We stayed at Hotel Monterey Kyoto for four nights before the New Year, our twin room is tastely decorated with warm pink colour, very nice new bathroom with a big and new bath tub great for those winter nights. Although the room is a bit on the small side, you get everthing you need. Which include humidifier, air-con, small wardrobe, alarm clock and our favorite is the Uji tea set. This is so far the only Monterey hotel we've stayed that provides the real tea with a tea pot (the other one I stayed in Osaka only has tea bags). But the coffee provided is fairly plain, just instant coffee with milk powder. A good thing about the room is the window can be opened, we have to do it every day in the morning as it gets really hot and steamy after a night stay.
Location wise, the hotel is located on a main road, therefore close to subway and bus stations. There are coffee shops and convenience stores nearby. It's however not in the area where the main attractions are, but it's walkable distance. We had walked a few times to/from Shijo-Kawaramachi, where you go for shopping, food, evening drinks etc. It takes about 20 to 30 mins each way. It's generally safe to walk at night in Kyoto.
We didn't try any restaurants in the hotel but they all look nice and on the expensive side. There are many other options around the hotel that we wanted to try. There is one big shopping mall called 新風館 shin-puh-kan which is very close to the hotel and there are heaps of eating options in there.
The only thing we feel regret for the hotel is that it doesn't provide WiFi, nor in the room or the reception area. It's not so convenient for those who rely on their smart phones and tablets to get on the web.
overall we will stay here again if we get a good rate. And bringing your own wifi rounter is proably a good idea.
- Monterey Hotel Kyoto
