Racine Home Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

Location: About 15 minutes from Kyoto station, which is helpful if you're using the JR rail pass. There were times when I wished it was a little closer to the trains, but Kyoto seemed to operate mostly on a bus transit system anyway and the location worked perfectly well for that.||||Room: Actually the biggest one we had throughout our stay in Japan. In Tokyo and Osaka, we had rooms that were the more typical size where you can fit in two pieces of luggage and there's a narrow space to walk around the bed and the desk. With Racine Home, the room felt huge by comparison and I'd even call it a good size at Western standards. The bathroom was sizable and had quality soap and hair products. There's also a pretty nice bath tub.||||Amenities: Full kitchen with ice machine, water cooler, dishes, and utensils open 24 hours. Solid washer and dryer machines on the 3rd floor that are available from 9 am - 9 pm. Detergent is included. The only downside is that your use may depend on the courteousness of other guests. This won't be a problem for most people since it's a small hotel, but I had an unfortunate encounter with another guest who was using both machines right before the end of the time window and for one of them he was only washing a single pair of shorts. ||||Other: The one really unique feature of this hotel is that it only has a front desk person from around 9 am - 5 pm. Afterwards, you need to use a key code to get into the building and there is no employee on shift for the rest of the day. They provide you with a phone number and e-mail address for any emergencies, but I could imagine scenarios where it'd be better to have someone on site. We didn't have any problems at all, and it was actually kind of fun wandering what felt like a ghost hotel at night.||||Overall: Even with the limitations in staffing, this hotel is completely worth it for the value and the room made for the most luxurious stay we had throughout...

I stayed in this great little hotel for 6 nights and really enjoyed it! Though I wish it was closer to the Central Station, it still wasn't too far I guess. Takes you about 12 minutes by walking. But there are other subway and bus stations much closer. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful and I found to be true everywhere in Japan. I just never met anyone, who wasn't nice or helpful. The room was very spacious and had a great bathroom with all the necessary amenities. They provided complimentary water and tea and there was also a kitchen downstairs available to all the guests. There were also laundry facilities available. I would stay there again if I went...

The hotel is located less than 10 mins walk from Kyoto station and about 6 minute walk from Gojo station so its easy to get around. They also offer bike rentals which is a great way too see kyoto which is quite biker friendly.The kitchen was a definite plus and has everything you need to cook your own meals or just breakfast as we did. The staff were welcoming , knowledgeable and friendly and we loved the quiet street the hotel is situated on. If you’re into tofu, make sure you try the fried tofu with soya sauce (1piece 60 yen) from the local producer maybe a block or two south of Racine. If its a busy period, its best to book early as prices seem to just go...