TASSEL HOTEL Sanjo Shirakawa — Hotel in Kyoto

Our family of four loved this hotel so much! Beautiful location along the canal with lots of good little restaurants and shops nearby, and the subway less than a block away couldn't be more convenient!

The design of our room was a perfect mix of contemporary and traditional. We booked a "Large" room which came with two additional futon mattresses for the kids on the floor. The mattresses took up most of the extra space in the room but we just rolled them up each morning and pushed them against the wall and it worked great (and added to the "traditional" charm).

We had none of the problems that the previous reviewer noted. The view from our window was the pretty canal, we didn't hear anyone else, there were plenty of typical "extra amenities" in the bathroom, and since we took taxis, ubers or the subway we had no issues with parking. Temperature was fine. We did have to figure out how the AC worked using Google Translate, so a simple directions sheet in English would have been useful.

Service was helpful and always available. The drinks in the evening in the lobby was a pleasant surprise and allowed us to leave our kids upstairs for a couple hours while we got some time to ourselves in a very lovely atmosphere....

It started even before I arrived, I was coming by car, so I asked about parking. To which they only said they didn't have it and didn't offer a list of good parking around (in Kyoto it's important when you're looking for a long-term parking). When we arrived we were given the room, which had nothing to do with photos on booking or with what i paid for. I pointed that out and was told that we were given the leftover room basically. Because "some people booked the room you wanted a month or even 3 months in advance and they have a priority over people who booked last minute to see red leaves". Fun fact. I booked 3 months in advance. The view from my room was a wall. The room was super cold. The location of the room itself was by the elevator, so I was woken up constantly. Noise isolation was nonexistent. The expected complimentary items (e.g. shoe buff) not only wasn't provided to start with, but also not in stock when asked for. Every little detail of the stay was below expectation. You'll get a better room and service at an average 3 star hotel in Japan for a...

I can't say enough good things about this hotel - the shower alone deserve a review by itself.

Lovely hotel right next to Higashiyama Station and an easy walk to Heian Shrine, Gion, and Pontocho (and many other fabulous sights). Breakfast was absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced - plus they have a free happy hour from 6p-10p with small bites plus whiskey, sake, and wine for all to enjoy! The lobby lounge is lovely with views of the river that passes behind the hotel. Don't miss stopping by the outdoor area off the main lounge - it's a quiet spot where you can watch the water go by.

The shower - rain shower that gets super hot and actually has super strong water pressure (often missing from rain showers) - I couldn't be happier. Great tub adjacent to shower with all the products...