Kizashi The Suite — Hotel in Kyoto

The Kizashi is a small hotel with just 8 rooms. It's a modern type ryokan. At the time of booking , it only had 2 suites and so I took them. The entrance is tucked amidst shops and you can miss it if you don't spot the Kiazashi the Suite sign. You walk into a short shopping mall alley to reach a lift and then go to the 3 rd floor. The reception area is smal but cozy. ||The staff at the reception was courteous, professional and spoke passable English. They were able to respond to our questions and were most helpful. ||The suites are large by Japanese standards- one had a separate living area, the other a dining area. The bath rooms are large and have wooden bathtubs and a separate shower area.||The room has modern facilities and a very nice drinks machine which uses capsules for coffee and tea . ||It took us a while to figure out the air con and heating controls because these are in Japanese but eventually we did. Every night fresh towels and bathrobes are laid on the bed. ||We had the American breakfast - nice toast, fresh fruit and a bun, with coffee, and the Japanese breakfast- fish, soup and some nice little tit bits which tasted lovely. I would definitely go for the japanese breakfast.||We also had the kaiseki dinner - a bit pricey- but it's an excellent meal of about 7 courses, with some delightful dishes and amazing tastes. I was given to understand by the staff that the meal was prepared by a restaurant which has a very good reputation. Our meals were in the suite with the dining area. Everything is expertly set up by the staff- you just tell them what time and turn up to eat! ||The hotel is located in the heart of the Gion area- lots of shops and eating places and about a 7-10 minute walk to the nearest station. ||The staff are most helpful - Yukiho and Shirouchi went the extra mile by printing directions for us, finding out train and bus connections to the various sites, and explaining some food items to us. ||Definitely a must stay hotel but you need to book early because of its limited number of rooms. The rooms rates are a bit more expensive but for a short stay of about 2-3 days ,...

I gave the Kizashi Suites hotel 5 stars because of the location and relative value. First off, the hotel is situated on the main street in the famous Gion District, and despite that fact, it is very quiet during the night. Finding the entry is a little confusing because there is no large exterior signage and the hotel lobby is on the 2nd floor, above a souvenir store. Depending on your arrival time, you may need to buzz the lobby for entry. ||The hotel is dated, and not a "luxury boutique" property, in my opinion. However, the location is excellent, and public transportation is within walking distance, with a bus stop across the street, and the subways a few blocks away. Many of Gion's fine dining options and historical sights are also within walking distance. So long as expectations are tempered, this is a viable option for Kyoto, especially for families or larger groups.||I booked 2 rooms, a King and a double Queen. Both rooms were very large, according to Japanese tourist standards, and included a traditional tatami room or "utility room" area that was great for eating takeout or additional sleeping space. The bathrooms are very large, with plenty of counter space and walk-in showers. Rooms come with a small fridge, and free beer is stocked every day. The rooms come with Bluetooth speakers and TV's, however, the speakers are a little tricky to operate.||This appears to be a small business operation, with no traditional concierge, and the receptionists do not speak much English. However Google Translate was very convenient, and the staff were friendly and eager to help. We booked through a 3rd party site, and it was reliable, however, there was not much communication from the hotel owners.||No restaurants on the property. Nor did we have any onsite breakfast options (however there is a Starbucks right across the street). I think these options may have been discontinued due...

This was our 4th or 5th time to Kyoto and was recommended this hotel which we backed up by reading Trip Advisor reviews before booking. We were expecting 5 star luxury however, it did not quite live up to the 'boutique' luxury style we were expecting. The room was quite a good size for Japan with a separate traditional tatami room which added to the our Kyoto experience. Bathroom was quite large and have to say the best thing about the room was the shower. Large shower head and great water pressure. There is also a wooden bath which we did not use as a notice said it took 40 minutes to fill! Large white fluffy towels, robes and pyjamas supplied. Location is excellent right in the main street in Gion but tucked slightly back off the road behind a shopping arcade which means it was very quiet. Three main areas of concern which I feel should be fixed given the high price of this hotel 1) The lighting is incredibly dark with no option of a dimmer switch to brighten it. I guess it adds to the ambience of being a boutique hotel, but it makes it impossible to put on make-up or actually find anything. Was using my iPhone torch from time to time to look for things in the suitcase. 2) The hotel is non-smoking however there is an outside area where smokers can go and in our case it was right outside (below) our room, so we were badly affected by the smell of smoke inside the room and lastly 3) the breakfast was average at best. One of our favourite things to enjoy is hotel breakfasts. Theirs is served in the room at a time you as the customer decides (helpful), however it's fairly basic, small and toast/tea/coffee etc not very hot by the time it arrived. The staff are pleasant and helpful. Considering the high price, these areas definitely need improvement. Would I stay there again...maybe but it wouldn't be my...