HeianKyu Dairi Machiya House Kyoto Private Stay

The room — which is actually a house — had two bedrooms and two living rooms. It also had a washing machine and dryer. The reception is located in the last of the houses, and the staff were very friendly and helped us with everything we needed. We chose to stay in this house to have the experience of staying in a traditional Japanese home, and it was worth it. Although the house feels a bit old, it’s a good alternative to regular hotels.

It’s very authentic and I enjoyed the experience very much! You get a feel for how the Japanese use to live.

We had a great stay. The house was spacious, clean and well equipped. The hosts were great, coming to take out the trash and even bringing us water every day.

The short version is that the place has a great location, is large and spacious, and has everything you need. A big group can stay here without feeling cramped. Unfortunately, there are many things that don’t meet expectations. This is definitely not a bad place to sleep. We were torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars, but ended up with 3 because we’ve become used to spotless accommodations earlier on our trip. First, the positives. We got a warm welcome, and service is easily accessible. There are tatami mats in all rooms. There are toilets both upstairs and downstairs. There are 5 rooms that can be rearranged to have bedrooms wherever you prefer. The kitchen is relatively well-equipped. There’s a lovely private garden. There’s also a super handy "garage" where you can store bikes and umbrellas. Towels are replaced and trash is taken out daily.

Unfortunately, there are many issues with cleanliness. There was a large amount of visible mold on the bathroom walls. We mentioned it, and the bathroom was disinfected and cleaned the same day. All the mold appeared to be removed. Judging by the chlorine marks, this has happened before, and they said it’s normal for the season. The service to resolve it was excellent. The kitchen sink is dirty. Some days, trash is taken out and towels and supplies are neatly laid out; other days, everything is just thrown into the bathroom in a big bag. One of the rooms faces the street. We’re used to thin walls and windows in Japan, but here we constantly have to check if the window is open—it sounds like it is. The glass panes are loose and rattle in the wind. There are no blackout curtains, so don’t forget to bring a sleep mask and earplugs. Upstairs, there's a large room that can be partially divided with paper screens, but it’s open at the top—probably because of the low ceiling. That’s a big drawback, as it’s quite dark up there and the support beams are dark too, so we hit our heads hard several times.

No kitchen and washer dryer for cloth missing

The most gorgeous little traditional home for our group. This accommodation was a highlight of our trip. Be mindful that it is quite far from the closest station, and will take around 40 minutes to walk into the centre of town. Floor sleeping arrangements were actually quite comfortable!