Sai Hotel Kiyomizu Gojo — Hotel in Kyoto

Positives :|1. The location is within walking distance to some bus stops and about a ten minute walk to the Karasuma subway line that goes east west and about a 20 minute walk to the Tozai Subway Line that goes north south|2. The staff is very kind and speak English|3. It is convenient walk to restaurants, parts of the Gion District, the Kano River area and the Nishiki Market (All within about a 30 minute walk).|4. There was a washer and dryer on site.||Cons:|1, The room is VERY bare bones and reminded me of the dorm room I had in college but with less personality.|2. The pillows were about the thickness of two waffles and the twin beds were not very comfortable|3. I do NOT recommend this place for those staying longer than a few days as there was hardly any storage.| Just a closet to hang a few things but no dresser.|4. Even though they had a "kitchenette" there were no dishes, no utensils and no glasses.|5. The walls were quite thin and people were smoking (though they were not supposed to). You could hear them talking and doing other things...|6. Though small, the lobby was the nicest part of the place, but they often had it sectioned off so that guests could not use it. When we asked why, they said they were having "meetings." This happened more than once.||Honestly, this place has the potential to be much nicer if they would put a little money into the rooms and beds and had a comfortable place to sit...

Sai Hotel is a budget hotel approximately 10 mins walk from 2 stations. If you walk around 15 minutes you will reach a lsrge shopping area with 3 or 4 department stores or check out Nishiki food market parallel that department stores street. The rooms are clean and big and include kitchenettes which is a plus if you want to cook your own food. What isn't really mentioned on the websites or booking sites is that they don't clean rooms unless you stay 3 or more nights and if you would like towels changed, you will need to take your towels down to reception between 10am to 9pm. We had the toothbrushes provided by the hotel but the toothpaste only lasted max 1 day and a half so we had to buy some from the nearby 7/11. The staff also mentioned that the hot water needs to be switched on by a switch outside the bathroom and the hot water will turn off after 5 minutes and you will need to get out of the shower to turn the hot water back on...

We really enjoyed our stay at Sai hotel. It is located at a smaller residential street off the main street. The walk from Gojo station takes around 5-10 minutes, a bit longer with big luggages. Gojo station is only one stop away from Kyoto station on the Karasuma subway line, so it was quite convenient! Kiyomizu-gojo station on the Keihan line is also quite close by. There are various convenience stores and even a supermarket nearby! Our room was well equipped with a kitchenette and many toiletries. The room was quite pleasant and had a really nice wooden interior, and was impeccably clean. The shower has a hot water function which needs to be switched on from the outside of the toilet (something to be kept in mind)! Our beds were really comfortable and soft. |The cons are that the price is a bit steep for a 2.5-3 star hotel. The lobby/reception area also perpetually stinks for...