing. Some nights the people above us were up until 3 am, and other mornings they started moving at 4 am. Earplugs barely helped because the sound seemed to travel through the building, and the beds were just mattresses on the floor. We booked two weeks but made it only a week and a half before sleep deprivation sent us to a hotel down the road. That last-minute booking cost a lot, and this place didn't refund us for the nights we missed. We asked staff three times if they could switch rooms, move us upstairs since we were staying so long, or remind arriving guests how much noise carries to the rooms below. They offered no help, then ignored us when we said we had to leave early. I've never had to leave a hotel early and book another place before. I honestly don't understand how anyone sleeps here and leaves a positive review. This was the worst place I've stayed in my life. A hotel needs to provide somewhere to sleep, and this one failed badly. Stay somewhere else if you want to enjoy your holiday.