Guesthouse KYOTO COMPASS ～京町家の小さなお宿～ — Hotel in Kyoto

Mama and Papa-san are amazing hosts who like to meet people from all over the world. If you're lucky you will also meet their daughter and her two cats who often run the front desk (the cats I mean). Compass is a 100 year old townhouse with Japanese traditional style rooms. Don't expect luxury, but do expect authenticity. It's a true hostel in the sense that you share the kitchen, bathrooms and most people hang out in the common living space where there are lots of knick knacks, maps, Papa's currency collection and art. It was real mix of people, mostly Japanese but Mama-san said pre-covid it was mostly foreigners. She speaks great English and makes sure no one feels left out. We spent New Years there and the family went above and beyond to host a party with traditional food (ozoni and soba) and activities like calligraphy.

We took the private room at the back of the house and it was very quiet, with a small garden to look at on both sides. The futons had electric blankets so we were snug even though the nighttime temperature in Kyoto was close to zero.

They have bikes to rent ($3 per day!), and with those you can zoom down to Gion in 20 minutes, there are also buses and train stations a short walk away.

Mama and Papa should honestly put up their prices because at about $25 USD per night for a dorm room, including breakfast, it's ludicrously good value with current exchange rates. A whole family can stay for under...

I had a really amazing experience at this guesthouse and I think its one of the best places to stay in Japan for solo travelers. The couple (Mama and Papa) that run the guesthouse are really lovely and make you feel at home, and I felt so comfortable resting at this guesthouse. I was given really good suggestions on what to do while staying in Kyoto, and every single restaurant recommended was a local spot that had very good food for a really amazing price. The guesthouse itself is really beautiful and has very comfortable beds with heated blankets. Everyday we were cooked a delicious breakfast. I don't know if this is just my personal experience, but I stayed in a room with 3 other people and we got along so well, we even hung out later throughout my trip. I think that the setup of this guesthouse definitely contributed to how close we all got since you really feel like a family there. I really looked forward to getting back to the guesthouse each day after a long day of sightseeing to just hangout and share what my day was like. The guesthouse also had free snacks and two adorable cats. The location is really central which makes it convenient to see all the...

We have been traveling around the world for 3,5 months now (10 countries and 3 continents) and this was our favorite place we stayed at! We felt so welcomed by "Mama & Papa" that run the guesthouse together. My partner had her birthday during our stay and they even bought her a birthday cake! Papa also made wonderful chai-tea and we both got a painting from him to take back home, mama also served us a great breakfast every morning. Mama also told us about all the cool places to visit in and around Kyoto, that was very helpful. ||We stayed in the private room with shared bathroom. Everything was nice and clean and the vibe was very cozy. Bus stops are just a short walk from the hostel and the subway is like a 10 min walk from the hostel. ||If we ever come back to Kyoto this will for sure be the place where...