Kyoto Travel Forum

My wife and I are planning to a trip to Kyoto in early Nov. To our horror the hotels/ Ryokan in Kyoto are really packed! No vacancy at all for our dates!

So I am thinking out of the box. Maybe we can try our luck at Love Hotel? But difficult to find and book such accomodation in advance. Do u think it will be appropriate? We are bring our baby too!

If you have doubts why not look at the hotels that have already been reviewed by VT members who have stayed there on the Kyoto Travel Pages?

Ryokans are popular in Kyoto esp those traditional ones with rich history.
If you don't mind staying at a normal hotel, check out www.zuji.com
Alternatively you can stay at Osaka which is only an hr via train
from Kyoto.

Love hotels are definitely not a place to stay with your baby!
When do you want stay in Kyoto and what's your budget?
As in the previous post, to stay in Osaka is another option.

I agree, don't be staying at a love hotel with your baby. Also, I think love hotel rates are per hr so you'll be spending much more than if you stayed in a hotel.

If all the hotels/ryokans are really all booked, how about staying in a guesthouse? There are some classified ads in Kansai Flea Market (google that) that you can look at.

i don't even think they would allow you to bring in your baby.

you can probably try checking out the following websites and see if they have accomodations.

http://www.japan-hotel.net
http://www.japaneseguestrooms.com
http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/
http://www.kyotojp.com
http://www.hostels.com
http://www.kyotowa.jp/

Can someone tell me why Kyoto is so packed in November?? I am also planning to be in Kyoto on Nov 9-13 and find that the hotels are already booked or terribly pricey. What's up??

Kyoto is a popular vacation spot for the local so accommodations over weekends are tough to find, and the spring and autumn months are peak travel seasons in Kyoto. November is also the traditionally the best time to view the autumnal colours.

Thks for all the advice and help here! We have decided to shift our holidays fwd to Oct to avoid the peak period...

I have only been to one love hotel (quite by accident, and awkward considering I was not romantically involved with my friend of the opposite sex). Since we ended up there by accident, I can't tell you much about how to find them or book in advance. I don't think they are really meant to be booked in advance though, but I bet some must have the option for couples looking for a romantic get away.

The hotel I stayed at was in Himeji, and it was very nice. It was roomy and cheap compared to the hotels I stayed at in Hiroshima and Sapporo. I don't think it would be inappropriate for your baby, as long as it is a young child that is innocent enough they won't understand where they are. If the child is old enough to talk and ask questions, you might want to recon the room real quick first as there are typically condoms by the bed. And I bet there are other adult things in some of them.

The hotel was very tasteful, and we didn't see another soul there. I think that is generally the idea... they are all about privacy. The bed was queen sized, there was a sitting area with a television and karaoke machine, and a huge private shower room. No soaking tub though.

Although, given that I said it was tasteful, I should warn that I have seen others (through television) that are "themed"...

What I took from the experience is that love hotels are actually a pretty good choice for accommodations. However, my Japanese friend was the one that took care of paying for it and everything... so I can't say how it would work for an extended stay. All I remember of that process (years ago!) was that we walked in, pushed a button on a room menu board, followed lighted signs to our room, stuck a credit card in a slot by the door, spent the night, and then paid through a small hole in the wall before we left the next morning.

Have you tried to book a hostel yet? there are some good ones... like Tour Club and J-Hoppers... if you got a Japanese style room a hostel would work. You could also try some flat/room share bulletin boards if you want to be trusting. This worked well for me once before, but I was pretty nervous about it. (stayed in Osaka 5 weeks for $300)