Apa Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent

“Centre of Gion”

This reasonably priced hotel is in the centre of the main street in Gion. If you arrive at the Kyoto Train Station you may as well take a taxi to get there as it is a good 20 minutes or so by taxi. The Bus 100 and 206 apparently get close by at the Gion stop but I never saw these buses operating at… more

This reasonably priced hotel is in the centre of the main street in Gion. If you arrive at the Kyoto Train Station you may as well take a taxi to get there as it is a good 20 minutes or so by taxi. The Bus 100 and 206 apparently get close by at the Gion stop but I never saw these buses operating at all during my stay and using them with luggage is an inconvenience to everyone. The hotel has a Starbucks at the bottom which if nothing else allows you to recognise the hotel easily from the street. It has a bar downstairs and a massage place that is almost always booked out (with aching feet the next appointment I could get was at 1:30am). Most of the APA hotels are on the cheaper side but are clean and for Japan, quite spacious. In the twin room (616 on the 6th floor) that we had, we could place our luggage on the rack and still get past between the beds and the luggage. All the usual amenities are provided. Our room had a balcony that you could step out on to. Walking out of the hotel to the right is a myriad of Temples and paths to walk to the must see Kiyomizu-dera Temple. There are numerous others to see along the way including the 5 storey pagoda on the same path. Walking out of the hotel to the left and down over the river to the right alongside the canal are numerous resturants and bars. The whole area down this way is worth exploring every night. Kyoto is high on my favourite cities in Japan and the APA Hotel Kyoto-Gion Excellent is a reasonably priced hotel allowing access to almost everything that you would need. The area the hotel is situated in is called Gion. A tour operator described the place as a tourist trap but I am yet to work what that really meaans, I thoroughly enjoy the area every time I go there.

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“Great location”

This was our first stop in Japan. We were very jetlagged and arrived a bit early. We left our cases at reception and explored the temple right at the end of the road. The location is great and a fantastic base for all the temples. The buses are OK to use with Google maps {a little confusing to find… more

This was our first stop in Japan. We were very jetlagged and arrived a bit early. We left our cases at reception and explored the temple right at the end of the road. The location is great and a fantastic base for all the temples. The buses are OK to use with Google maps {a little confusing to find the right stops for a first timer} and I would highly recommend a suica/pasmo card as the public transport is great around the hotel. Starbucks was great to have under the hotel, but there are plenty of food options nearby. A very safe area. The room was clean, but small and no wardrobe. But great for a base. I would recommend

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“Smelt of cigarettes 🤢”

Hotel is in a great location. Room was adequate however the whole floor and our room smelt of cigarettes. We did book a non-Smoking room. Lucky we could crack open the window to let fresh air in. It must be a known problem as there was spray air freshener in the room. This helped neutralise the … more

Hotel is in a great location. Room was adequate however the whole floor and our room smelt of cigarettes. We did book a non-Smoking room. Lucky we could crack open the window to let fresh air in. It must be a known problem as there was spray air freshener in the room. This helped neutralise the smell for a little while. We stayed for 4 nights and the smell was consistent. I wouldn't stay at this hotel again because of the smell.

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“Good location but a bit pricey for what you get”

Hotel right in the heart of the Gino tourist district right close the Higashi ridge that is lined with all the temples to make for easy walking loops. Rooms are very small but you should b e out looking at the temples? Hotel is reasonably expensive so somewhat paying for location. Roomed also centr… more

Hotel right in the heart of the Gino tourist district right close the Higashi ridge that is lined with all the temples to make for easy walking loops. Rooms are very small but you should b e out looking at the temples? Hotel is reasonably expensive so somewhat paying for location. Roomed also centrally heat controlled and so can get a little stuffy and warm and whilst the road goes quiet of tourist traffic it is a bus route as can be a bit of traffic noise - if light sleeper ask for rooms at back?

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