Stay SAKURA Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

The location is fantastic, and the bed and linen were fine. The washing machine was excellent too. But the sofa bed was awful, with big springs, and I couldn’t even sit on it comfortably. I definitely wouldn’t put a child to sleep on it. The kitchen barely had what we needed. There was a fry pan and ladle, but the cutlery was just two spoons, three forks, no knives, and one pair of chopsticks. Making eggs in the morning was a challenge, and we had only tiny cake plates to eat from. There wasn’t a single bowl. If you provide a kitchen, it needs plates and utensils. For the price, it was fine, but don’t expect to cook a meal. Not sure I’d stay again.

The location was very convenient, and apart from what happened with the sofa bed, everything else went well. I was there for five nights with my wife and our 20-month-old daughter. The room was clean, but it would feel cramped with two or three bags. We’d booked a room with an extra sofa that turns into a bed. When we arrived, the extra bedding had been removed. Reception told me I could only use it if I’d paid for a third adult, even though I couldn’t find that rule on the booking sites. They said it was documented on their end. Our daughter stayed for free, so they said the bedding wasn’t included. It made no sense that we couldn’t use the room we’d paid for. The receptionist called the operations team, who kept repeating the same thing. At one point he mentioned my nationality to them. I understood because I pick up some Japanese words. Then they asked for another 20,000 JPY for a sofa bedsheet. I was so frustrated that I said I’d put it in a review and walked away. The receptionist later came back saying they’d arrange a crib, but I declined. The room was so small there was barely space for someone to tiptoe around. He returned with baby-sized bedding instead. This was the only bad experience in my 16 days in Japan. The greed they showed would make me think twice about staying here with a baby and luggage.

The room was clean and the beds were comfortable. There just wasn’t enough room for our suitcases or to move around easily.

We stayed five nights in Kyoto and found the location excellent, just off the main road and very near Kyoto Station. The rooms are ideal for two and extremely clean, with everything you need in an apartment. The walls and windows are a bit thin, though, so it was hard to get a long stretch of sleep.