Sora Niwa Terrace Kyoto

Comfortable stay with an impressive terrace on roof top where you can chill out with the view of Kyoto while soaking your feet, so comfy! Bar time in the evening at the terrace. Small hot bath area yet peaceful ambience. Small room but well equipped. They suggest to store the luggage under the bed but personally found that it isn't practical for big luggage. Otherwise the mattress is comfortable and the provided amenities are all fine for the stay. Good location even department stores, shops, restaurants, public transportation, attractions, Gion and etc are in walking distance but still silent enough and I had a good stay here. Also taxi stop is just right in front of the hotel entrance. Luggage can be store after check out but please check with the time for picking up with the staff.

Hotel location is good, Takashiyama department store is just cross the street. It's a small hotel, and not easily found. On ground floor lobby, they will have a simple check of documents. Afterwards, a staff will bring us to 9th floor reception area for check in. We were served with a cup of tea and sweets while waiting. After the check in, another staff will escort us to have a tour around the hotel and our room. Room is spacious with private Onsen. Though room's city view is fair only, the main selling point is the open-air onsen. The private open-air onsen is great and very comfortable.The fridge in our room has many free drinks including wine and beer. Unexpectedly, we could see the sunrise from our room. The Japanese breakfast is delicate and good. Everything is good except the bed mattress is too soft for us.9th floor reception floor has a nice view, two public hot springs are located on this floor. This floor serves with free coffee and drinks and ice cream bars. It’s surprising that besides the hotel front entrance, there is a secret side door, no need to pass through the lobby counter, like a private entrance with a sense of privilege.

Good location as it is 2-3 minutes walk from nearby railway stations, 2 major department stores and numerous cafe/restaurant. The room is spacious and well decorated. Staff are very nice and helpful. Foot bath on the terrace, in-room open-air bath and the guest lounge are highly enjoyable. All in all, this hotel is highly recommended and worth the money.

This is a really nice hotel. Super central location but peaceful inside. The rooftop onsen is FANTASTIC. One has an incredible view over the city, the other doesn't have a view but has some greenery around it. They swap which one is for women/men every day so even if you're there for just a night, you can try both. Fantastic quality bedding and linen.

Hotel is well designed, clean and comfortable at premium location. Breakfast is difficult to reserve if it’s not included in the booking package. Takashimaya - department store is cross the street where you could find delicious quality foods at less than 1/2 of prices comparing to Nishiki Market or resturant. Highly recommended.

The hotel was very well located and with a luxurious design. The room was beautiful, very large and with all amenities. We loved the rooftop bar view to be enjoyed with the complimentary drinks, as well as the complimentary coffee and ice cream available in the lobby, a very nice touch. The staff was very helpful to help us send our luggage to our next hotel.

We were so disappointed in this hotel, particularly after reading glowing reviews. First, the positives - the view from one Onsen (the other has no view) and the rooftop bar, is beautiful. The staff are welcoming. The location is good for shopping and there is a station nearby. |Now the negatives. The room is completely claustrophobic. We have stayed in small rooms before but the layout of these rooms is particularly bad. It felt depressing. We couldn’t wait to leave. |We were so looking forward to the rooftop bar as a way to unwind but it is not what it seems. There is only plastic glassware and what tastes like pre-mixed, poor quality drinks which makes it feel a bit like a backpacker hostel. My sparkling wine tasted like wine-flavored bubble water. So we didn’t really use the bar and instead found places that served wine out of bottles instead of dispenser taps. ||There are much better places for the price in Kyoto. Don’t be drawn in by the photos as it is not a high quality hotel (which is totally fine, if you charge accordingly). ||We will not return.

I will be dreaming about this hotel for the rest of my life. It was definitely a splurge for me, but I am so glad I stayed here. First of all the location is wonderful. I loved all the winding, narrow back streets and being so close to canals. There are Izakayas, freshly made tofu stands, and restaurants footsteps away from the private entrance. I stayed in the corner precious room, and the bathroom was the highlight. I absolutely loved waking and going to bed with a gorgeous shower and soak in the private open air bath. The amenities and skincare added to the luxury. I’m also glad that I didn’t skip out on the public baths provided. The deep bath was surreal. I was able to use it when no one else was using the baths and look up into night sky. The drinks and cookies provided were a nice touch, and the staff were extra responsive. This felt more elite than some five star resorts I’ve stayed at. My one issue with this hotel, as well as the majority of Japan, is the lack of consideration of body diversity, especially among foreigners and visitors. Due to their tiny sizing, and lack of options for larger bodies, I was not able to wear the yukata provided, which is incredibly disappointing. It felt super insincere for them to happily show me the yukata and provided pajamas fully knowing that they would not fit me. I feel like if this hotel, as well as the rest of Japan, relies upon and wishes for travellers to purchase their services, as it is a large part of their economy, then they really need to provide options up to 4L. For that, I have taken off a star. For many travellers, wearing a Yukata and having a ryokan experience is a selling feature of Japan. When businesses fail to consider these details, it actually comes across as anti-foreigner. I hope Sora Niwa considers this feedback. Thank for your hospitality and for creating a lovely onsen experience in Kyoto.