Hotel Monterey Kyoto

I would recommend this hotel to future travelers. It's just a couple blocks from the Karasumaoike subway station. Some of the staff do not speak English, but they quickly direct you to staff who can. Everyone was extremely friendly. The hotel sold 1-day Kyoto bus passes at the front desk and provided bus maps which was nice. When we asked for an ATM, they directed us to the bank right next door - however once we got there we realized that the machines were not taking our non-Japanese debit cards. The people who worked at the bank told us the ATM's at any 7-11 would take international debit cards, which was correct. Although hotel booking websites indicated this hotel does not have wireless internet, in fact it DOES have wireless internet now. I emailed the hotel prior to our trip inquiring about this but did not receive a response. If we had known the hotel had wireless, we would not have bought the ethernet-to-USB adapter for the MacBook Air. The hotel does indeed have wireless internet - we were on the 11th floor and the signal was very strong. There are many convenience stores near the hotel and a 24/7 grocery store a couple blocks south. Restaurants in the hotel close early, so if you're looking for a late night bite, it's best to walk around the neighborhood to find a place to eat. We found a cute Italian restaurant on Sanjo-dori just west of Karasuma-dori. And there is a delicious donut place on Kurumaya-cho-dori, just north of Oshikoji-dori, about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Nishiki market is also a short stroll southeast of the hotel. Overall I highly recommend this hotel. If you are looking for a place with lively streets, vendors, nightlife, you'd be better off getting a hotel in Gion. But if you want a quiet, less touristy neighborhood that is convenient to getting around the rest of Kyoto, Hotel Monterey is a great option.

Staff: Friendly and professional. Concierge is very helpful. Room: Clean, and reasonably comfortable. Of course, it's small, but that's to be expected in Japan. Location: Great. 10 minute walk from the lively area of Kyoto.

We had a fabulous time at this hotel. The staff was very friendly and the concierge went out of her way to help us with restaurant reservations, photo shoot reservations, etc. The room was clean, and it is walking distance to downtown where all the restaurants and bars are, including Nishiki Market. Highly, highly recommended.

Good location to get to most points of interest in Kyoto.

Hotel did not have a non-smoking room when we checked in. After our complaint about the strong smoke smell in the room we were assigned the hotel found a non-smoking room. The carpet in the 2nd room needed to be cleaned but we accepted it as is.

This hotel was amazing. Less then a block away from a subway station and 10 minutes from the Kyoto Station via subway this hotel is situated perfectly if want to walk and visit shrines, temples, shops, or find a bite to eat. The room itself was very spacious, clean, and included everything we needed for our stay. I would return to the Hotel Monterey Kyoto in a heartbeat.

Beautiful hotel and friendly staff. Everything was new and they have 2 Renoir paintings in the lobby, fantastic not!

The place was great, Clean & new.. It was a bit far from the shopping mall, but alot of convenient and grocery shops short walking distance, right next door. Very accessible to the subway station which makes transportation alot easier, I even used it to and from the Main Kyoto station when coming and going back to the airport.. Free internet was very useful.. House keeping were very polite and welcoming and patient.. Will go again for sure..

The hotel is located very close to a subway exit and so was very convenient. Within 5 mins walking distance were various bus stops from which major tourist sites could be reached. Our room was immaculately cleaned every day but the reception staff, though helpful, lacked local knowledge. They informed us that no prior booking was necessary to visit the Kyoto Imperial Palace (which was not the case). I had booked our room without breakfast and so we tried quaint little cafes nearby. These were usually run by a husband/wife team and was good value for money although the portions were not large. Did not eat at hotel restaurants, so cannot comment. Wired internet in the room was pretty fast but bring your own router if everyone needs to go online at the same time.

The staff was VERY polite and the hotel was much nicer than we had thought it would be. Very modern, clean and easy to use internet and TV. We felt a bit under dressed as American tourists most of the time but if you can just ignore the very well dressed patrons in the restaurants and that come for events, you'll end up leaving feeling a bit spoiled.