Maokong NEKOSORA - Vacation STAY 06931v

I booked quickly because of the good Google reviews, but was surprised when I got there. A subway runs about 20 meters from the building, and you can feel the vibration and hear the noise in the room. It stops after 11 p.m. and starts again at 5 a.m., so getting a full night’s sleep is hard. Keep that in mind if booking through Google. They said parking was available, but it’s a 100-meter walk to a public coin-operated lot. I parked after 6 p.m. and checked out at 9:30 a.m., and was charged 1,200 won. I’d prepaid, but when I arrived they asked for more cash and said “tax?”

We were four women, with a toddler with disabilities and a young child, and this was the first guesthouse where I felt so safe and comfortable. I contacted them around noon that day to ask if we could stay, and they were incredibly kind and courteous. Dinner was already getting late and we hadn’t put our luggage away, so we emailed to say where we were going. The host offered to pick us up. The restaurant was slow: we waited 60 minutes for our two dishes and more than 100 minutes for the first ochazuke we ordered. Maybe it was because we were first-time visitors from another prefecture. We kept the host waiting much longer than expected, but they kindly explained what was going on at the Kyoto restaurant. That helped soothe my frustration and turned the trip into a pleasant one. The host and the room made a big difference. I’d definitely return to Kyoto and stay here again.

We stayed here through Airbnb in December 2019, before it was available on Google. It was great value. The rooms were clean and had full cooking facilities, and there was a washing machine. The house had 3 bathrooms and 4 toilets, so even with our big family we didn’t end up waiting in long lines for showers and toilets like we would at a hotel. The subway station was about a 5-minute walk away, and the bus stop was 2 minutes away, which was handy. Staff were friendly, quick to reply on the booking platform, and answered my questions in Chinese. I’d definitely stay again.

It was handy that every room had its own bathroom and toilet, and the facilities were clean.