Colours Guesthouse — Hotel in Kyoto

The goods:

1. Heating was adequate in the room. Both heating and cooling ran on the same AC unit so no need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning from kerosene heater
2. Room was spacious by Japanese standard; slept on comfortable futon on the floor so need not worry about kids falling off the bed
3. My room came with a private bathroom, but bring your own hand soap and hand towel
4. Great staff who can speak Chinese; she even helped with reserving Oigawa Thomas train tickets on the phone!
5. Quiet and private
6. Equipped with kitchen; sufficient enough to refrigerate leftover and heat them up, make bottles and wash them.
7. It's a machiya in a quiet Japanese neighborhood where the milkman still comes around to deliver milk. It's a quaint experience.

And the bads:

1. Let's face it: this is an Airbnb so the lack of a concierge service is inconvenient, but the great staff who happened to be there when I needed it helped made it up.
2. Along the same note, shipping your luggage from the airport can be a pain, since this is not a hotel with a concierge service. They would ask you for a local phone number, which I just listed my host's eventually. Things might be trickier too if you nor the staff were present at delivery, but thankfully, the staff happened to be there to take in my luggage!
3. Having said that: Airbnb host was quite irresponsive. Msg goes unanswered. I know people do get busy, so I'd appreciate just a simple acknowledgement such as "Noted" or "OK".
4. If your room does not come with a private toilet and it's winter, then be prepared to be out in the cold. We were from Ohio so we tolerate cold weather pretty well but still it was chilly to brush our teeth outside at night and early in the morning.
5. We used the onsen/bathhouses the entire time we were there so can't speak much to the bathroom. Then again if you're in private room B or the dorm, you will have to walk outside to get there.
6. You can do laundry but there's no dryer. You will need to line dry. We came in Nov so it was hard for clothes to dry and space ran out pretty quickly when clothes do not dry quickly and new laundry gets added.
7. Not the most convenient location - there's a bus line nearby but with my stroller and stuff, I ended up being lazy and called a cab from JapanTaxi each morning. Train lines are quite a...

Loved my stay at Toru's guesthouse. It's in a quiet, residential area with a local-frequented onsen across the street, but walking distance (around 5-9 minutes) from several bus stops and some very good restaurants, plus a coin laundry. I had the smaller private room which was lovely and quite spacious: tatami floors, well-made futon bed, A/C and heating, with sliding doors towards the small garden; this room also had a private toilet. There were shared showers and sinks and a communal kitchen space as well. It's a very beautiful and charming space, and blessedly peaceful when you're coming back from a long day of sightseeing and walking. Toru was a great host, extremely quick to respond to messages and also had recommendations on what to do, where to eat, etc. I was also able to send my luggage here ahead of time, which was a plus. If I return to Kyoto, I'd definitely love...

I booked this place from Airbnb. The owner was prompt in replying and providing the information. The house has shared bathroom and kitchen space. Its an old Kyoto house refurbished with modern minutes. However the house slightly smells of old wood. If you are ok with the smell, it's a nice place to stay. The place is located within 5 min walk from the shijio station. Also close to many of the site...