Hotel Aru Kyoto was very beautiful, right in the heart of Kyoto. Our room was quite comfortable, though the pillows were a little too firm for my liking, which seems to be a regular occurance in Japan.
We got discounted drink tickets for the bar downstairs upon arrival, which was appreciated, and the bar was always quiet and peaceful when we were passing through. The front of house staff also helped us ship our large luggage overnight to Tokyo, which we would recommend taking advantage of if you are visiting with a large bag in tow!
My main gripe was that the nearby streets are lined with bars and most nights we were subjected to hearing loud karaoke warbling or drunken shouting from below if we had the windows open at all. The aircon system did not seem to go below 20c, so if the windows were closed it did get a bit stuffy at night.
Otherwise it was a lovely hotel, and we would consider staying there again. Thank you!
