Hotel Binario Saga Arashiyama

I enjoyed the quiet, serene setting right by the train station for sightseeing. The food was great, and the staff were friendly. It was my first time using a hot spring bath, and I didn’t know the rules for putting my slippers with the number card. A woman who was finishing her bath kindly explained them. The hotel restaurant was awesome and exactly what I hoped to experience at a Japanese restaurant. They customized the menu, printed the specific date, and brought out about 15 dishes in sequence, each in small portions. It was a lot of food for me because our group had a late lunch. I’d have skipped lunch to enjoy the dinner more. There are two room styles, western rooms with beds and Japanese rooms with tatami and floor futon. I saw the other kind when we went sake-tasting at our tour guide’s place. If you’re allergic to carpet, the Japanese-style tatami room may be a better choice. The rooms were similar in size, just set up differently. You need to take your shoes off at the door for the bathroom and tatami area.

The location is very good, right by the station, and there’s a bicycle rental place close by. The Japanese-style room was spacious and had a nice view. Breakfast was adequate for the price. I’d give it 3.5 stars. A couple of things were inconvenient for me. Most staff had trouble with English, though some were better than others. In the Japanese-style room, they’re supposed to lay out the futon between 6 and 7 PM. That didn’t suit me very well because nearly all the places in Arashiyama close between 5 and 6, so I’d be back at the hotel around then. To avoid this, I left a Do not Disturb sign up since I didn’t need the futon removed or the room cleaned. But when I got back around 6:20 PM, staff had entered anyway, removed the futon, and hadn’t put it back. I had to ask the front desk to set it up again, which I found inconvenient.

The price felt very fair, especially with a little public bath included. It’s right by the train station, and Kyoto Station is about 20-something minutes away by train.

We loved the quiet neighbourhood, the onsen, and how warmly we were looked after. Our flight got in after midday, so we didn’t reach the hotel until 8 pm, but they still arranged dinner for us. We were really grateful for such a comfortable stay.