Nazuna Kyōto Tsubaki St. — Hotel in Kyoto

My friend and I stayed here for the 2 days and 1 night we were going to be in Kyoto. It was amazing and we were completely ruined for hotels ever again. To start with check in, super easy and they have you sit in the specially designed waiting area and give you the best tea and cookie. Matcha is often too strong of a flavor but this cookie was amazing. I looked at every little souvenir shop to see if they have that cookie but nope! After check in they will guy you to your machiya. These are 110 year old town house that were renovated and turned into an hotel so you get the history and vibe but with modern conveniences. With that said the stairs are steep. I would HIGHLY suggest leaving your large luggage downstairs with your toiletries. Just take up stairs what you want to drink and use for bed. The beds were so comfortable and most of the lights were sensors so once in bed we didn’t have to remember to turn off the hallway light or anything. Switches for the the bedroom were on the headboard. The outdoor bath was so refreshing after all the walking and standing we had been doing. THERE ARE BATH SALTS! My friend and I both missed that and it would have added to the experience even more. The bath is big enough for 2 people and takes about 30 minutes to fill. You do need to turn it off. It was my birthday so I had chosen a cake and balloon surprise package. As soon as we walked in the chocolate cake was there waiting and it was gorgeous. It was a very light and refreshing chocolate cake sweet but not too heavy sweet. There were balloons on the bed that also said happy birthday. We got the kimono rental and the woman that helped us get dressed was so nice and professional. While taking she said she had been doing it for 10 years and it showed with how quickly and precisely she was tying everything. After we took photos of course and had dinner at the Bungo restaurant. Tip… 8pm is so late. If you can get in earlier I highly suggest it. The front desk did offer us a late egg sandwich as snack but since our wagyu dinner was about 1.5 hours long we decided to pass. The dinner was great. Our server was so nice to us even though we were the last and only table in the restaurant. I would suggest really knowing if you are okay with all raw red meats. It was all delicious but there was one dish that I personally couldn’t get down. They do offer a cooked meal course but we didn’t pick that. My favorite dishes were the wagyu with ginger and soy sauce as well as the oxtail soup. It was sooo good. They do ask that you order a drink there are wine, cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks. Anything by the glass was very reasonably priced about 900-1300 yen. You can get wine by the bottle. We also had breakfast. During check in the staff was so kind when I told them I have a shellfish allergy. They confirmed and then offered the western style breakfast. It was 7 jam tastings toast, sausage, yogurt, a hard boiled egg and a small green salad. The jams delicious and they were brought out before our plates. For checking out was super easy. I also had our bags sent to the next hotel in Osaka as we were going on a walking tour around Kyoto. The same-day delivery company couldn’t deliver to our next hotel but the front desk found another company that would. It was 1750 yen for each bag. Sadly it wouldn’t be until the next day. They were delivered early the next morning but after we had left for the day. My friends neck pillow was strapped to the top of the bag and the company wouldn’t accept it so the hotel was kind enough to hold just the pillow but send an email to me. After hearing it would be 1700 yen for just her neck pillow we asked them to just throw it away but they called back to tell us they would pay for the fee and it would arrive the next day. It was so kind of them. It’s a great hotel but the staff was absolutely amazing. Always professional and as a foreigner who only speaks English they were great with commuting with us. The staffs English is very good so it’s easy contact the front desk and ask for what you need. We...

This is our first trip as a couple to Kyoto and we booked a 6 night stay at Nazuna Kyoto Tsubaki St. This property is a completely renovated street from a traditional Kyoto style of architecture similar to what you would find in the Gion district of Kyoto. We booked the “TAKE” room with the twin beds on the second floor a small fridge (fully stocked with beer, cider, sparkling water, whatever you want really), kettle for making coffee and tea and a small with a sink. There was a TV as well but we really didn’t watch much. On the first floor you walk into a small sitting area with a coffee table and futon style couch, where you doff your shoes and put on the provided slippers in true Japanese style. You are immediately hit with a pleasant fragrance as you enter (cedar?) with a bamboo wrapped wall and ceiling. Most of the lighting is dimmable inside with backlit wall lighting on both floors and outdoor lighting around the tub. There really isn’t a view from the room, but you don’t miss it as the furnishings and overall accoutrement both inside and out was pleasing to the eye. From the sitting area you can see the deep outdoor bath for two through a large picture window (there is a screen for privacy). This outdoor area is accessible via the walk-in shower with either an overhead rain shower fixture or hand held spray. The tub is operated via push button from the vanity area of the bathroom and you can set the temperature as high as you can stand it (about 113 deg. Fahrenheit) and twenty minutes later a hot bath for two. I can’t tell you how nice it is to soak your tired body in a hot bath after walking all over creation. It’s your own private onsen. All bath products are complimentary and include bath salts for the tub, shampoo, body soap, hair conditioner and in the vanity area, lotion, facial wash and what I think was a hyaluronic based face treatment. Toiletries also include a toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and bamboo comb. Japanese style pajamas are also provided which were fantastic to get into after soaking in the hot tub after a long day of climbing and walking! The toilet is on the first floor, so if you are in your late 50’s this means a late night trip down steep steps to the toilet. The staff are especially friendly and delightful to engage with (especially Misaki S.!). They are very accommodating and really try to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Misaki created a care package with essentials to help us weather the heat with a thoughtful note written on stationary with explanations of the various items….very nice! Several of the staff knew English which was great as we do not speak Japanese other than the normal pleasantries. We did not elect to make a reservation at the restaurant until after arrival, but did enjoy a wonderful meal in true Ryokan fashion wearing our pajamas. The server was very informed and did a great job explaining each course. There are complimentary drinks (coffee, tea all day, beer and wine in the late afternoon evening) that are provided in the lounge with snacks, some crafted in-house (the sugary rice treats were fantastic). As far as location goes Tsubaki street is a 15 minute cab ride from Kyoto Station (we rode the Shinkansen in from Tokyo) and is also a short 10 minute walk to Omiya Train station where you can take a 5 minute train ride (Hankyu-Kyoto line) to the Kawaramachi market, there you will find Nishiki market, the sprawling covered malls of Teramachi and Shinyogoku, as well as Gion after crossing the bridge over the Kamo River. That same train in the opposite direction will get you to Osaka. There are a ton of transfers to subways and other train lines so you can pretty much get anywhere you need to go by train or cab. If you want a Japanese Ryokan experience near the heart of Kyoto, this is the place, 5 stars all the way, we...

I struggled with whether to rate this property 2 or 3 stars. Like the previous reviewer, I do not understand the glowing reviews this property receives, but I also came away from our one-night stay with the distinct impression that we received markedly different treatment than other guests. For starters, every other guest I saw checking in was escorted into the second-floor lounge for a leisurely check-in. We were told to sit on the couch that sits just inside the entrance and were hurriedly checked in. It almost seemed like most guests at this property were younger couples and they didn't know what to do with an adult father and son pair...||Anyway, the "townhouses" are very pretty, my son's favorite room we stayed in on our Japan trip. But I understand others' criticisms of the room's impracticality (maybe its an over-50 thing?). Not only were the stairs very steep but the walls were covered with a sharp stucco-like material, so if rubbed against the wall on your way up/down, you scraped yourself. I did appreciate the huge bathroom and outdoor soaking tub, as well as the complimentary mini-fridge of cold drinks.||The neighborhood this hotel is in is not very convenient to other Kyoto sights, not easy to reach by subway (though accessible by bus) and frankly just not a very pretty area. The photos of the "Tsubaki St" itself are very strategically angled and hide that from other angles you are looking at the parking lot that fronts the hotel and aesthetically unappealing neighboring buildings.||Most problematically of all, I found the service (or lack thereof) downright unwelcoming. Apart from meals and check-in/out, I don't think I saw a staff member, let alone was approached by one or checked in on. We booked the later seating for the in-house Wagyu dinner, and apart from one younger couple who left shortly after we arrived, we were the only people there. We were then rushed through our very expensive dinner very abruptly. The promised "late night snack" egg sando simply never arrived, even though my son waited up for it! To be fair, service at breakfast the next morning was markedly better, where our server was friendly and tried to offer advice about what to do/see, even with limited English.||Bottom line is that while staying here for one night was undoubtedly a unique experience, it was not remotely worth the top-tier money charged for room itself or for the...