Shijo Kawaramachi Onsen Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

Overall, I believe the hotel is worth 4.5 over 5. However, since Tripadvisor does not accept a 0.5 score, I give it a 5. Let me list my reason below.||The hotel's front desk is located on the top floor. However, before you take the elevator, the staff on the first floor will help you and notify her colleague. Also, when you check out and want to deposit your luggage, you will need to deposit it on the first floor but not the front desk on the top floor. No need to worry about the language as their English is good, especially for the staff on the first floor.||The room itself is large but the table in the room is small, which is a little annoying for me as I like large tables.||The bar on the roof is one of the famous points of the hotel and I will definitely recommend you to go there, take a seat, and looking the beautiful view. They provide Ashiyu, which is perfect for Winter and Spring. However, don't forget to bring a coat when you want to go to the roof bar as it might be cold. By the way, I got a free drink ticket when I checked in, which is perfect.||The breakfast is not as good as I expected, especially when compared with other hotels in Kyoto. They will provide breakfast bento, which you can choose to eat in your room or on the roof. The Bento is fancy but it's a bento. You cannot choose the dish. So I will not recommend breakfast for the hotel.||They also have Onsen but I didn't try it this time.||The location of the hotel is hard to say. It is located in Kawaramachi, so it is convenient to go shopping or go to the Yasaka-jinja. However, it does not have so much transportation such as subways near it and no convenience store near it. As a result, the overall location depends on the person. If you want to choose a hotel which is good for shopping and Yasaka-jinja, then you will like it. If you want a hotel which has convenient transportation, it might not be a good choice.||Overall, for me, I'd like to rate it as 4.5 over 5 due to its breakfast and location. Also, the hotel itself is expensive, especially for the Sakura season, which does not seem so...

Overall, I believe the hotel is worth 4.5 over 5. However, since Google does not accept a 0.5 score, I give it a 5. Let me list my reason below.

The hotel's front desk is located on the top floor. However, before you take the elevator, the staff on the first floor will help you and notify her colleague. Also, when you check out and want to deposit your luggage, you will need to deposit it on the first floor but not the front desk on the top floor. No need to worry about the language as their English is good, especially for the staff on the first floor.

The room itself is large but the table in the room is small, which is a little annoying for me as I like large tables.

The bar on the roof is one of the famous points of the hotel and I will definitely recommend you to go there, take a seat, and looking the beautiful view. They provide Ashiyu, which is perfect for Winter and Spring. However, don't forget to bring a coat when you want to go to the roof bar as it might be cold. By the way, I got a free drink ticket when I checked in, which is perfect.

The breakfast is not as good as I expected, especially when compared with other hotels in Kyoto. They will provide breakfast bento, which you can choose to eat in your room or on the roof. The Bento is fancy but it's a bento. You cannot choose the dish. So I will not recommend breakfast for the hotel.

They also have Onsen but I didn't try it this time.

The location of the hotel is hard to say. It is located in Kawaramachi, so it is convenient to go shopping or go to the Yasaka-jinja. However, it does not have so much transportation such as subways near it and no convenience store near it. As a result, the overall location depends on the person. If you want to choose a hotel which is good for shopping and Yasaka-jinja, then you will like it. If you want a hotel which has convenient transportation, it might not be a good choice.

Overall, for me, I'd like to rate it as 4.5 over 5 due to its breakfast and location. Also, the hotel itself is expensive, especially for the Sakura season, which does not seem so...

I will be dreaming about this hotel for the rest of my life. It was definitely a splurge for me, but I am so glad I stayed here. First of all the location is wonderful. I loved all the winding, narrow back streets and being so close to canals. There are Izakayas, freshly made tofu stands, and restaurants footsteps away from the private entrance. I stayed in the corner precious room, and the bathroom was the highlight. I absolutely loved waking and going to bed with a gorgeous shower and soak in the private open air bath. The amenities and skincare added to the luxury. I’m also glad that I didn’t skip out on the public baths provided. The deep bath was surreal. I was able to use it when no one else was using the baths and look up into night sky. The drinks and cookies provided were a nice touch, and the staff were extra responsive. This felt more elite than some five star resorts I’ve stayed at.

My one issue with this hotel, as well as the majority of Japan, is the lack of consideration of body diversity, especially among foreigners and visitors. Due to their tiny sizing, and lack of options for larger bodies, I was not able to wear the yukata provided, which is incredibly disappointing. It felt super insincere for them to happily show me the yukata and provided pajamas fully knowing that they would not fit me. I feel like if this hotel, as well as the rest of Japan, relies upon and wishes for travellers to purchase their services, as it is a large part of their economy, then they really need to provide options up to 4L. For that, I have taken off a star. For many travellers, wearing a Yukata and having a ryokan experience is a selling feature of Japan. When businesses fail to consider these details, it actually comes across as anti-foreigner. I hope Sora Niwa considers this feedback.

Thank for your hospitality and for creating a lovely onsen...