The Westin Miyako Kyoto

We enjoyed every moment of our stay at the Westin Miyako. We had not realized that the hotel has a fascinating history and has welcomed many important political figures as well as many well known actors and artists in the past. We had an extremely comfortable and well appointed room with a king size bed. One of the highlights of our stay was discovering the exquisitely beautiful private gardens that surround the hotel. We spent a whole afternoon exploring these lovely spaces. There is also a wonderful shop in the hotel that has a great selection of Japanese products and artworks. The staff were welcoming, kind and helpful.

We had a fantastic time here with our kids. On price, we got a junior suite for $900 per night and it was well worth it, with breakfast included (which was the same price as our Mimaru family apartment in Osaka and the two can't be compared). ||The hotel:||The hotel was renovated a few years ago so ignore all of the reviews complaining about its age etc - it is beautiful. The onsen is amazing. We loved the location too as its situated just at the start of the Philosopher's Path so easy to access this with kids. We stayed with a 7 year old and a 9 year old and they loved it. The buffet is great for kids and the room itself has amazing views.||Getting around: ||We hired e-bikes and did about 30 kms with the kids in two days - Kyoto is a great place to cycle around (just note that Google Maps doesn't seem to provide cycling routes for Kyoto despite there being cycle lanes everywhere, but Apple Maps does). There doesn't seem to be an age restriction on E-Bikes in Japan so the 9 year old was delighted and the other e-bike had a child seat easily large enough for a 7 year old.|There's also a really useful shuttle bus to the station or to Gion.

The location was great for exploring the Higashiyama temples. Kyoto is a very spread out city so it is hard to get to all locations easily- Higashiyama however has a substantial concentration of temples and the setting is quite idyllic. We split our party between Kasuien and the main building and appreciated that option. Although Miyako Kyoto was great overall, Kasuien really did stand out with its beautiful rooms and bath. The room was spotless and the smell of wood that permeated it was memorable. The bath, in particular, with volcanic water option, and natural lighting, was spectacular. We caught Kyoto in a cold spell and saw some snow in March, and the room was a bit cool - but the temperature was perfect for restorative sleep in the fluffy cozy bedding. The conveniences of a modern hotel (including great new fitness facilities; pool; extensive buffet breakfast with beautiful views of the city and mountain) combined with the luxury of a ryokan in a convenient location was quite unique to the hotel and much appreciated. We did wish the lounge was open more often (it was only open at 10 a.m. most days; and closed for breaks many times) to make it more convenient to get beverages. The new onsen with hot spring water was also nice, if relatively basic. All in all, a classic, historic, comprehensive hotel, great especially for families or larger groups with various needs and interests.

Here’s the deal: the Jr Suites are in the newly built section and are bomb. The regular rooms pretty much suck. The price difference is massive but if you can score a platinum upgrade off-season you’re stoked!

Very good service. The garden is excellent. They provide free shuttle bus to go major tourist areas that is very convenient. We just left our car in their car park.The hotel check out is 12 but that day we have unexpected issue so could not go back on time. We email them and they were so kind to let us have free late check out. The service was excellent

We stayed here 6 nights. The suite on the top floor with the executive lounge. We found everything to be very nice and the lounge was great. Better to have breakfast in the lounge as opposed to the crowded restaurant. We also had them arrange a day tour of Nara for us which was just great. Why not 5 stars? The walls are paper thin. You can hear everything in the room next door to you. The noise at night is quite bothersome. Hard to sleep with all of the noises.

I booked Junior Suite for 4 nights. Upon arriving the hotel, hotel staff was already waiting at the lobby. She led us to the Club at the 3rd floor to check in and arranged our luggage to deliver to our room. We had a few drinks and some Tapas at the Club before approaching to the room. The Club offers free flow of champagne, wine and drinks as well as snacks all day, it’s really a nice place to chill out before or after formal meal. Breakfast buffet at the 2/F was nice. A large variety of choices were available. I tried the massage service at the 2/F. It was nice too. Hotel staff got great hospitality. On check out date, they delivered our luggage to Kyoto Station for us to pick up there after our morning tour in Kyoto. Very thoughtful arrangement.

I liked the lobby which gave a warm relaxing feel. The room was huge and I enjoyed doing some work and reading there. Didn’t feel cramped. I used the onsen everyday especially the outdoor one. I thought that was great experience at end of the day after some hours of walking in the street. Gym machine variety was limited but the good thing was that you could rent the whole set of gym attires without the need to wash them. The indoor pool was warm enough during winter which I enjoyed using it. I used the satellite concierge that is located at Kyoto Station for the check-in and check-out. A bit challenging to locate the office the first time. It is located inside the mall that is connected with Kyoto Station. The shuttle bus service was helpful since the hotel is located some distances away from the shopping streets. Staffs were friendly and helpful. Overall, I enjoyed my 4-nights stay.