HOTEL SOU KYOTO GION — Hotel in Kyoto

First time we experienced an apartment hotel in Japan, we found it super convenient. The unit was extremely roomy, especially at this price point and sought-after location. There were lots of room to arrange our stuffs or access your luggage, with a separate kitchen, toilet and laundry room, and another room for taking a bath or shower. They would charge you an additional 500 yens (USD $3.5 in May 2025) to use the kitchen utensils for a week, strange that you need to pay extra for that, but it was still a very reasonable amount of money. A pleasant surprise to us: no need to feed coins to use the washer/dryer machine, it was free, it also came with free laundry detergent. So comparing to those hotels where all the guests would share a community laundry room with coin-operated machines, this free in-unit laundry feature is really hard to beat. Location wise it is right inside Gion, likely the most famous geisha district in Japan, and a lot of the attractions on the west side of Kyoto are all in walking distances. For examples: Yasaka Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera, Hanamikoji-dori, Shirakawa Canal, Pontocho, etc, etc. But how about attractions like Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-ji, and Fushimi Inari? One option you may consider, is to stay in a hotel near Kyoto Station for the first half of your Kyoto trip, and utilize the network of trains there to visit all those attractions near the central and western Kyoto, as well as southeast areas like Fushimi Inari, Uji, and even Nara. Then move to a place similar to this Hotel Sou in the Gion area for the second half of your Kyoto trip. This approach worked very...

I recommended Hotel Suo Gion to friends. While accessing their website to send info to friends, I saw that they only had 2 reviews. None were mine.||My wife and I have stayed here 4 times now while visiting Kyoto. The rooms are smallish by Western standards but typical Japanese in sq. footage. This is reflected in the price. Very comfortable beds, kitchenette with refrigerator and microwave ( there is a minimal weekly charge for dishes and silverware). Clothes washer/dryer (make sure you have Google Translate with camera on your phone for operating instructions. ||Forgot the pricey tourist hotels and live like the Japanese in the heart of Gion district in South Higishiyama in contemporary style and comfort.||You are within 3 blocks of following convenience marts, 7-11, Family Mart, Lawson's.||Most major temples/shrines are within a 20 minute walk.||Shout out to Doris who has always accommodated graciously...

Was here a couple of weeks ago and everything about the room was ideal apart from not being able to open the window. Quite a spacious bedroom with a writing desk and occasional tables too, but the real bonus was the kitchenette. Well equipped and I wish I had made more use of it, the same goes for the washing machine but it was at the end of the trip so I had not need to spend time washing clothes I was not going to wear before getting on a plane. To that end it is a short step to rail stations that will get you to Kansai with a couple of changes (just be careful you understand where to get off to change trains, I did have a fraught half hour putting right my mistake). It is also well placed for many temples and gives the option to walk north after breakfast, come back to the room, walk south after lunch, come back to the room, walk to Nishiki Market or around the Gion or...