Sakura Terrace — Hotel in Kyoto

Ohhh… Sakura terrace… what a lovely place to be…|Ill tell you my story, first trip to Japan, everything new, everything amazing.. it was.. 8 years ago.. last year I hade a second trip to Japan… couldn’t believe, and by luck I found a place to stay really close to Kyoto station … in Kyoto… and the pictures really got my eye because it look like a modern place and, I wanted to try that atmosphere in Kyoto. Well I found Sakura terrace, and that visit is something that gave me a new grasp of… comfort in hostery in Japan…. |A lot of efford and hard work, led me to … travel Japan again in march this year!!! And I gotta tell ya… this place is something I had to experience again and, fully loaded, because I changed rooms and well it was quite a experience.|To begin with, this place, Is close to Kyoto station. How close? Once you get a clue of where you land in Kyoto station, you will take something from 5 to 7 minutes to get to the hotel. Its on a corner, and its somehow fancy and good looking, so it wont be hard for you to reach, have an open terrace to receive guests, and the service as always its remarkable. Fast, efficient, convenient.. I love it and really appreciate it… (I even left a thank note for the staff and manager since tip is avoided here). |First day of our stay we decided to get a balcony room, just to experience the change, and took the combo with the morning breakfast… oh God… what a mistake….|What a big mistake was not taking it the first time I visited this place!!!|At morning, they have this extra breakfast for a few bucks, but gotta tell you, its really really worth it. I don’t know what these Japanese guys have, but they know how to do stuff!|You exchange a cupon for a seat, and it begins! Starting with, coffee, milk, tea, juice, white rice, miso soup, curry, green curry, (lets see if I recall them all), 5 types of salads and sides to compliment, frensh toast, hot plate with eggs, bacon, sasusage, toast with salmon, crockette, cereal, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal… it might not sound that great… but hey it was really really good. Whenever I come back to Kyoto, this is where I stay, and this is my morning breakfast!!! (please thank the chef and the staff for me again!)|Well, now lets talk about the hotel, this place is good looking. It has something different to all other places we stayed, lower floor, have restaurant and lobby, and a place where you can have a smoke and have a cup of complimentary tea or coffee (and I freaking loooooooooove this service, full grain coffee, dripped, variety of grains and toast!! Besides amazing tea and infusions gosh!!!), a restaurant, with a bar service at night!!! We have visited of cold wheatear and they had soft blankets and warmers outside for your enjoyment, but I gotta se what they do at summer! |At this time we had a balcony room, witch was amazing, but you cant smoke in there, so avoid that activity… second a full bathroom, and an onsen included on the price of the room!!!||This place is amazing guys, I cant tell you enough the value of the service, the products, the confort, and the convinence of this place!!! Just half a block away, you have a family mart, two or three blocks away, Kyoto station, full of restaurants, comertial centers, you can find a Don Quijote, UNIQLO, karaoke, Higashinhonganji Shrine, even a 6 minute walk to get… Mister Donuts!!|This is with no doubt best hotel I visited in Japan… an d I have been there 3 different times, in different hotels and deals… this is one I enjoyed the most! |||||Español...||Para todos los que me lean en español, les recomiendo amplamente este hotel, tuve a bien visitarlo hace un año, y descubrir que tenia servicios geniales, y que su localizacion era inmejorable. |La atencion, el servicio, el costo, lo lindo que esta el hotel y las amenidades que ofrecen, hicieron que tuviera que regresar a este mismo hotel al año proximo, esta vez, con una mejor habitación y aprovechando los servicios de desayuno que tiene el hotel!||A alguien recientemente vi en una opinion quejandose que no le habian avisado que tenia que comprar el desayuno por adelantado, según yo recuedo cuando hice mireservacion, aparecio en la misma pagina de internet, y en realidad es un servicio que almenos uno de los dias de tu estancia vale la pena! Sobre todo por que no es un desayuno tan western, en realidad tienen muchos elementos tradicionales japoneses y es extremadamente bueno!!!||Ampliamente recomiendo este hotel, cuando regrese a Kyoto, volveré a quedarme aquí.||Por cierto, si tu eres latino y estas leyendo esto, abstente de robarte el te de las amenidades del hotel para llevar a tus caminatas... tampoco...

Ohhh… Sakura terrace… what a lovely place to be…|Ill tell you my story, first trip to Japan, everything new, everything amazing.. it was.. 8 years ago.. last year I hade a second trip to Japan… couldn’t believe, and by luck I found a place to stay really close to Kyoto station … in Kyoto… and the pictures really got my eye because it look like a modern place and, I wanted to try that atmosphere in Kyoto. Well I found Sakura terrace, and that visit is something that gave me a new grasp of… comfort in hostery in Japan…. |A lot of efford and hard work, led me to … travel Japan again in march this year!!! And I gotta tell ya… this place is something I had to experience again and, fully loaded, because I changed rooms and well it was quite a experience.|To begin with, this place, Is close to Kyoto station. How close? Once you get a clue of where you land in Kyoto station, you will take something from 5 to 7 minutes to get to the hotel. Its on a corner, and its somehow fancy and good looking, so it wont be hard for you to reach, have an open terrace to receive guests, and the service as always its remarkable. Fast, efficient, convenient.. I love it and really appreciate it… (I even left a thank note for the staff and manager since tip is avoided here). |First day of our stay we decided to get a balcony room, just to experience the change, and took the combo with the morning breakfast… oh God… what a mistake….|What a big mistake was not taking it the first time I visited this place!!!|At morning, they have this extra breakfast for a few bucks, but gotta tell you, its really really worth it. I don’t know what these Japanese guys have, but they know how to do stuff!|You exchange a cupon for a seat, and it begins! Starting with, coffee, milk, tea, juice, white rice, miso soup, curry, green curry, (lets see if I recall them all), 5 types of salads and sides to compliment, frensh toast, hot plate with eggs, bacon, sasusage, toast with salmon, crockette, cereal, yogurt, fruit, oatmeal… it might not sound that great… but hey it was really really good. Whenever I come back to Kyoto, this is where I stay, and this is my morning breakfast!!! (please thank the chef and the staff for me again!)|Well, now lets talk about the hotel, this place is good looking. It has something different to all other places we stayed, lower floor, have restaurant and lobby, and a place where you can have a smoke and have a cup of complimentary tea or coffee (and I freaking loooooooooove this service, full grain coffee, dripped, variety of grains and toast!! Besides amazing tea and infusions gosh!!!), a restaurant, with a bar service at night!!! We have visited of cold wheatear and they had soft blankets and warmers outside for your enjoyment, but I gotta se what they do at summer! |At this time we had a balcony room, witch was amazing, but you cant smoke in there, so avoid that activity… second a full bathroom, and an onsen included on the price of the room!!!||This place is amazing guys, I cant tell you enough the value of the service, the products, the confort, and the convinence of this place!!! Just half a block away, you have a family mart, two or three blocks away, Kyoto station, full of restaurants, comertial centers, you can find a Don Quijote, UNIQLO, karaoke, Higashinhonganji Shrine, even a 6 minute walk to get… Mister Donuts!!|This is with no doubt best hotel I visited in Japan… an d I have been there 3 different times, in different hotels and deals… this is one I enjoyed the most! |||||Español...||Para todos los que me lean en español, les recomiendo amplamente este hotel, tuve a bien visitarlo hace un año, y descubrir que tenia servicios geniales, y que su localizacion era inmejorable. |La atencion, el servicio, el costo, lo lindo que esta el hotel y las amenidades que ofrecen, hicieron que tuviera que regresar a este mismo hotel al año proximo, esta vez, con una mejor habitación y aprovechando los servicios de desayuno que tiene el hotel!||A alguien recientemente vi en una opinion quejandose que no le habian avisado que tenia que comprar el desayuno por adelantado, según yo recuedo cuando hice mireservacion, aparecio en la misma pagina de internet, y en realidad es un servicio que almenos uno de los dias de tu estancia vale la pena! Sobre todo por que no es un desayuno tan western, en realidad tienen muchos elementos tradicionales japoneses y es extremadamente bueno!!!||Ampliamente recomiendo este hotel, cuando regrese a Kyoto, volveré a quedarme aquí.||Por cierto, si tu eres latino y estas leyendo esto, abstente de robarte el te de las amenidades del hotel para llevar a tus caminatas... tampoco...

TLDR: If you’re an adult looking for somewhere relaxing to unwind at the end of each day, and would prefer somewhere child-free, this could be the hotel for you. ——— The longer review:

Located right beside Kujo Station, Kyoto, Exit 2, commuting from the hotel via train is a breeze. Visitors with sizeable luggage should note though: the nearest exits from Kujo station are all stairs only from the platform to station concourse and out the exits (3 flights of stairs with landings in between). If that sounds too intense for you, the alternative route (with the least lifting) would be to alight at Kyoto station and roll your luggage 900m to the hotel.

The Perks: ✅ Toiletries provided for every room (e.g., liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, disposable safety razor, cotton pad, face towel, body towel, hair dryer…) + 1 set of Samue per guest (instead of the usual bath robe) ✅ Gender-segregated public baths (for hotel guests only) with shower and dressing areas. Male bath facilities comprise 1 hot pool, 1 cold pool, and 1 sauna. Female bath facilities comprise 1 hot pool, and 1 ceramic plate bath area (the latter required reservation/booking and was limited to one person per 30min session at the time of my stay). Dressing area provides basic amenities (e.g., lockers, hair dryers, hair ties, shower caps, combs, tissue paper, lotion, water-cooler…). Shower areas have both seated and standing shower cubicles; shampoo, conditioner, soap, provided. Check info sheet in room for the baths’ opening hours. [Important: guests with tattoos are not permitted to use the bath facilities.] ✅ Complimentary non-alcoholic beverages on demand after 10am (i.e., after breakfast service closes). ✅ 1 complimentary alcoholic beverage (aka ‘Welcome drink’) per guest, per night, from 6pm–10pm. ✅ Complimentary self-service laundry facilities ✅ Beverage vending machines

Complimentary wifi is also provided, but—from my experience anyway—it’s just enough to browse social media; not strong enough to stream live broadcasts (even if you’re just watching those broadcasts) or upload videos.

Room was very clean, and spacious; more than enough space to open and flat-lay two ~26 inch luggage. Bed was very comfortable. Heating is controlled on a per room basis. Bonus: The view from the corner room window is great (for both sunrise and sunset).

Housekeeping was generally well done (do note: for eco-friendly reasons, ‘full cleans’ of room, which include the changing of sheets, only happens once every 3 days. Unless you put up the ‘do not disturb’ sign, towels and toiletries are replenished daily though; trash is also cleared daily.)

Toilet facilities are modern and up to date; both toilet seat and bidet water are heated in the winter. Water from the faucet and shower heat up quickly (no need to shiver through long spells of cold water before the warm water gets through). Bathtub is on the larger and deeper side than a ‘standard’ unit bath.

Room also comes with hangers, a deodorising spray and shoe polishing cloth.

Room television only runs locally broadcasted channels (as far as I can tell); it is not Netflix/YouTube/Chrome-cast enabled.

Staff were friendly and helpful.

Hotel has a breakfast service which you need to purchase a ticket for. We did not opt for this service, so can’t comment on it.

The Cons: Lighting placement around the room was poor at both the ‘counter’ (where cups, complimentary tea-bags and a min fridge are provided), and the dressing table (you’re better off using the mirror and sink area in the bathroom). Mini fridge wasn’t very cold (and will automatically switch off when you pull out your key card from the wall slot). The safe found in the room was...