THE JUNEI HOTEL Kyoto — Hotel in Kyoto

Of our 3 hotels in Japan, Junei Kyoto was our favorite. The staff spoke English and treated us with such great hospitality from beginning to end. When you arrive, you are seated and given a hot hand towel and hot tea. You have to return your key to the front desk whenever you leave, but they greeted us warmly with our key whenever we return. ||The bed was heavenly, one of the softest and coziest bed we have ever had in a hotel. The room had a wonderful wooden bathtub, along with rain shower. The well stocked fridge and snacks were complimentary and replenished daily, and we enjoyed green tea in our room at the end of each evening. ||We looked forward to breakfast every morning in its attached restaurant, with delicacies in bento box along with individual shabu shabu (hot pot) and 2 pieces of wagyu (like meat candy)! There is also a printed daily menu in English so you know what you are eating. Make sure you remove your shoes upon entering restaurant. ||The location of hotel is a bit tucked away (and not to be confused with its sister hotel, Junei Imperial Palace), but very quiet. The subway station, restaurants, convenience stores, McDonald’s, museums and Shinto temple were all within short walking distances. Our favorite is the confectionery, which is located a few doors down. We bought many sweet treats which were handmade on location. The river bank was also a short walk from the hotel. We enjoyed walking along the river front before we started our day as tourists. ||We highly recommend Junei Kyoto, and we are glad we stayed there...

My husband and I came here to stay for our first wedding anniversary and was pleasantly surprised. It's on a quiet street and while walking down the walkway to the entrance, we were intrigued that it was a small boutique hotel and closeby the train station or walking distance to spots we wanted to visit. The workers there were very friendly and welcoming as we entered and provided us drinks and treats upon arrival. This place is small so was not expecting our rooms to be too large too since most hotels/stays in Japan are pretty small. When we got to our room, it was pretty spacious! Very modern but mixed with some traditional hints of Japan here and there. We were welcomed with delicious sake from Kyoto and desserts. This was probably the most spacious Japan room we have ever stayed in and it was beautiful. I appreciated the acupressure foot rest at the sink to make getting ready or winding down productive when brushing. Towels were soft, complimentary room snacks, in-room teas that were simply fresh and tasty (and it's loose leaf!), and coffee straight sourced locally. Since it was still the pandemic, i appreciated the deodorizer and cleaning spray they provided for us to spray down our belongings when returning home from a long day too. We'd recommend and would love to stay here...

We stayed at Junei Hotel for four nights and were quite underwhelmed. Despite the polite staff and a central location, the hotel falls short of its 5-star claim.|Check-in is strictly at 15:00, and while the staff held our bags, our room wasn’t ready early. The hotel has only 11 rooms and lacks basic amenities—no TV, no lounge, no slippers, and no turndown service. Breakfast must be pre-booked in half-hour slots and is exclusively Japanese, with no Western options or coffee.|Our first room was windowless, damp-smelling, and claustrophobic, with minimal storage and a noisy air conditioner. The mattress was on the floor, and the bathroom felt dated. After raising concerns, we were moved to the suite, which was more spacious but still had no view and the same damp smell.|The suite included a small fridge with complimentary drinks, but overall, the amenities were limited and not reflective of the price. Staff were courteous but distant, and no one checked in on our comfort during the stay.|In summary, the hotel feels outdated and overpriced. While the staff were professional, the overall experience was far from luxurious. We shall not return...