Hotel Imagine Kyoto

We stayed with our two adult children, and the large rooms worked out well. The futons and beds were hard, as they seem to be throughout Japan. The lobby coffee maker was great, and the kitchen was useful, though I only reheated a few things. The heater was very powerful, so we had to switch it off at night. The hotel is just south of Kyoto station, which is probably best if you're coming and going by Shinkansen from the south side. For a longer stay, the north side may suit better since there's more there, unless Hotel Imagine works much better for you for other reasons.

The common areas were a great part of the stay. There's a kitchenette for heating up and preparing conbini food, plus a nice shared space to hang out or unwind. They'd recently opened the rooftop as another place to spend time. We brought back food, had a beer, and enjoyed the weather and our travel companions. Our room was the most spacious one we had during two weeks in Japan. The beds were comfortable, the AC worked well, and there was storage for luggage so we weren't tripping over suitcases. The owner was also great to talk with and gave us recommendations for hidden spots around town. We tried something he suggested almost every day, and his coffee shop tips were especially good. Service was fantastic from the start. Our room was ready a couple of hours early, so we could check in and drop off our things. After checkout, we left our luggage in the common area while we went for lunch and waited for our Shinkansen. The hotel is a short walk from bus stops and Kyoto station. I'd highly recommend it to anyone coming through Kyoto, and I don't think I could have been happier with our stay.

It was such a pleasure coming back to our room after tiring days out. We loved the room concept, and everything was very clean. The bathtub was huge, and the washer and dryer downstairs were always available when we used them. Coffee in the communal kitchen was great too. All the staff spoke English well and were attentive. They even entertained my two boys. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the station, and the staff surprised us with an early check-in, which we really appreciated after a red-eye flight with young kids. One of the best places we've stayed in all our travels.

The staff were friendly and really helpful, and being able to leave our luggage after checkout was useful. There was free coffee and a work area in the lobby, and the Wi-Fi worked well. Our clean, spacious room and the location close to Kyoto's station made it easy to get around. The stay was well worth the price.