Kyoto Brighton Hotel
What We Love
- Free shuttle every 20 minutes to/from Karasumaoike Subway Station
- The Hotaru restaurant serves traditional Kyoto kaiseki (a menu of small Japanese dishes)
- Cool views from the rooftop pool and terrace
What To Know
- Bikes are available to rent
- WiFi is free
- Rooftop pool is open July to September
- It's a short walk to Kyoto's imperial palace
Amenities
- Babysitting
- Bar
- Free WiFi
- Gym
- Parking On Site
- Pool
- Restaurant
Overview
The Lowdown
In west Kyoto-Gosho, close to the imperial palace, the Kyoto Brighton is a classy crash pad with a rooftop pool and terrace. Beyond the light-flooded atrium, glass elevators whisk guests up to the 182 spacious rooms, which all have clearly defined seating and sleeping areas. The decor is simple, with light woods and plum carpets and sofas, and all rooms feature nifty air purifiers and bathrooms with soaking tubs and rain showers. There are four restaurants to choose from, including Kakan, which specializes in Cantonese fare, and Hotaru, a top-notch eatery that serves Kyoto style kaiseki (a multicourse menu of small, artistically presented dishes). The lobby bar is also an all-day tea lounge that serves organic brews and bowls of traditional matcha green tea.
In the Area
Kyoto is one of the world’s greatest cultural destinations, and the sights begin just steps from the hotel. The imperial palace, residence of Japan’s royal family until 1868, is just down the road. Sanjusangendo Buddhist Temple dates from 1266 and is one of the world’s largest wooden structures; inside, 1,000 life-size statues of Kannon (the deity of mercy) flank a giant 1,000-armed Kannon. Visit Kawai Kanjiro House, the residence turned museum of an eccentric 20th-century ceramic artist. Kiyomizu Temple, with its famous balcony offering views of the city, is dramatically perched on the side of a hill. From here, it’s an atmospheric walk through the historical streets to Gion, the largest of Kyoto’s geisha districts.
How to Get There
Reviews
The rooms are very clean and the beds are very comfortable. They offered western and Japanese breakfasts. I preferred the western style breakfasts , there are more foods to be chosen. The hotel is near to the imperial palace which is well worth a visit. I will Stay in the Kyoto Brighton Hotel next time.
The rooms and very big and the hotel is walking distance to the imperial Palace.. But its far away from centre and the gion area which is where everyone want to go for a nice meal. Only drawback it's secluded.. Rest all well
Couldn't fault the hotel, wonderful service, beautiful decor great restaurants. This is in a quiet area so if you are wanting to be closer to the busier area in downtown Kyoto this may not be the best spot for you. Having said that the courtesy bus runs every 20 minutes to and from nearby Karasuma Oike station which is only 3 stations from Kyoto. There are plenty of nearby restaurants and bars which in fact have a more local vibe anyway. Would stay here again.
You first arrive at the hotel, we did by taxi from Kyoto Station, and there are people taking your bags and really helping you out. The staff is amazing all around. They go ip to your room with you, get your bags in for you. You enter the hotel and it is really impressive in the lobby and the entire layout. Our room was by far the largest over our entire 2 week trip to Japan, as we needed triple rooms for us and our 5 and 7 year old boys. The room was very nice with all amenities, great bathroom, and pretty soundproof. They even provide pour over coffee packets in the rooms. We did not eat the breakfast at the hotel as they wanted $26 per person and we ate dinner out so cant speak for the food but have to think its very good based on everything else in the hotel. Even though the location is away from the city center and much of the shopping, station its nice because its a bit quieter than downtown and there is a free shuttle that runs every 20min to and from Karasuma Oike Station which gets you pretty far and from there you can walk or take a $2 Metro to anywhere pretty quickly. We found some great sushi and ramen walking distance from the hotel. Please be aware that alot of restaurants are closed Mondays! They do not run tours from the hotel but whats nice is you pick up a tour from another location and a half day tour ends at the Imperial Palace where you can just walk back from there! Overall we very much liked this hotel!
I chose this hotel as I thought was in a busy area - i was mistaken - yes it is near the gardens and it was very quiet and a bit out of the way - the hotel offers a shuttle bus to the closest train station - it takes a good hour to walk into town (where the main shopping area seems to be) and many restaurants - in hindsight i would have chosen something closer to the railway station - as that seemed pretty central to all sorts of areas. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the hotel but as I've titled this it's just not for me - i like to be able to get out and expore.