Review of Kyoto Uraraka Guest House 3*

Stayed here for 3 nights (Oct 2015), and I can only say it was average, but I believe this to be very dependent on where your room is located in this lodging. Location: Excellent location, with a 1-minute walk to two major bus stops servicing multiple routes, and a 7-minute walk to another major road with more major bus routes. This is the primary reason I chose this lodging, as it only took about 30 minutes to get to major sites in Arashiyama, the Golden Pavilion, Ryoanji. Area itself is quiet at night, and street noise doesn't affect your sleep. Which leads me to my next point: Room: My single room was on the 2nd floor, and right across reception. Most of the rooms on the second floor will pretty much either be directly across reception or the kitchen area. This provided more noise than one would like, with people checking in and out at various times of day, and hanging around chatting. I could hear conversations from my room loud and clear. You might learn to block it out as I did, but at times I had to roll my eyes having no choice but to hear other's conversations. Apart from that, the room was average. My view from the window was another building you could probably touch at arm's length. Curtains blocked that out. The bed was average, with sheets that felt a bit rough, and a mattress that wasn't too firm. TV was big, and I appreciated having a desk and fridge. Washroom was a bit cramped, but manageable. Both washroom and room were clean though, so that's a plus. Amenities: the usual — towels, daily room cleaning/linens if you wish, free Wi-Fi, basic TV channels, hair dryer. It was also nice to have a washer/dryer on site (Y200 to operate), and you pay Y50 for detergent at the front desk. Free breakfast! That was a nice plus — lots of selection of breads, with coffee, tea, and one large bottled drink per day! (water, tea, juice). Staff: this could be a big advantage to this place in lieu of its other shortcomings, as they were very friendly, helpful, accommodating and welcoming. Despite the chatter I could hear from my room, at least it was friendly chatter.