Ryokan Yoshida-sanso, Kyoto

Accommodations are traditional but perhaps could be updated. We stayed in the hanare, which is a separate building from the main house. The food was terrific and the people were wonderful. You are made to feel like either visiting family or royalty. The Japanese gardens are beautiful. The surrounding neighborhood is quiet. The property itself is serene.

We stayed at the Yoshida-Sanso for one night after spending 3 nights at the Westin in Kyoto. Obviously a very different experience from a Western hotel, but very happy we did it and highly recommend to others. We arrived in the evening around 6pm and immediately went to enjoy our multi-course dinner that was included in the price of our hotel room. My friend is a vegan and they were able to accommodate her with a delicious meal as well since we gave them advanced notice. Our room was spacious, and we shared a bathroom with another room that was on the same floor. It was not an issue at all, as we never seemed to need to use the bathroom at the same time. Breakfast the next morning was just as elaborate and delicious as dinner the night before. After breakfast we walked a short 10 minutes to the Philosopher’s Path and enjoyed the beautiful cherry blossoms that were blooming. We made a quick stop at the Silver Pavilion. The staff spoke relatively good English and one woman was almost fluent as she spent a few years in NYC. All were very attentive and helpful. Overall, the Yoshida-sanso was a great, unique experience and I would highly recommend for anyone who is looking to change up the traditional Western hotel stay.

This is a great opportunity to stay in a historically important and beautiful house/ryokan. The house is full of interesting original architectural details and the garden is excellent. The neighborhood is quiet but there are bus routes nearby and subway lines are also a (longish) walk away. They're happy to call taxis for you as well. We were the only guests there at the time and received great, attentive service.

Amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience in beautiful traditional Ryokan

We had enjoyed a Kaiseki dinner here with a group in May, 2010, and wanted to come back to Kyoto and spend more time. We stayed in the Hanare (the Satsuki Cottage, a separate, traditional Japanese building) for five nights. You sleep on futons, they fill up the wood bath every afternoon, and you can wear your Yukata to dinner. They fed us a Kaiseki (chef's whim) breakfast each morning and a Kaiseki dinner each evening. Every meal was different! The staff were incredibly attentive and polite, and we twice got to chat with the owner, Kyoko Nakamura, who was so gracious. We even got to meet the chef! You are removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, it's easy to grab a taxi, walk to a bus line, or do what we did most days and walk the kilometer or two to the nearest temple.