irina V.
The location was handy, close to Kyoto Station, with lots of good places to eat, shops, entertainment, and Kyoto Tower nearby. My room was generally comfortable, with a soft futon, TV, AC, and a fan, though there were spiderwebs on the ceiling. The owner has a cute dog, which could be a downside if you're allergic or afraid of dogs. The bath was a normal-sized one rather than the usual tiny Japanese tub, and the bathroom and toilet had automated features, including a bidet and heated seat. Those positives were far outweighed by what happened on my last night. The hotel is in a traditional Japanese house, but the owner was irresponsible and broke the very rules he'd set himself. Guests get a room key, but not one for the front door. He said he locks that door from inside at midnight, so you have to be back by then. He might also lock it earlier if he feels like it and leave, which means you can be stuck outside waiting for him to return. That happened to me. I went out at 10 PM and got back at 11 PM to find the front door locked. Knocking did nothing. My tourist SIM couldn't make calls, and my regular SIM was in my bag, so I had to ask passersby to call the owner. Then I sat outside in the cold for about 20 minutes waiting for him. I had to leave at 4:30 AM the next morning for my bus to Kansai, and the owner knew that. Instead of getting five hours of rest, I was left waiting outside. When he finally showed up, he said, “I thought all guests were inside, so I closed the door, I am so sorry.” The whole incident badly damaged my impression of both the hotel and its owner. Before that I might have rated the stay 3 out of 10, but after this I wanted to give it zero. There were other problems too: one bathroom shared by all the guests in three rooms, up to two people per room, plus the owner, which clearly wasn't enough; very poor soundproofing; and in room n2, my window looked straight at the neighboring house's wall. Breakfast was extremely meager, more like a snack than a real breakfast, and seemed to have been added just to raise the room price. When I asked for a hairdryer on arrival, the owner said there wasn't one, so I rushed out to buy one. The next day I found one in the bathroom. There were a few positives, but after these experiences I barely feel like mentioning them. I still don't recommend this place to anyone.
