Ark Hotel, Kyoto

Advantages: Great location
Disadvantages: Cannot think of any

...I just got back from Kyoto and I stayed one night in Hotel Alpha Kyoto. My Japanese friend booked this hotel for me from a japanese discount website and it costs us 9450 Yen for two people (which is about £45). This is considered an expensive rate for this hotel because if you stay during off-peak season, you can even get a room for two without breakfast for 7000 Yen. However, I stayed here during Obon festival (peak peak period). I have checked the hotel website and the price is almost the same so that means you can book directly with the hotel to get discounted rate. Location: Only 1 minute away from Kyotoshiyakushomae Station (this is on the subway Tozai line) or 3 minutes away from Keihan Sanjo station. If you are coming from Osaka and you did not take the shinkansen or JR train, you are definitely on Keihan line that takes you... Read review

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Advantages: Location
Disadvantages: Lack of character

...I stayed in Kyoto Dai-Ni Tower Hotel, Kyoto, last Christmas with my partner for 2nights. Its one of the Tower Hotel group. Tower Hotel is the main one located in front of Kyoto station, the hotel attract visitor for its tower view around Kyoto and public bath facility. If you stay in one of their hotel you get free ticket to the Kyoto Tower and Discount coupon for bath. Dai-Ni Tower is just around the corner virtually 2min walk from station and Its slightly cheaper than the main one. If you want to stay in Kyoto for a few days and trying to see all the main temples and main tourist place with guided bus tours leaving from Kyoto Station this hotel is convenient. Most of the tour leaves pretty early in the morning so you don't want rushing around Kyoto using underground to get back to the main station in morning hour. Even if you decided... Read review

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Advantages: Enormous temples, exciting centre & good wooded walks.
Disadvantages: Disappointment if you let the guidebooks build it up too much & expensive.

..., autumn is probably best for crowds – avoid “Golden Week” (being the 27th April to 6th May) which is a national public holiday and the most popular time to travel for the Japanese. Kyoto is not cheap. Approaching it on my usual frugal budget I found life pretty hard. Eating at cheap places like McDonalds or ramen (noodle) houses, staying at a hostel, taking fewer snacks that you might ideally want, generally scorning public transport and taxis and passing a few temples by in the name of economy. To convert the prices that follow a pound is currently about 195 yen, as opposed to the 180 yen it was when I went to Japan 6 months ago. A daily budget would be hard pressed to fall below Y4000, and could easily be four times that for the hotel alone if you wanted it to be. For reliable information on all of Japan and all... Read review

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