THE JUNEI HOTEL Kyoto Imperial Palace West — Hotel in Kyoto

We stayed in early July at the Junei Hotel Kyoto Imperial Palace West for two nights in a Deluxe Twin Room. We found the hotel to be in a good location for our literary, as we used taxis or the bus stop several minutes’ walk away on the main road. The bus stop is located at a strip of restaurants, convenience store and laundromat. This is a small boutique two story hotel just inside an alleyway type street. The exterior entrance and lobby are inviting with the traditional wooden structure and lattice, lit with warm lantern lighting, especially when returning from an excursion. The staff were always very friendly, helpful and welcoming.| |We found the room to be very spacious, and the décor aesthetically pleasing. The raised tatami mat area with low table, is not only functional for eating and sleeping (there are two beds and I used the roll out mattress from the cupboard on the mats) but this area fused traditional with modern.||There is a separate toilet located inside the door. The bathroom contains a shower and a large free standing bath adjacent to a balcony window containing a small bonsai type garden. This was a relaxing place to soak and unwind as the heated recirculating water burbled back into the bath, and light filtered in through the window and garden. The speakers in the bathroom complemented the scene with soothing tranquil music and nature sounds. In fact it was so good, we played this often via the room speakers too. A separate basin area outside the bathroom provides access to the balcony. It’s small, but I enjoyed standing out there when eating my BYO breakfast. ||We stayed at bigger brand hotels in the other cities, but we enjoyed the Junei Hotel Kyoto Imperial Palace West the most, and we plan to stay here again on our next visit to Japan.||Tip:|Make sure if giving a taxi driver the hotel name that you state “The Junei Hotel Kyoto Imperial Palace West’ as there is another hotel similarly named “The Junei Hotel Kyoto”, but...

We stayed in early July at the Junei Hotel Kyoto Imperial Palace West for two nights in a Deluxe Twin Room. We found the hotel to be in a good location for our literary, as we used taxis or the bus stop several minutes’ walk away on the main road. The bus stop is located at a strip of restaurants, convenience store and laundromat. This is a small boutique two story hotel just inside an alleyway type street. The exterior entrance and lobby are inviting with the traditional wooden structure and lattice, lit with warm lantern lighting, especially when returning from an excursion. The staff were always very friendly, helpful and welcoming.

We found the room to be very spacious, and the décor aesthetically pleasing. The raised tatami mat area with low table, is not only functional for eating and sleeping (there are two beds and I used the roll out mattress from the cupboard on the mats) but this area fused traditional with modern.

There is a separate toilet located inside the door. The bathroom contains a shower and a large free standing bath adjacent to a balcony window containing a small bonsai type garden. This was a relaxing place to soak and unwind as the heated recirculating water burbled back into the bath, and light filtered in through the window and garden. The speakers in the bathroom complemented the scene with soothing tranquil music and nature sounds. In fact it was so good, we played this often via the room speakers too. A separate basin area outside the bathroom provides access to the balcony. It’s small, but I enjoyed standing out there when eating my BYO breakfast.

We stayed at bigger brand hotels in the other cities, but we enjoyed the Junei Hotel Kyoto Imperial Palace West the most, and we plan to stay here again on our next visit to Japan.

Tip: Make sure if giving a taxi driver the hotel name that you state “The Junei Hotel Kyoto Imperial Palace West’ as there is another hotel similarly named “The Junei Hotel Kyoto”, but...

This is a small, wonderful hotel in a quiet neighborhood, away from the crowds. It was the perfect oasis for me. The room was very large and well-appointed, with a great bed and bathroom. I was not used to the smell of tatami as an American, but quickly grew to love it. I was especially fond of coming back to the room after being out in the sun all day and just laying on the tatami for a bit to cool off. I never heard my neighbors, although other guests were staying in the hotel. ||The area around the hotel seemed mostly residential to me, with a fair number of restaurants and offices. There's also a very pretty government building and church nearby, along with some schools. The imperial palace grounds are a couple blocks away. The riverside path is also very close, I have no idea what it's actually called. I found the neighborhood very cute, but also very "normal," if that makes sense. Unpretentious, well-kept homes, kids playing outside, people walking their dogs and going on leisurely bike rides, that sort of thing. ||The tradeoff for the tranquility is that you've got to walk a little if you want to catch the subway or a bus. Bus stops are very close to the hotel, the train is a 10-15 minute walk (with pleasant surroundings). Taxis, of course, are also an option, and the hotel staff are happy to take care of that for you. It is also not super convenient to all of the popular sites, although Kyoto is quite spread out and there's going to be cross-town trips regardless of where you stay. ||The staff here spoke excellent English, the best I heard in Japan. They were incredibly pleasant, attentive and accommodating. I would absolutely stay here again if (when, hopefully) I...