Kyoto Nanzenji Garden Ryokan Yachiyo Established in 1915

After staying in various hotels for two weeks, we were so excited to stay at an authentic ryokan to close out our Asia trip. This place was disappointing. Checking in, the staff was really nice- confirmed all of our information and reservations for breakfast the next day and dinner that night. Since there was so much hype around the Yachiyo restaurant attached to the Ryokan- we ordered two Standard meals for 9932 yen (about $100/each) to enhance the experience. However, our room attendant didn’t show us how to wear the provided Yukatas (we googled) or the tea service. The Ryokan is badly out dated and smells of mold with stains on the carpets, rugs and fabric hanging everywhere. The room was clean though and we enjoyed the Onsen- small but relaxing. The Standard dinner was overrated - not worth the $ in my opinion. It was 8 courses with us not knowing what it was most of the time. It was fish-based. The icing on the cake of the horrible dinner was the flying cockroach that flew in at the end of the meal to greet us and two other tables - of which the servers did nothing about. We ordered a western style breakfast the next day which I thought was pretty good. During breakfast, they went into our room and removed our sleeping mats and moved furniture. Overall, this place was so disappointing. I hate leaving a negative review because I am not a picky traveler, but this was not worth the $333+ for the room we paid at all.

The hotel is old and very dirty. Our room had view to a wall and the common areas were not inviting. Breakfast was the only positive thing as service was very nice. The rest is not worth it, specially for the price.

Everything was good, minimalist as expected and wanted. Negatives, being phoned twice to make sure we checked out on time. Once at 10-40 and then at 10-55, unnecessary.

Amazing . Got the best room maybe. good location . a private big tub . The common bath area is not big . garden beautiful , the dining area also nice looking at the garden

Very beautiful; excellent location near temple ; elegant serene gardens

Ambience was excellent traditional what I wanted - room was large efficiently cleaned - nice amenities- escorted u to diner Overall lovely A bit of a walk to subway futon sleeping is a bit difficult on the body asked for a thicker or padding but it’s just futons

The grounds are beautiful and the restaurant is amazing. Make sure to make reservations for breakfast, it is worth it!

This hotel is a gem, the personnel is really amazing! And if you are looking for something traditional, you should definitely stay here. Once you arrive you feel like back in time; the personnel receive you with a cup of hot tea, and they explain you everything about the hotel and show you around. The rooms are Japanese traditional with the tatami floor and an amazing view of their gardens, the shower is all woody and cozy. You should defend stay in this ryokan.

While the location, staff, and food were terrific, the facility had some obvious flaws and was in desperate need of an upgrade and deep clean. The onsen resembled a cesspool of luke warm grey water versus a steamy natural hot spring. The carpet in the central refreshment area looked as if someone’s water broke in the middle of the floor. The filtered water tasted like earwax and had a surrounding rust patch on the carpet. We found it ironic that we needed to change slippers in every section/room of the hotel yet they couldn’t clean the carpet. In the relaxation area, the massage chairs resembled either medieval torture devices or 70’s sex gadgets that may not make you feel entirely comfortable. We received welcome toiletry kits in our room, which was nice; however, one of the shampoo bottles was empty and the kit was missing other pieces, which led us to believe that the kit had already been used...a bit creepy. That said, the staff was lovely and the food delicious and authentic. The restaurant overlooked a lovely garden and koi pond. While we had a good stay, we were disappointed that the facility was in such a shabby state for the price we paid.

Fantastic location and concept. The staff service was flawless and polite. However, you only get the check in at 4 and out by 10 am?! They cannot even wait to kick you out when after breakfast, they are already packed the beds. And to sum it up , the place feels .... yes, two words to describe it. Charmingly Stale. To their credit, the Breakfast is not to be missed.