Kyoto Hotel Okura

The hotel was wonderful but I would have liked the shuttle bus to stay open later. It closed at 6 pm and we got to the Kyoto train ration at 645pm

I was utterly delighted by the Okura. It's a throwback to top-class NYC hotels in the 70s. All is peace, quiet, graciousness. Infinitely superior to cold, postmodern 21stC hotels for my old-fashioned taste. For my three-day blitz of Kyoto, I opted to rely mainly on taxies,to save time. The central location of the Okura, and the fact that every taxi driver in town knows it well, made it a very efficient and economical place to stay for my strategy. (And as long as the yen is so cheap for Americans, I recommend this splurge to all travelers who can afford it. It saves so much time over public transport, which is itself excellent in Kyoto.)

We have stayed in Hotel Okura for times in three years. It never disappoints me. The staff are first class and always eager to help. The rooms are spotless and have everything you need in the bathroom from shampoo, conditioner, brush…etc. We did not include breakfast this time, but have in the past. The buffet breakfast is worth trying, you will not need lunch after it. I recommend this hotel to all my friends who visit Kyoto. Its is always a pleasure to go back to Hotel Okura!

First, my room was extremely small. But they agreed to move me to a reasonable size room without further charges. The main surprising disappointment was that the hotel charges for the use of it's swimming pool and health club. I have never stayed at a hotel that charges guests for the use of their pool. Plus, the per use charge was exorbitant. A bad policy. Finally, basic services such as evening housekeeping and turn-down service were missing, and basic bath amenities such as body moisturizing were also absent. All this meant that the hotel did not live up to its fine reputation.

From start to finish, this was a great hotel experience. The staff was incredibly welcoming, the room spacious and well appointed, the location perfect - very centrally located...and the price was remarkably low. Of course, it was not high season in Kyoto when we stayed there so I'm not sure what prices might be during the late spring, summer and fall months, but we enjoyed an incredible value. I look forward to a return visit.