Kyo no oozora SAIKA

We love

This property is in a great quiet location. There is a drug store across the street from the property that you can buy food from (cash only). A few blocks down the street you will find a few Japanese restaurants, a 100 yen shop, coffee shops, Uniqlo, kaitenzushi, etc…The most convenient part about the location is that it is about 3 blocks from the train station. The train station (Tambaguchi station) which is 2 stops from Kyoto train station, one stop from Nijo station (Nijo castle) and on a direct line to Arashiyama is extremely convenient. The house is a gorgeous experience of a Machiya house in an authentic Japanese neighborhood. Note- thanks to a previous review we were able to find the check in office. The check in office is separate from the house. You need to check in at a cafe about 3-4 blocks from Kyoto’s central entrance on the Kyoto tower side of the station. Once you check in the very kind staff will help arrange a taxi for you to your place if you have a lot of luggage.

I think our only wish is that there was a space to hang laundry out to dry or a laundry bar in the bath.

We didn't realize there is a seperate location to check-in so this created a lot of confusion.

Clearer instructions on the check-in process being a completely different location from the property.

Loved that it was a ryokan inspired design. It was really impressive at first sight. We were still optimistic initially. And the concierge staff was friendly and even booked the luggage forwarder for us despite us making our decision at 10pm at night.

It was super inconvenient to check-in as we had to check-in at an office that was 20 min taxi ride away. No doubt, the fare was covered by the hotel but the fact that we had to unload check-in at a separate location, then load the luggages and travel a distance to the apartment was quite ridiculous. The space was lovely and beautiful when we first entered it but we later realised that it wasn't as clean and pristine as we expected it to be as per their website and photos. It was also far from any station, which we already knew but it was peak at sakura season so it was also harder to get a taxi or uber if you're short on time. On our last day, we tried to extend our checkout from 10am to the usual later check-out time (11am) but was rejected by the concierge because there's another group checking in after us and the cleaner need us out of the hotel by 10am. Even though I was explaining that we REALLY REALLY needed a little more time to travel back to check-out, and suggested to leave our day bags at the door so we won't disrupt the cleaner but it was a hard no. There wasn't any viable solution suggested, except that they told us to send our day bags to the lockers at Kyoto Station which didn't really make sense because it was packed everywhere and time really wasn't on our side. It's unfortunate that it ended up being an unpleasant end to our stay.

The place is fantastic. It's so pretty and it's the perfect fit between traditional and luxury! Hosts were super helpful and guided us through the entire process.

The house and property were absolutely beautiful. I wish we had had more time to stay longer.

Large room and garden! Warm and comfortable, nice Japanese modern style, convenient supermarket nearby, very kind staff

A little far from downtown