Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

We recently completed our stay at the Suiran in Kyoto. When we were looking to book the hotel, we looked around for some reviews since it had just opened, and had trouble finding some in English, so I thought I’d jot down a few notes for the next person looking to stay there.

Overall, we had a delightful stay. The service and facilitates are immaculate and everything felt easy and comfortable. I spotted a couple reviews since we last checked and I think they’re pretty spot on. This place isn’t cheap (but then most of Japan, in the luxury segment is not), and it’s very quiet at night (but this is Ryokan-inspired – it’s meant to be). Also agree on a couple thing like controlling the onsen temperature, or at least instructions – it’s scalding hot, which in the end was fine for us. Staff was nervous to make a good impression, and not everyone spoke good english, but it didn’t get in our way.

Location: Note that this is a bit outside Kyoto, in Arashiyama, which has it’s own set of sites and charms (Bamboo grove, and a couple shrines, UNESCO of course…). The hotel is on the river and it’s at the far end of a street, removed from the hub-bub of the main tourist stretch. The area get very quiet at night, but during the day is full of tourists. There’s a fun tram that takes you to somewhat nearby areas that is practical, and you can take the JR line into Kyoto after a short walk. Restaurants in the area either belong to hotels (see Food, below), or close on the early side.

Rooms: Gorgeous. While some will say we should have done something more authentic, I really like my creature comforts on vacation, and I appreciated that we had a very nice bed – what you would expect in a typical luxury hotel – along with a traditional Ryokan bath. We were in a Superior King. Beautiful stone bathroom, shower with an exit to the best part: the outdoor bath. The style was minimalist and natural, and really appealed to us.

Food: The first day we had lunch at the restaurant, the KyoSuiran. It was kaiseki style, and very good. We’d eaten at multiple michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo leading up to our stay and it held it’s own. We were also recommended a traditional tofu restaurant in town which was also delicious. Breakfast is pretty good, though the western menu is very big. It’s included in your platinum amenity. We ended up getting pieces of it on our second day since it’s so filling. Would be nice to see a bit more a-la-carte on this front.

Service: Handily meets the standard Luxury Collection hotels command. The chief concierge, Hiromi, was very helpful before our arrival, arranging a complimentary taxi ride from the train station, and tickets to a geisha dance in town. Overall very friendly and helpful staff.

Some tips/notes: When you get a taxi to transfer to the hotel from the station, make sure to ask where it picks you up – it’s across the street from the station. The gardens are really pretty, be sure to walk around. We missed out on tea by the river – The spot looked...

My husband and I traveled to Japan for our five-year wedding anniversary and the honeymoon trip we never got to take, and we stayed at Suiran in Arashiyama for the last week of our trip.

Everything about our stay was wonderful. We were warmly greeted by the staff and checked in quickly and efficiently. Kobayashi-san assisted us with the process and was one of many people at Suiran to make us feel welcome; I especially enjoyed the little bits of conversation he held with us and appreciated that he could meet me at my level of Japanese (I speak the language, but I don’t have strong command of it).

We stayed in one of the first-floor rooms with a private onsen, and it was easily one of the nicest, most comfortable rooms we’ve stayed in. We loved the small garden view and the trees just beyond our room boundaries, and enjoyed the tatami and table set-up for tea and coffee breaks. We especially enjoyed the open-air onsen. We were doing a lot of walking and exploring each day we were at Suiran and being able to unwind in the onsen at the end of the day was a godsend. It really made all the difference in how our subsequent days went. Our daily room service was also lovely. The staff left us fresh fruit and regional snacks (some of which we’ve never had before) each day, and gifted us with plenty of tea and coffee. Especially wonderful was the gift box of treats they left for us on our last night. We’ve never stayed at any property where this was customary, so we really loved this. It was beautiful and incredibly thoughtful, and it’s set the bar high for future luxury hotel stays.

Because we are American Express Platinum holders, we were treated to complimentary breakfast during our stay. We ultimately opted to choose à la carte items, only because a full Japanese or Western breakfast came with so much food. Mind you, the food was fantastic. We each had both breakfasts during our stay, and the sheer variety and quality of the food is well worth noting. The presentation was lovely, and equally lovely were the staff who tended to us. We always felt welcome and wanted, and the service was timely and smooth.

Overall, our experience at Suiran really made our trip to Japan all the better, and we are so grateful to the staff and the property for delivering such wonderful service. We are already planning to travel to Kyoto again soon, and we hope to visit Suiran...

I booked a Tsukinone King room, Arashiyama view and balcony as a gold member. ||The room itself was nice and spacious. I quite liked the balcony and enjoyed relaxing there while gazing out at the forest area. I’m not sure if I couldn’t find an additional light control or not but the separate toilet room only had one very small light which barely provided any illumination. The bathroom is integrated into the room and honestly was a bit small for my expectation of a luxury brand. These are small criticisms and I still enjoyed my time.||The hotel is located at the western end of the wonderful Arashiyama area. It’s located right next to the Katsuragawa river and you can take a leisurely walk by the river and right to the famous bamboo groves. The hotel grounds themselves also have some lovely gardens and views. The hotel is a bit secluded and the local town area shuts down fairly early in the evening so I would consider this a relaxing getaway with Suiran and Arashiyama as the destination rather than a base to do sightseeing elsewhere in Kyoto. Arashiyama station is a bit of a walk and if coming by JR then Saga-Arashiyama station is a pretty significant walk at which point and thereafter if you have luggage you should just spring for a taxi.||Cafe Hassui at the hotel hosts an evening cocktail time which I particularly enjoyed. There is inside seating however there is also outside seating with a riverside view. It was a bit cold but I particularly enjoyed sitting by the riverside with an offered blanket, reading material, some tasty snacks and a delicious flight of sake. ||The hotel also offers a private onsen available for rent for a fee. This can be welcome news for foreigners who want to experience an onsen but may be apprehensive about sharing facilities at a public bath. ||Overall I had a really nice experience. I had the goal of sampling this hotel since the first time I visited Arashiyama and I’m glad I could finally visit it. Again, I would not consider this a base for Kyoto but more a luxurious retreat with the hotel and Arashiyama as the destination. I stayed during the late winter season so the weather and natural scenery wasn’t optimal however I am confident that this hotel would be simply spectacular during spring cherry blossom season as well as...