Reply To: Hiltons in Kyoto

[Jon]

I probably wouldn’t stay at the station unless you’re planning to use the trains a lot for day trips further afield. Can get very busy and hectic around there. I’ve been to Kyoto four times now and have concluded I really don’t like that part of town! 😉

Out of the three, I’d probably go with the DoubleTree Higashiyama (for location; I don’t know the hotel itself). The northern half of Higashiyama is one of my favourite parts of Kyoto, although you’d be right at the bottom edge of that. But you’re near the river, which can be lovely to walk along, you’ve got Gion about a ten minute walk away and if you go another 40-50 minutes beyond that (through some quite walkable interesting areas) you’ll get to the near end of the Philosopher’s Path, which is a lovely walk (maybe stop at Breizh cafe for a rest first! 😉 Also some enjoyable temples and gardens in that part of town. In a different direction, about 10 minutes walk from the Doubletree is Kawai Kanjiro’s House which is well worth a visit if you want to see what the inside of a traditional Japanese home / artists studio looks like. The subway is also very convenient for getting around – you’d have a station just round the corner from the hotel.

On my last couple of visits I’ve stayed up on Ebisucho (Hotel Mastay and Hotel Higashiyama, both lovely for different reasons but definitely avoid the basic rooms at the latter – tiny!) which is further north than the Doubletree, but that bit in between the two is where I’ve tended to spend most of my time – plenty to explore around there, and some lovely hidden-away restaurants (a couple that I would say are well worth seeking out are Zirael (vegan – which seems to be taking off in a big way in Kyoto) and Loosen Up).