Remote Lands | Luxury Hotels

Luxury Hotels - Kyoto

HOSHINOYA Kyoto

Opened in December 2009, HOSHINOYA Kyoto is a brand-new private retreat located on the banks of the Ooigawa River in the city’s Arashiyama neighborhood. The property’s 25 rooms, all with river views, reflect both the heritage and modernity of Kyoto itself, combining traditional ryokan dwelling with contemporary western comfort. The Arashiyama area is a designated scenery protection area, regarded equally for its cherry blossoms in the spring and brilliant foliage in the autumn. With its famous Togetsuyo Bridge, Arashiyama evokes “old Kyoto” at its best, as no new buildings are permitted. The property itself was the private vacation home and library of Suminokura Ryoui, a wealthy Kyoto merchant, until its conversion to an inn about 100 years ago. HOSHINOYA’s Library Lounge and bar, whose shelves hold many books on Kyoto’s history, looks out on the contemplative water garden, while its traditional landscape garden incorporates a view of Arashiyama Mountain using the ancient technique of shakkei, or "borrowed scenery." HOSHINOYA Kyoto has a sister property in Karuizawa.

HOSHINOYA Kyoto

Genrokuzancho 11-2

Arashiyama, Nishikyo-ku

Kyoto 616-0007

Japan

Tel: +81 75 871 0001

Website: http://www.hoshinoya.com/en/

Hiiragiya Ryokan

With just 28 rooms and scores of dedicated staff, some of which have been with the property for over 50 years, the Hiiragiya Ryokan is able to deliver an unparalleled level of service. You will not eat the same meal twice – unless you request a repeat – and the maid will only insert the main flower in your room's ikebana arrangement when you enter the room for the first time. The cuisine here is Kyoto-style Kaiseki, and it is served on handcrafted Kiyomizu ceramics and the finest lacquer ware. Each room is exquisitely decorated and all have elegant, traditional wooden bathrooms made of aromatic fir. The property was opened in the early 1800s and has been with the same family for six generations.

Hiiragiya Ryokan

277 Nakahakusan-cho, Nakagyo-ku

Kyoto 604-8094, Japan

Tel: +81 75 221 1136

Fax: +81 75 221 1139

Website: www.hiiragiya.co.jp/en/

Hyatt Regency Kyoto

Kyoto’s newest luxury hotel, the Hyatt Regency is centrally located in the city’s historic Higashiyama neighborhood, and blends Western luxury with Japanese decor, while displaying works by Hiroshi Sugimoto and other modern artists in its reception lobby. The Hyatt is walking distance to some of the city’s iconic sights, including Kiyomizu-dera Temple (Kyoto’s “Notre Dame”), Sansujangendo, and the narrow streets of machiya (traditional townhouses) and ochaya (tea houses) within the historic geisha district of Gion. Rooms include flat-screen TVs, DVD and high-speed Internet access, while the property’s Riraku Spa offers a variety of treatments incorporating Shiatsu, acupuncture, moxibustion, aromatherapy, and reflexology. The Hyatt’s restaurants are Touzan, serving a variety of traditional Japanese cuisine; The Grill, specializing in meat and seafood dishes, prepared in an open kitchen with woodburning stoves; and Italian fare from Trattoria Sette, while Touzan Bar includes an extensive menu of boutique sakes.

Hyatt Regency Kyoto

644-2 Sanjusangendo-mawari

Higashiyama-ku

Kyoto 605-0941

Japan

Tel: +81 75 541 1234

Fax: +81 75 541 2203

E-mail: kyoto.regency@hyatt.com

Tawaraya Ryokan

One of the finest ryokans in Japan, Tawaraya opened 300 years ago and has stayed in the family ever since. Today, the 11th and 12th generations, a matriarch of the family and her son, share the majority of management duties, continuing the renewal of the beautiful house such that your stay here is a perfectly calibrated immersion in Japanese culture and history. There are three types of rooms, no two alike in design: bedrooms, small rooms and suites. The suites offer the best views of the garden, which is meticulously kept such that peering upon it from any angle gives one the sense of looking at a classic Japanese painting. Rooms have traditional tatami mats and futon mattresses, although low-rise beds are options for guests who prefer them. Breakfasts and dinner are served ryokan-style, meaning rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and Japanese pickles for breakfast, and traditional multi-course meals for dinner. There are two libraries, one with English language books and the other with Japanese ones, filled with art and design tomes, as the general manager, the son, is a lecturer on architecture at Kyoto University. Your stay here will assuredly be a highlight of your time in Kyoto.

Tawaraya Ryokan

Anekoji-agaru, Fuya-cho

Nakagyo-ku

Kyoto 604-8094

Japan

Tel: +81 75 211 5566

Fax: +81 75 211 2204