We booked RESI STAY Kyo Ryuvilux Nijo in Kyoto for a week via Hotels.com! Aside from it being cheaper, we liked that the area was on the quieter side of Kyoto. I got a Quad Kibune Room with 2 double beds and a small kitchen. Jeff and I both loved it so much and we would gladly book here again. Apparently this is a popular chain all over Japan and it had many location options in Kyoto to choose from.
Since we still had to transit from Osaka Kansai International Airport to get here to the Kyoto station, we were just in time for their 3pm check-in. The only downside I could see was the separate centralized check-in area different from the hotel, especially if like us you came on a rainy day! This was near the Kyoto station so it was easy to find. Just go outside the main exit and the building was at the far right. There was a few steps of stairs and an elevator to go up the office.
There, they asked for our passports and a 200 yen per person per day tourist tax that we paid in cash. I think this is pretty standard for all hotels there. From here, they gave us some paperwork with the passcodes, rules and instructions for staying. I loved that the rooms were non-smoking and they can impose a fine.
The keys were inside the mailbox on the first floor of our hotel. Since it was raining and had a bunch of luggages, we just took a taxi and it cost around 1700 yen.
The room was easy to get to via elevator when we got to this RESI STAY. The layout was simple and everything we needed was there. We took off our shoes and changed to slippers before the black line.
The first thing I saw was the waste bins, segragated into plastic/bottles/cans and household waste. They also have spare plastic bags so you can throw your trash every day on the first floor.
We wanted to eat breakfast and sometimes dinner inside so we picked this for the kitchenette! Bottled water was provided but only this one for our whole stay. We just buy at the supermarkets or Family Mart (cheaper!) near this place every time. The sink also comes with dishwashing liquid, plates, bowls, utensils and pots. I brought my own mini salt and pepper and just bought butter to use.
Maybe if you're slim enough, you can fit 4 people in here. What we usually do is use the first bed for the first half of our days then the other one for our last days so that we don't need housekeeping.
They even have a vacuum ;)
This is our main dining area and messy area for our luggage to fit on the floor (we just rearranged the furniture a bit). I binge-watched The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House on Netflix here! You should really watch it there or before going!! I added some areas of interest in our itinerary based on that series and understood some aspects of the Japanese and unique Kyoto culture thanks to it!
And, we had a washing machine! I brought detergent and we didn't get to use it haha.
For the bathroom, everything was basic. I would say that the sink is Asian size and a little low but manageable.
The shower area had hot water and you can even open the dry function with the controller outside after.
Basic toiletries were provided.
On the other side was a Japanese toilet with bidet and mini sink.
My only complaint was the super thin (but flushable) toilet paper.
There's also a big fridge, a mini safe and oven.
Overall, the location was pretty good, a little walk to the bus, station, Yamato luggage (I tried this and sent my luggage to Osaka! Haha), small restaurants (which we sadly didn't have time to try), supermarkets, tea shops, etc. We mainly travelled via bus using Google maps!
I felt like a week was not enough here ;) And staying at RESI Stay Kyo Ryuvilux Nijo made Kyoto much more memorable for us.
Don't forget to get some Japanese calling cards just in case you get lost and for the taxi driver. ;)
Hotel Details:
RESI Stay Kyo Ryuvilux Nijo
664 Seimeicho, Kyoto, 604-0951
