Review: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, Japan

Review: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, Japan

NAME: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
LOCATION: Kyoto, Japan
DATE: October 2023
REVIEW RATING:
BEN SAYS: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto is an excellent hotel, with very good service, luxurious accommodations, and a beautiful pool and gym. However, Kyoto is a very competitive hotel market, and there may be better options.
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EXTRA PERKS AVAILABLE Enjoy breakfast, upgrades, & more

Want to take advantage of Marriott STARS benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked. This is valid for paid stays at BVLGARI, EDITION, Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and St. Regis.

During our time in Kyoto, we decided to check out three different hotels — the Ritz-Carlton, the Park Hyatt, and the Four Seasons — all of which are regarded as among the best hotels in the city. All of these hotels are great, though they offer surprisingly different experiences, each with their pros and cons. In this post I’ll be reviewing the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto.

The 134-room Ritz-Carlton Kyoto opened in 2014, and it was the first “true” international luxury hotel to open in Kyoto, though in the meantime there’s so much competition.

There’s a lot to like about the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto — it has the best service we experienced in Kyoto, it has a beautiful pool and spa, I like the location, and it has great elite recognition (Platinum members and above receive free breakfast, even though that’s not required per the Bonvoy breakfast policy).

However, I have to say that I liked both the Park Hyatt and Four Seasons more, each for different reasons. The Ritz-Carlton doesn’t have the stunning design, intimate feel, and views of the Park Hyatt, and it doesn’t have the gorgeous outdoor space and level of facilities of the Four Seasons.

That’s not to say this isn’t a great hotel, and that we didn’t enjoy our stay here. Quite to the contrary, we had an awesome stay, and if you’re a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, by all means book a stay here, especially with points.

But it’s also not surprising that as the luxury market in Kyoto has become much more competitive, the Ritz-Carlton isn’t quite as remarkable anymore, given that it has been open for nearly a decade, without a major renovation.

Anyway, let’s get into the review…

Booking the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto

redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points for our stay at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto. Marriott Bonvoy has dynamic award pricing, so the cost of a stay varies by night. For our nights, the rate was 100,000 points per night. I value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, meaning that I value the nightly points requirement at $700.

What worked out great as well as is that I had a free night certificate through the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review) valid at a hotel costing up to 85,000 points. You can top that off with up to 15,000 extra points, so that worked out perfectly, as I redeemed a free night certificate plus 115,000 points for our two night stay.

As a point of comparison, cash rates at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto were over $2,000 per night for a base room. Pricing was virtually the same at all three properties we stayed at. Of course the pricing doesn’t reflect the experience you’re getting at these hotels, but rather just reflects the amount of luxury demand for Kyoto at the moment, so hotels can get away with charging that.

If you’re gong to book a cash stay at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, I’d recommend booking through the Marriott STARS program, so you can receive extra perks, like complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade subject to availability, a hotel credit, and more. Since STARS is Marriott’s own proprietary program, these upgrades are prioritized over those through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, Virtuoso, etc. If you want help with a Marriott STARS booking at a Ritz-Carlton Turks, Ford’s team is happy to help, and can be reached at [email protected].

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto location

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto is located on the banks of the Kamo River, and has a pretty central location within Kyoto. The hotel is walking distance to many of Kyoto’s most popular attractions. While the Park Hyatt is in a much more famous location, I also like the location of the Ritz-Carlton, as it’s a much more serene area. It was also nice to be able to walk along the river.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto exterior
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto location

As you can see above, the hotel is quite narrow but long, so you can best see the hotel from the river. Meanwhile when arriving at the hotel by road, you could easily walk past the hotel without even recognizing it, as it’s not that wide.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto entrance

As far as getting to Kyoto goes, the most convenient major international airport is Kansai Osaka Airport (KIX). Directly from the airport you can take the Haruka Express train to Kyoto, which takes around 75 minutes. From there, the hotel is around a 10-15 minute taxi ride away.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby & check-in

Let me first talk about the lobby area, before I share our check-in experience, which was perhaps the most seamless check-in experience I’ve ever had at any hotel.

You can enter the lobby of the hotel through the driveway, or otherwise there’s a long walkway with some water features on both sides that leads indoors. Unfortunately this is the extent of the outdoor facilities at this hotel, which I didn’t love.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto entrance

Upon entering the hotel, there was the desk with bellmen just inside the entrance, along with some seating.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby

You might assume that this doesn’t lead anywhere, but as you walk toward the end of the room, there’s an ribbed black door at the very end that automatically opens, leading into the rest of the hotel.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby

There’s a bonsai tree just inside the entrance to the main part of the lobby.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby design

There’s then an atrium spanning a few floors, with the hotel’s restaurants being one level down, and meeting rooms being two levels down.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby atrium
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby atrium

On one side of the atrium was reception, the concierge desk, and a sitting area.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby seating

On the other side of the atrium was the lobby lounge, which I’ll cover in more detail in a bit.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto walkway
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto lobby lounge

The lobby is no doubt elegant, but there’s something about it that makes it feel more like a luxurious traditional city hotel with a large conference facility, rather than something that necessarily reflects what you’d expect from a destination like Kyoto. Maybe that’s just me, though.

Now, the beauty of our arrival was that we could skip the entire traditional check-in experience. As we exited our taxi we were greeted by Thain (who was fascinating — he’s South African, but grew up in Saudi Arabia, and I could’ve listened to his stories all day). He asked for our names, and then escorted us inside.

We walked toward reception, though in reality we literally just walked past reception as Thain grabbed the keys to our room, and escorted us to our room, where all check-in formalities were taken care of.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto elevators

Fortunately that level of service didn’t end up being a one-off, but rather reflected the service culture of the hotel.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto guest room

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto spans from level B2 (basement level two) to level five, and our room was located on the fourth floor. Specifically, we were assigned room 427, which was a king courtyard room. This was exactly the room that we had booked — there were no upgrades available, as the hotel was sold out, which is fair enough.

Despite this not being Kyoto’s newest luxury property, the design is still pretty, and is luxurious while integrating some Japanese design touches.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto hallway
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto hallway
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto room exterior

The deluxe rooms here are 50 square meters (538 square feet), so they’re a great size for standard rooms. The room featured a long entryway with the bathroom to the right, and the main part of the room straight ahead.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto room entryway

The main part of the room consisted of a king size bed and a table with two chairs.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room

The bed was extremely comfortable, and had a bench at the foot of it.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room

I’m not a big TV watcher, but if you are, be warned that the TV isn’t angled well for the bed. The screen can be turned a bit, but you’re still going to be watching it at a pretty strange angle.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room

The sitting area had a table with two chairs, along with some cute decorations.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room sitting area
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room sitting area
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room design details

We were offered a couple of welcome amenities, including packaged green tea waffles and some grapes.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto welcome gift
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto welcome gift

Back along the entrance hallway was the minibar setup, which included a Nespresso coffee machine, and a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto in-room minibar
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto in-room minibar

There was also a closet area in this space.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room closet

The bathroom could be accessed either from the bedroom or from the hallway. There was a sliding door that could be extended in this area, to separate the bathroom from the bedroom.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room bathroom

The bathroom was large, and had double sinks, plus a compound with a walk-in shower and bathtub.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room bathroom

The walk-in shower had both a rainforest and handheld shower head. There was also a soaking tub.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room shower
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room bathtub

Toiletries were in reusable container from Diptyque, which I love.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Diptyque toiletries

There was also a partitioned off area with a proper Japanese toilet.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room toilet

While I’m sure some rooms at the hotel have great views, unfortunately our view wasn’t much to get excited about, as it just faced some nearby buildings (some of which were charming, and some of which weren’t).

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto king room view

I found the room to be spacious and comfortable, though it was definitely my least favorite of the design styles of the three properties we stayed at.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto spa, pool, & gym

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto has a large spa complex on level B2, which is open to hotel guests. When you arrive on level B2, you first have to walk down a long hallway to access it.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto spa entrance
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto spa reception

Hotel guests have unlimited access to the spa’s wellness area, open daily from 6:30AM until 10PM. This includes a big indoor pool, along with quite a bit of seating.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto pool
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto pool
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto pool
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto pool area

The pool area also has a sauna and steam room.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto sauna
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto steam room

What I found strange is that while the hotel invested in an impressive pool area, there was no whirlpool of any sort. The Four Seasons Kyoto was the only one of the three properties to have a pool and a whirlpool.

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto’s gym is also located in the spa area, and can be accessed 24/7. While the gym is pretty dense in terms of the amount of equipment in this space, it was excellent, with both cardio and weight equipment, as well as free weights.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto gym
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto gym
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto gym
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto gym
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto gym

Also, this is possibly the first hotel I’ve ever stayed at that has free protein bars that you can just grab. Well done, Ritz-Carlton Kyoto!

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto gym

We didn’t get any spa treatments during our stay, but the spa has seven treatment rooms, and you can find the spa menu here.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant

La Locanda Restaurant is the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto’s Italian restaurant, and it’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though it’s closed on Mondays. This is ordinarily where the Western breakfast is served.

The hotel also has Mizuki Restaurant, its Michelin star Japanese restaurant. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though it’s closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This is ordinarily where the Japanese breakfast is served.

Our first morning we decided to have the Western breakfast, served at La Locanda. As you enter the restaurant, there’s the bar area and lounge, and then further into the restaurant are the tables.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto La Locanda Restaurant

There was already a menu on the table, so we had a look at it.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast menu
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast menu

We were also offered warm towels and some energy shot drinks.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast

While I found service at the Ritz-Carlton to be amazing for the most part, service at breakfast confused me. Within two minutes of sitting down, three different staff came by to ask if we were ready to order, with no additional introduction or explanation of the breakfast concept.

It would have been nice if someone explained how exactly breakfast works, as it wasn’t clear to me (and I’m not exactly a hotel breakfast rookie). For example, there was food stationed throughout the restaurant, but it didn’t appear to be a buffet, but rather was where the servers would grab the food that they brought to tables. After asking, it was eventually explained to us that we could just order as much off the menu as we wanted.

To drink, I ordered a cappuccino and a green juice, both of which were excellent (though I was skeptical when I first ordered the cappuccino based on the appearance).

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast

To eat, we ordered some fresh fruit, as well as some yogurt and granola.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast

Am I the only one that finds this presentation to be a little weird?

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast

Then we split the french toast and an omelet for our mains, both of which were delicious.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast

While we didn’t indulge, there was also a display with some croissants, which I assume guests can either grab, or maybe the staff serve them to you.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Western breakfast

I found the Western breakfast at this hotel to be a weak point of the experience, as it was significantly worse than at the Park Hyatt or Four Seasons, which had more logical buffet concepts, with the option of adding a la carte dishes.

We didn’t have lunch or dinner at La Locanda, but if you’re looking to mix things up from Japanese food, this could be a great option.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Mizuki Restaurant

Mizuki Restaurant is the Ritz-Carlton’s other primary restaurant, and it even has a Michelin star. It’s quite the varied restaurant setup, as it offers kaiseki, tempura, sushi, and teppan options. I would have loved to eat here, except this restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and go figure, those are the days we stayed at the hotel.

Ordinarily, the Japanese breakfast would be served at this restaurant (since it’s catered from here), but due to the days we were visiting, it was instead served at La Locanda. Unlike at the Park Hyatt, the Ritz-Carlton doesn’t have an extra fee for the Japanese breakfast (as it should be). You do have to let the hotel know the day before if you plan to have the Japanese breakfast, though.

You can find the Japanese breakfast menu below.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Japanese breakfast menu

The Japanese breakfast was excellent, and started with some tea and simmered tofu.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Japanese breakfast

Then the bento box came with the rest of the meal, which included a Japanese omelet, simmered beef and vegetables, Japanese pickles, miso soup, fresh fruit, rice, and more.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Japanese breakfast

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Lobby Lounge

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto also has the Lobby Lounge, open daily from 11AM until 6PM. This is most popular for afternoon tea (you can find the menu here), but you can also come here for a drink. This area has a variety of tables and sofas, as well as a few outdoor tables.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Lobby Lounge
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Lobby Lounge
Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Lobby Lounge

We came here one evening for a pre-dinner drink, and I ordered a dirty martini. I wasn’t expecting it to actually be made well (since it’s not really a thing in Japan), but to my surprise, it was very good.

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Lobby Lounge drinks

Ritz-Carlton Kyoto service

Service at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto was delightful, and was even better than at the other two properties we stayed at. Aside from the weird service at breakfast that I highlighted above, service was otherwise perfect.

It just seemed like staff at the Ritz-Carlton had a level of attention to detail that wasn’t as consistent at the other hotels. I talked above about how good our check-in experience was, and that same level of service continued throughout most of the stay.

To give an example of how over-the-top service was, sometimes the hotel would have two staff members positioned at the elevators to simply hold the doors for people, and then bow as the elevator doors closed. Gosh, I sure do love Japan.

The concierge staff at the Ritz-Carlton were also on top of things, and responded to emails in no time, with great recommendations.

Much like at the Park Hyatt and Four Seasons, staff were a combination of locals and foreigners. There was even a staff member from Florida, which I wasn’t expecting.

Bottom line

The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto was the city’s first true international luxury hotel, and continues to be excellent. The hotel has very good service, a central location, solid dining, and goes above and beyond for elites. If you’re a Marriott loyalist and are looking for a great hotel in Kyoto, you can’t go wrong with this property.

That being said, I don’t think the Ritz-Carlton is Kyoto’s best option, and it was my least preferred of the three hotels we visited. I wish the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto had some outdoor space to enjoy, and I also wish there were some sort of a whirlpool setup, rather than just a pool. Furthermore, while the hotel’s design is pretty, it’s definitely not as cutting edge as the city’s newer luxury properties.

What’s your take on the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto?

Conversations (32)
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  1. Gabriel_Cui New Member

    Anyway, Asia's luxury hotels are always better than all of the hotels in Europe and North America, in terms of design, size of room, construction standards and hardware.

  2. Kyle Guest

    Ben are you using ChatGPT to write your articles now? Noticing more and more that some of the sentences really don't make sense. For example the first two paragraphs of the service section are contradictory.

  3. dko3tgk Guest

    You missed the best part about the Ritz Kyoto. The river view rooms and suites. Neither the Four Seasons or the Park Hyatt can match the Grand Deluxe Kamogawa rooms or any of the river view suites. Having that panoramic window looking at the river and the mountains is unmatched by the other two. There are very few Grand Deluxe Kamogawa rooms in inventory so you will likely never be able to book with points....

    You missed the best part about the Ritz Kyoto. The river view rooms and suites. Neither the Four Seasons or the Park Hyatt can match the Grand Deluxe Kamogawa rooms or any of the river view suites. Having that panoramic window looking at the river and the mountains is unmatched by the other two. There are very few Grand Deluxe Kamogawa rooms in inventory so you will likely never be able to book with points. But for view they have been and still are the best of the top luxury hotels in Kyoto.
    And I think the RC has the most central location. The FS is kind of isolated near the JR station and Sanjusangendo temple. Near the old Hyatt Regency. The Park Hyatt is in a very charming area on Ninenzaka near Kiyomizu temple. But on the outskirts of the city. But the RC is the most centrally located. Its just a couple of minutes walk to the dining alley street Pontocho. And is the closest to central Kyoto and

  4. MM Guest

    You found the presentation a little weird because you compare it to Western standard. The whole world is not Western standard. Stop comparing the standard apple to apple.

  5. Top Boffin Guest

    Funny. I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Kyoto in late October, also in room 427. I really enjoyed it. By the way, we had both luncheon, and supper at La Locanda; the food was great on both occasions, but the service was certainly slightly chaotic.

  6. Pete Guest

    When in Kyoto, we stay here:

    https://www.shiraume-kyoto.jp/english/

    You can't book with points, there's no loyalty program, and no spa, but the service is other-worldly.

  7. John Guest

    “ What I found strange is that while the hotel invested in an impressive pool area, there was no whirlpool of any sort.”

    There a nice one in the men’s locker room. I assume it’s the same for the women’s locker room.

  8. Oliver Guest

    You really missed out on the Mitsui. I like the Ritz-Carlton here, it's a nice enough hotel, but the Mitsui is truly special and embodies the Kyoto experience and sense of peaceful escapism so well. Give that a try next time!

    The spa area there is literal heaven on earth. Not to mention the internal courtyard is beautiful, and the service also being excellent.

  9. Mick Guest

    My son and I stayed in the intercontinental for about $400 a night. It’s a walk from the main station and we really loved it. Just one night stay unfort.

  10. Paul Guest

    I may be mistaken, but the view from the room may be of the cemetery at the adjacent Zendoji Temple

  11. pablo Guest

    my wife and i stayed here last month a couple weeks after you guys and i echo most of your comments about the hotel. we stayed using points (94,000) as the cash rate was about $1,750 on the night we stayed which is bananas. it's a perfectly nice hotel for sure but not at all memorable except for the notably excellent service (didn't it seem like all the staff are so young??) as other folks...

    my wife and i stayed here last month a couple weeks after you guys and i echo most of your comments about the hotel. we stayed using points (94,000) as the cash rate was about $1,750 on the night we stayed which is bananas. it's a perfectly nice hotel for sure but not at all memorable except for the notably excellent service (didn't it seem like all the staff are so young??) as other folks have mentioned, the TV does indeed pull out from the wall and angle towards the bed but it needs a solid yank. actually, there was something really memorable about the hotel: the croissants at breakfast; too bad you skipped them as they are without a doubt the best i've ever eaten anywhere in the world. given the high cost i'm not sure we would stay here again next time we're in kyoto but we would definitely drop in to buy a pain au chocolat and a chestnut and pear croissant. :-)

  12. Wilson Guest

    We stayed there in 2017, and 80% of the staff was foreign. The vast majority were well-meaning but ill-equipped hospitality interns, most from the University of Central Florida. There was an abrasive Disney feeling to having an American confront you at the lift at breakfast to say, “Good morning! What are you going to do today?” We were surprised she didn’t offer a park map with times for the character lunch and the parade… but...

    We stayed there in 2017, and 80% of the staff was foreign. The vast majority were well-meaning but ill-equipped hospitality interns, most from the University of Central Florida. There was an abrasive Disney feeling to having an American confront you at the lift at breakfast to say, “Good morning! What are you going to do today?” We were surprised she didn’t offer a park map with times for the character lunch and the parade… but she did shout at us as she paraded us to our table. Absolutely never again.

  13. RMA Guest

    honestly the other marriott around the corner is a fantastic alternative to this. (The Chapter Kyoto)

    Most of the rooms are meh but if you book ahead and snag one of the two (!!) suites / they are suburb and 1/3 the cost of the cheapest room at ritz.

    And when I say it’s around the corner I mean it’s 100m away.

  14. Fsuga Guest

    Never skip anything that says Pierre Herme on it. Not chocolate, not macarons, not croissants, not potato chips. I don't know how many of his shops I have been to around the world, and I think all of them in Paris, and not one thing was even "disappointing." The macarons put him on the map, but I think his chocolate is even more outstanding. I would have taken one each of those croissants and not even considered the calories.

  15. TY Guest

    Yeah, Ben, you missed the best part of the Western breakfast - unlimited Pierre Hermes croissants!! Well, unlimited in theory, in practice, 2 is like the maximum I had at breakfast :-). And since this is Japan, the quality is as good as what you'd get at the Pierre Hermes shops in Paris. His Ispahan croissant are justly famous.

    The set-up you describe for breakfast must be a post-covid thing. It used to be...

    Yeah, Ben, you missed the best part of the Western breakfast - unlimited Pierre Hermes croissants!! Well, unlimited in theory, in practice, 2 is like the maximum I had at breakfast :-). And since this is Japan, the quality is as good as what you'd get at the Pierre Hermes shops in Paris. His Ispahan croissant are justly famous.

    The set-up you describe for breakfast must be a post-covid thing. It used to be a buffet and you could order main dishes off the menu. In fact, I preferred the western breakfast over the Japanese breakfast here - due to the fabulous croissants, and because the Japanese breakfast didn't stand out in the same way as the PH Kyoto Japanese breakfast.

  16. Jacob B. Guest

    Great report! I wasn't impressed with the room though, especially not for $2,000/night. And the view from your room was awful. I stayed at the RC Nikko last December and it is waaay nicer than the RC Kyoto. The service at the RC Nikko was also exceptional - one of the very best that I had the pleasure of experiencing.

  17. David Diamond

    Nice review, but some small corrections:
    As someone else had said, onsen specifically refers to natural hot springs, which none of the reviewed properties have. Roku does have onsens in both the public space and some of the garden rooms (which Diamonds often get upgraded to).
    The -gawa in kamogawa means river, so saying kamogawa river is sort like saying Kamo river river :)

  18. Michael Guest

    Next time you're in Japan, I'd suggest staying in a proper ryokan. Think of a fine bed and breakfast back home. No, it won't fill the bill for hunting points, but it is a traditional experience. Mine was happy to provide the International Herald Tribute at breakfast, and they were happy to serve me Japanese breakfast, which was so well-presented I almost didn't want to eat it. It tasted as good as it looked.

  19. Daisy Guest

    The Ritz Carlton, Kyoto is my all-time favorite hotel. Service always is outstanding and breakfast always takes my breath away. I still keep a handwritten note given to me by staff upon check out - it was so beautiful that I almost couldn't hold back my tears while driving away. I stayed there 3 times in the last 5 years. So another reminder that our likings are so subjective.
    Thank you for your review.

  20. CPH-Flyer Gold

    @Ben, The Four Seasons and Park Hyatt does not have an onsen. Onsen is very specifically natural hot springs, geothermal heated water. What FS and PH is just heated tap water. A traditional style Japanese bath, ofuro or sento. The word onsen has a very specific meaning, and there are legal requirements for something to be called an onsen.

  21. Mitti Guest

    Just a note about cocktails in Japan - (to generalise) Japan has an extremely strong cocktail culture. Many bartenders in Japan will be extremely well trained on making cocktails, both classic and contemporary. I would say the ratio of this being the case in Japan is higher than in the US. So it comes as no surprise you got a great martini!

  22. globetrotter Guest

    Back in mid September, I was excited when you solicited suggestions on what to do and see in Kyoto. I lined up air tickets and accommodations for 7 nights in Kyoto and 5 nights in Tokyo. Well, I will fly home on 11/20 after waiting and hoping to read your report before I left Kyoto on 11/15. In the next two reports in Kyoto, will you include what you did and where and how you...

    Back in mid September, I was excited when you solicited suggestions on what to do and see in Kyoto. I lined up air tickets and accommodations for 7 nights in Kyoto and 5 nights in Tokyo. Well, I will fly home on 11/20 after waiting and hoping to read your report before I left Kyoto on 11/15. In the next two reports in Kyoto, will you include what you did and where and how you visited sight seeing in Kyoto and its surrounding cities? Japan's transit system marvels me so much. I took the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo and watched them pass by three times while waiting on the train platform in Kyoto. Such an unbelievable experience. The transit system is so efficient, clean and punctual to the minute. Sea of commuters and visitors pass thru every day in orderly fashion. So many Americans are in Japan now due to the high exchange rate , 50% higher than usual. Thanks for the report

    1. Toad Guest

      Lucky's blog is very good for some things, but actual travel reportage is not one of them. Plenty of decent Japan travel (and general travel) resources available online; this site is not one of them. Lucky literally just flies places in the pointy end of the plane, and stays in luxury accommodations cut off from 99% of the people who actually live there.

  23. Steve Guest

    I stayed here in August. There was an onsen in the men's (and women's) changing room that was attached to the pool area. It was very easy to miss and I guess Ben missed it.

    1. Oyu des Guest

      No. there wasn’t.

    2. Steve Guest

      After reading the other reviews, there was not an onsen but there was a heated Japanese bath in the changing rooms attached to the pool area.

  24. Mer Guest

    You can actually push the wall part of the TV to an angle facing the bed. I think it can go up to 45 degrees. Another note, despite not having an onsen (you should go to a real onsen anyways), RC does offer many cool free activities (e.g., hikes, cycling tours, awesome "free" kids programs = free babysitting for 1+ hour). My kids loved it and we got to sip tea in bliss!

  25. pstm91 Diamond

    Great review and funny to see your take on these 3 properties. Everyone I know who has been and stayed at a combination of them prefers the RC. That's why these things are always so subjective. Sounds like it does need some updates, though.
    Hoping to get there in 2024, so I greatly appreciate these write-ups!

  26. Abidjan Gold

    Awesome pool/area. Lucky, really liking these Kyoto reviews.

  27. RCFan Guest

    Hey Ben:
    Great review - really enjoyed it. One little note - and sorry for being a stickler - but the name of the hotel is The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto. You put a great deal of effort into such a comprehensive review, might as well get the capitalized T and the comma before the city correct ;-)

  28. Cate Guest

    Our breakfast experience in July of this year was entirely different: all breakfast was in the Italian restaurant. We received detailed explanations of the Western and Japanese menus. For both, any guest was free to wander over the the croissant station, which are made fresh by the Pierre Hermes bakery in the lobby. If you enjoy such things (sweets) at breakfast it was a huge treat. The flavors - orange blossom, rose pistachio, plus more...

    Our breakfast experience in July of this year was entirely different: all breakfast was in the Italian restaurant. We received detailed explanations of the Western and Japanese menus. For both, any guest was free to wander over the the croissant station, which are made fresh by the Pierre Hermes bakery in the lobby. If you enjoy such things (sweets) at breakfast it was a huge treat. The flavors - orange blossom, rose pistachio, plus more typical almond, chocolate, etc. were amazing. They'd even deliver them to your room as a mid-morning treat (free of charge). The downside of the way we had breakfast was the crowding. I would imagine having the Western and Japanese meals divided into different locations would make for a more peaceful experience.

    1. Raul Mondsi Guest

      The croissants are what I remember most about this hotel! Honestly the best I've had anywhere in the world. The wait staff did Ben a disservice by not highlighting these.

      I think that plus a nicer room (I had a very nice river facing room that was framed by cherry blossoms in spring 2019) would have given a much better impression of the hotel overall.

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Daisy Guest

The Ritz Carlton, Kyoto is my all-time favorite hotel. Service always is outstanding and breakfast always takes my breath away. I still keep a handwritten note given to me by staff upon check out - it was so beautiful that I almost couldn't hold back my tears while driving away. I stayed there 3 times in the last 5 years. So another reminder that our likings are so subjective. Thank you for your review.

3
MM Guest

You found the presentation a little weird because you compare it to Western standard. The whole world is not Western standard. Stop comparing the standard apple to apple.

2
Michael Guest

Next time you're in Japan, I'd suggest staying in a proper ryokan. Think of a fine bed and breakfast back home. No, it won't fill the bill for hunting points, but it is a traditional experience. Mine was happy to provide the International Herald Tribute at breakfast, and they were happy to serve me Japanese breakfast, which was so well-presented I almost didn't want to eat it. It tasted as good as it looked.

2
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