Hotels in Arashiyama/Sagano/Takao, Kyoto

I and my mother stayed there for one night 20000 yen per person, with dinner and breakfast. It was a very comfortable stay. This was more like a hotel, except that we needed to walk around without your own shoes (without getting dirty feet) inside. It was fully booked on that day. We had an earlier check-in, which mean that we could enjoy our relaxing private Onsen bath without standing in line. We also tried the large onsen baths later in the evening after a long walk in the beautiful Arashiyama area nearby. It was hot, but great. One of the baths was outside in a Japanese garden. We got warmed up from the inside out, and had an ice popsicle before we went up to our room for good nights rest. We also enjoyed a huge dinner and breakfast, true local cuisine with typical taste in Kyoto that supposed to be refined and ”delicate” - you shouldn´t expect any strong taste, and correctly cooked. This supposed to be a 3-star-hotel, but the amenity was completed. We didn´t miss anything here. We thought the staff at the front desk were not amazing, but definitely not poor. We didn´t need to deal with them so much as we had good information in written form. Everything was clean and pleasant. Had absolutely nothing to complain. We would definitely love to come back again. My rating is 4 - not more or less. I certainly see that they still have a room for improvement, but overall I didn´t personally understand all the poor reviews.

My wife’s birthday trip at the Suiran was a dream come true. With successive Covid cancellations, it took us four years of planning, but it was worth the wait. With their traditional Japanese structures and landscaping, the Suiran was our oasis of calm during Kyoto’s busiest season (cherry blossoms). We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and the best breakfasts of our lives in their dining room, and blissful riverside happy hours in their cafe. Our comfortable room had all the amenities, and a soothing minimalist aesthetic. The Suiran staff is spectacular: thoughtful, gracious, attentive. Through our years of planning and days of enjoyment, we were guided by Suiran’s chief concierge, Hiromi Maruyama. Her kindness, patience, and expertise added greatly to the success of our time in Kyoto. Her suggestions and insights, and good spirits were a beacon shining our way. We are indebted to her for her efforts on our behalf.

I stayed in a western-style double room. The hotel is in a beautiful area convenient to Arashiyama Park and the bamboo way. It’s a short walk to Arashiyama station. On check in most of the front end staff spoke English and explained the hotel with some hotel literature in English. If meals are included they are served at the in house restaurant. The front end staff will provide a ticket and reservation window for you to show up and you claim new tickets each day you are entitled to a meal. Unfortunately most of the restaurant staff did not speak any English and the menus are in Japanese so those with limited Japanese may have some difficulty. Meals are kaiseki-style and I really enjoyed dinner on both nights I stayed. Breakfast consists of a combination of Japanese served dishes and buffet. The room was a good size for Japan and includes a private shower for those who don’t wish to venture to the onsen. The public bath was standard to most public baths I’ve been to. What was strange was I couldn’t find a thermostat of any sort so my only options were warm a/c or open window. There’s a small garden in the middle of the hotel however it’s nothing special when compared to the surrounding areas which are definitely worth a stroll through. Note that they have large size yukata if the standard does not fit. I am 183cm/6 ft tall and I appreciated the staff being proactive about offering the large size. Considering the price I paid for the room and half board I had a good time. Arashiyama is definitely worth a night or 2 for visitors and I would definitely consider Ranzan for the budget-minded traveler looking for a ryokan experience in Arashiyama.

DO NOT BOOK HERE. This hotel is NOT worth the money. My wife and I did a 3 week trip in Japan for our honeymoon and the only bad experience we had in Japan with our bookings was this hotel. We decided to book one night here and were really looking forward to it. Seeing as it was one of the more expensive bookings we had made, we wanted to take advantage of the hotel while there. Unfortunately my wife who suffers from back issues was going through a back crisis at the time we arrived. She couldn't really walk at all so we wanted to go to the hotel restaurant for dinner. However the restaurant was closed and they had not given us any notice before our check-in date. The lounge area was also closed, there was no room service or any sort of food service at all. The staff was not helpful in the slightest and didn't see any issue with the fact that the hotel we spent the most on offered almost nothing when it comes to actual hospitality or service. I ended up having to go find street food (which was pretty delicious) and bring it back to my wife in the room since she couldn't walk. The room was obviously beautiful and the view of the mountain is really nice. But in all honesty you don't get your money's worth AT ALL. Save yourself the money and you can just do breakfast at the restaurant (if it's open) and stay somewhere else for the night. In fact after our experience we were supposed to spend three nights at a luxury hotel in Hakone by the same owner and we went online to do more research because we were so appalled by our stay. We then see that they put a notice on the site that there was going to be construction the entire time we would be there but hadn't sent us an email. We promptly cancelled and booked an airbnb with a beautiful view and private onsen and saved ourselves over $1,000. TLDR: Not worth the amount you pay. Terrible service, hardly any amenities.

The hotel is a 5 minute (with luggage) walk away from the Saga Arashiyama station. While it is relatively quiet around the hotel itself it is only a 10 minute walk to the main street in Arashiyama. It was very convenient for us to get to the main sights every day. Due to it's great location, we manage to arrive at the bamboo forest by 730am before the huge crowds arrived. We stayed in the annex room and it was wonderful, as it felt like we had a little corner house all to ourselves. The room was clean, comfortable and peaceful. Nespresso coffee was also served in the room. The hotel was also kind enough to leave us a little Japanese souvenir (cloth and coin purse) in the room. If you are looking for a base to explore Arashiyama, we highly recommend this hotel. We would definitely stay here again.

Just beside the saga aramshimya station so very convenient to get to..hot communal bath is also good we had the bath to ourselves and relaxing. Rooms are nice and tried the Japan style rooms with tatami and futons. Also beside the saga torroko station for the sagano train..no need to pre book as you can be the first ones to be at the station to buy on that day's tickets as only 2 min walk away.

I stayed there with my husband for two nights, which turned out to be one of our best stays we experienced in our lives. To be honest, we have traveled the world in luxury in our lives. But our stay at Togetsutei was unforgettable. The culture of Omotenashi (service beyond expected as business), Kaisei food and convenient location! Onsen (big bath house) was very nice, too. Usually, there’s only one/two people bathing. Meal itself will justify the $$ for lodging. Go visit Japan while strong $ lasts. Thank you Togetsutei!!!

The Japanese garden is near Togetsukyo Bridge and not far from the shopping street. The service is very good. The staff often welcomes people from a distance before they arrive. English communication is barrier-free. The half-board kaiseki dinner was rich and exquisite. After one night, I was full. Then I went to walk in the yard and soak in the hot springs. The hot springs are separated for men and women, each with two indoor and outdoor pools. The tatami in the room is so comfortable to sleep on and the quilt ~ I won’t be able to get up in the morning. The bathroom in the room also has a cypress tub for soaking in the morning. There is also a rich set of dishes for breakfast. Before leaving, the service staff bowed again and sent them away. The service quality is much better than that of five-star hotels.

We had a great experience in this hotel as a family. Their rooms are more spacious than shown in the pictures, and for the price, it is truly good value. They offer use of washer and dryer for free so you can wash your clothes during your stay as well which we found very convenient. Overall, would recommend for those driving around Kyoto and looking for a budget but cozy stay.

Stayed one night at this property and wasn't disappointed. We were upgraded to a big room where we could sleep four persons comfortably. To help other travellers who may consider this property; 1) both the kaiseki dinner and morning breakfast were served in the dinning room on the ground floor; 2) there are 2 public onsen baths - one for males and one for females. You don't have to pay for the use of them; 3) there are 2 private onsen baths situated after a flight of stairs and their roofs can be drawn back. These 2 private baths are chargeable by the hour. 4) the ryokan provides 2-way transfer from a nearby train station to the property. But take note the morning shuttle from the property starts at 9.20am. I must commend Mr Yamamoto at the front desk (hope I got his name correct) for his patience and resourcefulness to advise me to re-route my shinkansen timing to Tokyo. He even wrote the instruction for changes in Japanese for me to show the staff at the JR station. Only minor comments: there are 2 windows in my room and one of them overlooked a construction area and my room had strong food smell despite the staff told me that all meals were served in the dining hall. Suggest that the ryokan should refresh the room.