Villa Sanjo Muromachi KYOTO — Hotel in Kyoto

In all my years (I’m 62) I have never written and posted a review of a hotel however, I must share my experience at the Villa Sanjo Muramachi in Kyoto Tokyo. I would discourage everyone from doing business with the owner of the hotel, Ms. Ayumi Tsukagoshi.

Unless you are absolutely and completely sure of your travel plans, do NOT book this hotel. I planned a 10 day trip to Japan for close family and college friends and booked 4 rooms for 4 nights each at the Villa Sanjo Muromachi beginning April 10 2019.

On April 1 informed the hotel that I needed to cancel 4 of the 16 nights. The hotel responded that it was not in the 14 day cancellation period even though 2 of the nights were only 1 day late! I wrote imploring them to reconsider or to try to sell these nights. I even asked American Express and our guide in Kanazawa to call and speak to them directly on our behalf. To no avail.

When we checked into the hotel we asked to speak to the owner, Ms. Ayumi Tsukagoshi. She would not meet with us but we spoke on the phone.

She would not try to sell the extra nights or reduce the cost of my mistake even though our total purchase was close to $8,000.00.

We ended up checking out early and heading home as our father aged 92 was in the hospital.

The lack of compassion or kindness extended by the owner Ms. Ayumi Tsukagoshi compels me to dissuade anyone to book at this hotel. There are too many unknowns in life and I don’t want anyone to find himself or herself in our situation.

While the hotel is lovely, Ms. Ayumi Tsukagoshi’s lack of compassion and strict adherence to the 14 cancellation policy (no matter what the circumstances) make the Villa Sanjo Muromachi a poor choice for anyone...

My husband and I just enjoyed a 24 day private tour put together by Firebird Tours. They did a fantastic job (I just wrote a review for Firebird), and especially by putting us in great hotels, including the Villa Sanjo Muromachi. In fact, the Villa Sanjo Muromachi was our favorite hotel of our entire month long stay in Japan. It is charming, so well located and with a staff that is priceless. Friendly, warm and wanting to help with anything, we so appreciated them and felt we were well taken care of each and every day of our stay. Special shout out to Alex who is a wonderful representative of the hotel! He did so much for us and we couldn’t have been happier!||Our room was not one with a view, but we never noticed. The hotel has very cleverly placed windows with interior lighting down to an atrium of sorts that acts like a window looking out onto the street. Very private, no noise. Great bathroom and great bed! ||Breakfast here - served either in your room or in the small lounge downstairs (where we had it every day) - was probably the best we had in Japan. There’s a French Bakery next door to the hotel, so you know the croissants served were THE BEST we had during our 2.5 months in Asia. Besides their wonderful croissants, the meal also included an egg omelet, some sort of meat like bacon, usually some sort of hash brown, fruit, yoghurt and cold cereal. Hot coffee or tea, OJ.||If I ever return to Kyoto, I will be staying at the Villa Sanjo Muromachi. No where else could possibly...

On every trip abroad, we inevitably discover at least one gem of accommodation that makes us long to return. Looking back at our 20-day journey through Japan, that gem was Villa Sanjo Muromachi.||Everything about it was terrific: the central yet peaceful location, the thoughtfully decorated and comfortable room equipped with a refrigerator and coffee maker, and the incredibly helpful, friendly, and elegantly dressed staff. After a long day of exploring, it was such a treat to unwind with a drink at the bar on the ground floor and chat with the front desk!||A very special thank you to Tanguy, who was kind, patient, and incredibly helpful. When our travel plans changed, he went above and beyond to help us revise our non-refundable booking via Hotels.com. His warmth and professionalism made all the difference, and we were thrilled to meet him in person after exchanging a dozen emails!||The only true danger during our stay was the fabulous modern bakery right next door. To avoid being a victim of their irresistible breads and pastries, we recommend turning left when you exit the hotel!||If you enjoy walking, you won't need any form of transportation to reach main attractions in the city. However, if you do need to get around, subway stations are just a 5-6 minute walk away, and Kyoto's main train station is only a 15 minute walk.||We highly recommend choosing this hotel to make your stay in Kyoto both comfortable...