Hotels Near Shirakawa Lane in Kyoto

This was by far the best accommodation we stayed in during our trip to Japan. I was a bit hesitant to book it as other reviews said it’s far away from everything, but it’s not. A short/cheap taxi from the train station (1000-1200 Yen) self-serve check in and self-serve luggage storage (which was a blessing!) We stayed in an apartment, spacious, modern, clean, separate bedroom, washer/dryer, bath and shower and full kitchen. I would live in this apartment if I could! There are staff in the reception area during certain times if you need help. The bus stop is right around the corner. Food options nearby.

The Okura Okazaki Bettie is a beautifully designed modern hotel and was the perfect choice for our combined business/leisure visit to Kyoto. The location was reasonably close (short taxi ride) to excellent restaurants and sights in the culturally historic area east of the river. The guest room quality, cleanliness and comfort is excellent - finished to a high standard with large windows overlooking the garden below and temples beyond. Breakfast was served in the restaurant overlooking the hotel's own zen garden. The choice of either ”Kyoto”or ”American” breakfast was amazing, beautifully presented bento style, exceptionally fresh, plentiful and delicious. Indeed this was one of the best hotel breakfasts ever. Finally the service level is exceptional. Both management and staff did everything they could to make our stay enjoyable and hassle free. Neither the most nor least expensive option in Kyoto - just simple great value. We look forward to returning next time.

We had a delightful stay at Hotel Pagong with M's in Kyoto. Although the room was compact, it was perfectly adequate for two guests. The service was consistently kind and attentive. The hotel's location is excellent, with a convenient 15-minute walk to Nishiki Market and both a 7-Eleven and Family Mart less than a block away. We highly recommend this hotel for its comfort, friendly service, and prime location.

We loved this hotel. The paper-free check-in was a surprise, but after that it was all good. Our room was large and comfortable, the breakfast service was good, the staff were friendly and the lounge area was fine. It was easily the nicest/most convenient hotel we stayed in during several weeks in Japan. The subway and buses were close, and the main station was only an easy 15-20 minute stroll. The only small downside was that there were only a handful of restaurants close by, but that was something we could easily plan around.

Nice and clean hotel, good location to browse the city. The staff are kind and friendly. The rooms are not big but family of 3 with one big piece of luggage can easily fit in. Japanese style room is very charming but you might need some time to adjust to a mattress firmness. The breakfast selection is rather limited and repetitive.

Overall was okay, a bit far from Kyoto staion. But, hotel has shuttle bus every 20 mins and make it more convenient. Service and amenities were nice. The worst part was humidity of the room and cleanliness (quite low compared to Japanese standard), plus bedsheets were smelly.

The hotel looks dated from the outside, is very modern in the lobby with machines for checking in and out, and then the rooms are also quite dated. The hotel is quite big, and you can be unfortunate to get a room far away from the lifts. The rooms are decent and clean. The bathroom is okay, but there wasn’t much caulk next to the shower so the water from the shower that hit the wall was just sliding down underneath the bath… very strange. On each floor there is one room where you can get ice and water, it also has a vending machine.

I and my mother stayed there for one night 20000 yen per person, with dinner and breakfast. It was a very comfortable stay. This was more like a hotel, except that we needed to walk around without your own shoes (without getting dirty feet) inside. It was fully booked on that day. We had an earlier check-in, which mean that we could enjoy our relaxing private Onsen bath without standing in line. We also tried the large onsen baths later in the evening after a long walk in the beautiful Arashiyama area nearby. It was hot, but great. One of the baths was outside in a Japanese garden. We got warmed up from the inside out, and had an ice popsicle before we went up to our room for good nights rest. We also enjoyed a huge dinner and breakfast, true local cuisine with typical taste in Kyoto that supposed to be refined and ”delicate” - you shouldn´t expect any strong taste, and correctly cooked. This supposed to be a 3-star-hotel, but the amenity was completed. We didn´t miss anything here. We thought the staff at the front desk were not amazing, but definitely not poor. We didn´t need to deal with them so much as we had good information in written form. Everything was clean and pleasant. Had absolutely nothing to complain. We would definitely love to come back again. My rating is 4 - not more or less. I certainly see that they still have a room for improvement, but overall I didn´t personally understand all the poor reviews.

Came here with family during the Sakura season. It's easy to get to the onset hotel. After arriving at the Ogoto Onsen JR station, towards the south exit you will find a cell phone attached to a board with explanation how to use the phone to call one of the onsen hotels. After the call, their shuttle bus will then come and pick you up between 2pm to 6pm I think. The hotel staff in general are very welcoming. Our family scored a deal with their penthouse suite with private indoor and outdoor onsen. Four of us stayed in the suite and the price is only slightly more than four of us staying in 2 regular rooms. It also came with a beautiful fruit platter for you to enjoy. The suite is very spacious with 2 separate toilets. The bath area has 2 sinks, a shower stall as well as a japanese style bathing area connected to the 2 onsen baths (indoor one is a hinoki wood tub and the outdoor one is a stone one. The outdoor onsen does have a slight privacy issue as there are some residential buildings in a distance. While my mom was a bit too modest to use the outdoor one (which I am not and fully enjoyed it), she did take full advantage of the indoor private onsen. Of course the hotel also has a public onsen for the guests. In fact they have two. One in each towers. I used the one on the top floor in the morning and it was a bless seeing the sunrise while soaking in the hot onsen water. Our package also included both dinner and breakfast that were served at their private dining room. Both meals were done in kaiseki style. We were particularly impressed by their dinner. Not only was it cooked with high quality ingredients and with beautiful presentation, they did not skimp on the quantity as well. Often after eating dinner at other onsen hotel, I would not feel full and actually felt a bit hungry later at night, at Yumotokan the courses kept coming and I was completely stuffed at the end. In fact I did not finish the rice even though it was so yummy (cooked from scratch in front of us with a flamed mini-stove). All in all, a very satisfactory experience. I can recommend anyone who comes to Kyoto/Osaka and wants an excursion and experiences the traditional Japanese onsen.

When visiting Kyoto, we wanted to enjoy some time in an onsen resort so we decided to spend two nights in Ogoto Onsen. After checking the details in their website, we booked a ”Biwa no kaze”room with private onsen and view of Lake Biwako. And we were not disappointed. The room looks newly renovated, and is very spacious with two beds and sitting area plus a tatami room. They offer different dinner packages, and we have chosen crab with steak as the main dishes for the first night, and lobster with shabu-shabu the second night. The foods were of very high quality, tasted and looked very nice. The breakfast buffet was very good with a wide selection of different items. The ryokan is excellent in nearly all aspects. We would stay here again when we next visit Kyoto.