SAKARA Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

Wonderful home away from home- the self-catering rooms with local wood features, big comfortable beds, washing machine, bath, common room, mini-garden to view and mini-kitchens make staying here so much more comfortable than staying at a typical hotel or guest house in Japan.

The rooms are really quiet so you can sleep well and the shopping street that leads up to it has a great coffee shop and craft beer bar among other fun and interesting mom + pop shops like a butchers, fruit shop and more. There are coin parking lots nearby if you drive and a convenience store a couple of blocks away if you need anything 24/7.

I was in the Bamboo suite with two generous double beds, and gorgeous bamboo flooring and the Sakara signature tree trunk art feature which is also a supporting beam in the middle of the room.

The little cooker is great for heating up water for tea, but there are also pots and pans if you want to do more serious cooking. Good selection of glasses, mugs, bowls and plates. Great choice for people, couples and small families who prefer to eat some meals in the room. There is a microwave, coffee machine, rice-cooker and toaster in the room for use as well as the kettle and small IH electric cooker.

Quality of beds, blankets, pillows, bath, washer, .. all very high, comfortable and in good condition. Good WIFI, lots of sockets in convenient places. Also, the AC is quiet yet effective and the English guide to appliances helps you navigate it even without Japanese.

I would definitely stay here again. I love the location in Gion -- an interesting and beautiful area to walk around and not far from bicycle rentals and public...

I stayed here at the recommendation of a friend and it was wonderful! The location is amazing, right on an old shopping street (with a great craft beer restaurant), and a lovely stream with weeping willows that leads to one of the famous temples in Japan that is lit up for the fall colours season, Chion-in. It was very quick and easy access from Kyoto Station. One word of advice for people from out of the country: you DON'T want to stay near Kyoto Station for getting to most of the sites as the traffic around the station can be really bad for travelling by taxi or bus. Higashiyama Station, on the other hand is really close to all of the main sites - you could walk in less than half an hour to Kiyomizu Temple, for example.

But the best part: it's like an apartment with a kitchen (hot plate, dishes), bath and washing machine! Excellent for people in the middle of a long trip wanting to do their clothes. It totally felt like coming home after a long day out amongst the crowds. Much better than a hotel. The area is also really quiet at night so we were able to have a great sleep and be ready for the next day. It could sleep 4-5 so perfect for a family. I would definitely stay here again. Mike, the host, gave lots of advice about nearby places to eat, etc.

If I had to think of something to improve, it would be good to have a parking spot (but most people probably come by train) and a way to leave bags for a later check-out. I forgot to ask Mike about that. It would probably work to leave them behind the locked door with code (in the...

The hotel is on a traditional Japanese pedestrian-only street. We were provided with detailed driving directions in Japanese for taxi-drivers, which was extremely helpful. Both our flight and train were delayed but the host was gracious enough to wait to check us in. He also provided a local map showing where all the convenience stores and restaurants are. We had the only downstairs unit so we didn’t have to deal with stairs. Our unit is well-equipped. The beds are comfortable and it is very quiet at night. The location is the best part. It is close to the Tozai line with the subway station just around the corner. There is a bus stop nearby where we can take the bus straight to Kinkaju-ji. Downtown is just a 15-min walk away where we find a plethora of shops and restaurants. There are numerous temples and shrines within walking distance. Our favorites are Chion-in temple, Nanzen-ji temple and Heian-jingu shrine. These are less-crowded alternatives to the “must-sees” and all are within walking distance of the property. We made a day-trip to Nara and again the property is located near the Keihan line where we could easily transfer to the Kintetsu line to Nara. We have a great time in Kyoto and the property is convenient to sightseeing and provides a quiet place to relax in...