Nazuna Kyoto Gosho — Hotel in Kyoto

I only stayed at the Yatsuhashi twin room for one night, but it was enough to be able to get a taste of Nazuna Kyoto Gosho's elegant and thoughtful approach towards Japanese hospitality, which was a perfect example of a modern ryokan experience - that is to say, bed, board, and bath, all beautifully done in a highly memorable way.||From the beginning of our arrival to the end of our stay, the quality of Nazuna Kyoto Gosho's hospitality and service was outstanding. My friend and I arrived at the property very early in the morning after a six-hour overnight flight (during which we'd barely had any sleep), and although we weren't expecting to check in until 3pm (which most Japanese hotels are extremely strict about), the staff informed us that our room was ready for us. We were absolutely overjoyed by this, and it made an enormous difference to our first 24 hours in Kyoto - honestly, without the early check-in, I'd probably have fallen asleep in a restaurant by accident. (However, please note that early check-ins are not guaranteed at Nazuna Kyoto Gosho - it really is luck of the draw.)||Our Yatsuhashi room was extremely spacious compared to a standard Japanese hotel room, and had a sitting area, generous wardrobe space for two people, a minibar stocked with complimentary Japanese artisanal drinks, and a large bathroom complete with a roomy, high-pressure shower and a magnificent cedar bathtub (which turned out to be excellent at retaining heat during a long, languid soak). We appreciated the fact that although this was a ryokan set in a renovated, lovingly restored machiya house, our room still had thoughtful modern touches such as a Dyson hairdryer, speedy WiFi, a phone to call down to the reception desk, and soft-dim lighting.||As can be expected from a stay at a ryokan, we were fed very generously with a Sukiyaki dinner and an Irori breakfast, which both took place in front of a traditional sunken hearth at the dining table over glowing Binchotan charcoal. The quality of the meat, fish, and gleaming, colourful vegetables was extremely high, and even though I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of Sukiyaki, I enjoyed it very much. At both meals, a member of Nazuna Kyoto Gosho's hospitality staff guided us through the experience and cooked everything very skilfully, explaining the ingredients in English as the meal progressed - which of course was really helpful to us as non-Japanese travellers.||The dining room also doubles as a guest lounge, which serves a lovely and very tempting selection of saké, wine, tea, rice crackers, and dangerously moreish matcha butter cookies. It's a good place to relax or do some work (if you really have to), and my only regret of the stay is neglecting to book a spa treatment or Kura Buro private bath at the hotel so that I could relax even more after our flight. One additional extra that I wasn't expecting was a complimentary ochazuke service in the evening (ochazuke consists of rice, over which green tea and furikake are poured - it's fantastic comfort food) for guests who are feeling peckish. It runs until 11pm, and even though my friend and I were stuffed from dinner, we still had to try it - and the ochazuke was marvellous.||The ryokan is located in a quiet neighbourhood not far from the Imperial Palace and Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. It's not far from Karasuma Oike subway station, but it's still away from the main tourist thoroughfare. There are some wonderful little pickle shops, tea bars, and soba restaurants in the area, so be sure to wander around when the weather is clement. Even though the Yatsuhashi room was closest to the road going past the ryokan, it was still very quiet, and there was never any traffic noise that disrupted our sleep.||Our only criticisms - and these are very minor points - were that we felt there weren't enough towel hooks or hangers in the bathroom, which meant that after a bath, at least one towel had to be draped over the beautiful rattan chairs in the living room to dry. I would also have liked to have a bit more counter space or some kind of storage area in the bathroom for our toiletry bags, as there wasn't much spare counter space to put things like cosmetics and skincare bottles.||I would say that if you're still a little intimidated by the idea of a very traditional ryokan stay (where the rules and etiquette can be quite rigid, such as the timing of meals), a modern ryokan like Nazuna Kyoto Gosho is a much better introduction to this unique style of Japanese hospitality. We found the staff so helpful and personable - they were always extremely polite, but they were also warm, friendly, and clearly keen to go the extra mile to make our stay perfect, which it very much was. My friend and I agreed we'd come back in a heartbeat, and make plans in the future to check out the Nazuna group's other properties as well, which are based around...

Overall Fantastic Experience & here is why:|A. Location: quieter location, fabulous restaurants, stores and sights nearby yet feels like you are able to step into local Kyoto in this location...|B. Service: Big Thanks to Masaki who confidently prepared one of our breakfasts and shared some great places to explore given our interests. He has such care and knowledge of Nazuna and the area...real management leadership qualities! AH then there is Rinka, an absolute delight. She prepared our breakfast on 2nd day and we had a bonus of her matcha preparation...with her it is a true art. She is such a gem and also had some good suggestions. Everyone had such kindness...the gal that checked us in noticed I was so tired and when we came back for check in (after dropping our bags for an hour or so), she had drawn the big bath & thoughtfully left two warm eye patch and a reflexology type foot mask. Nazuna draws some very special people and i hope to see them all again, especialy Rinka who touched our hearts.|3. Each room is different. We were near the front but it was quiet and the bedroom was fully dark when you closed the tatami ...perfect for getting into the circadian rhythms of Japan...and loved the fresh air of the private garden when we went to the door or toilet (covered of course). I would try different rooms out just as they each have their own charm.|4. Complimentary drinks in the fridge...i had the best specialty beer (maybe some hazelnut according to the name but didnt jump out at me) perhaps EVER. I searched for it throughout the trip. I missed the late night snack somehow.|5. Breakfast was incredible. One of my best breakfasts EVER - they did vegan for me...i dream of the tofu...and the veggies grilled warm fresh in front of us. My husband had the meat and it was some of the best he has had...plus lots of veggies, rice, etc and wonderful tea.|6. Loved their Pajamas...organic cozy and comfy. (you can purchase & they ship if you buy two). Linens, towells...all soft, fresh, top notch.|7. We booked the orange diffuser thing but were not totally clear on that...guess it was buying a diffuser in advance but that was not quite what thought...we hand only hand carry luggage so they gave us some organic hand towells that are so soft and lucious.|8. Good eco planning in terms of the bathroom amenities.|9. You are helping Kyoto save their wonderful older wooden buildings by picking Nazuna ....it was once part of the lumber world and the wood gives it a beautiful organic authentic vibe.||Still dreaming...

Overall Fantastic Experience & here is why: A. Location: quieter location, fabulous restaurants, stores and sights nearby yet feels like you are able to step into local Kyoto in this location... B. Service: Big Thanks to Masaki who confidently prepared one of our breakfasts and shared some great places to explore given our interests. He has such care and knowledge of Nazuna and the area...real management leadership qualities! AH then there is Rinka, an absolute delight. She prepared our breakfast on 2nd day and we had a bonus of her matcha preparation...with her it is a true art. She is such a gem and also had some good suggestions. Everyone had such kindness...the gal that checked us in noticed I was so tired and when we came back for check in (after dropping our bags for an hour or so), she had drawn the big bath & thoughtfully left two warm eye patch and a reflexology type foot mask. Nazuna draws some very special people and i hope to see them all again, especialy Rinka who touched our hearts. Each room is different. We were near the front but it was quiet and the bedroom was fully dark when you closed the tatami ...perfect for getting into the circadian rhythms of Japan...and loved the fresh air of the private garden when we went to the door or toilet (covered of course). I would try different rooms out just as they each have their own charm. Complimentary drinks in the fridge...i had the best specialty beer (maybe some hazelnut according to the name but didnt jump out at me) perhaps EVER. I searched for it throughout the trip. I missed the late night snack somehow. Breakfast was incredible. One of my best breakfasts EVER - they did vegan for me...i dream of the tofu...and the veggies grilled warm fresh in front of us. My husband had the meat and it was some of the best he has had...plus lots of veggies, rice, etc and wonderful tea. Loved their Pajamas...organic cozy and comfy. (you can purchase & they ship if you buy two) We booked the orange diffuser thing but were not totally clear on that...guess it was buying a diffuser in advance but that was not quite what thought...we hand only hand carry luggage so they gave us some organic hand towells that are so soft and lucious. Good eco planning in terms of the bathroom amenities. You are helping Kyoto save their wonderful older wooden buildings by picking Nazuna ....it was once part of the lumber world and the wood gives it a beautiful organic authentic vibe.

Still dreaming...