604 Manjuyacho, Karasumadori Sanjo Sagaru, Nakagyo, Japan | (618) 248-8274
Centrally located, close to the subway and Nishiki market
Opulent, British-themed decor with chandeliers
A range of room sizes and bed configurations available
On-site French and Japanese restaurants, and a British-style cafe and bar
Top-floor spa with spring-water hot baths and views
Japanese and Western style buffet breakfast
On-site wedding chapel, a copy of a London church
Two banquet rooms and a small meeting room
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Standard Single and Double Rooms can be small
Buffet breakfast not included in room rates
Fee to access top-floor spa
No fitness center
Thematic decor can feel kitschy at times
Part of a small chain of hotels throughout Japan themed around European cities, the centrally located, upper-middle-range Hotel Monterey Kyoto combines elements of Kyoto style with the tradition of Great Britain, Edinburgh in particular, right down to the Scotch-plaid carpeting in the Cafe & Bar. The over-the-top replica of an Upper Chelsea wedding chapel verges on kitschy, though. The 327 rooms range from Standard Singles, which can feel cramped, to Deluxe Corner Twins and Family Rooms with sitting areas. The hotel has two restaurants -- the French Escale and the Japanese-focused Zuientei, plus the Cafe & Bar, designed to mimic a "stately" home. Access to the top-floor spa, with spring-water filled baths, comes with a fee, as does the Japanese- and Western-style breakfast buffet.
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Scene
A property with elegant, British-themed decor
The dark, sometimes opulent English-style decor at Hotel Monterey is a bit like a theme park. The lobby features lots of black marble, exposed brick, and a large square chandelier made up of tiny lights. The Cafe & Bar, with its Scottish plaid carpeting and books and teacups lining the shelves, is designed to resemble the formal library of an Edinburgh home. Filled with arches and stained glass, the St. Simon Zelotes Chapel, a recreation of the same church in Upper Chelsea, London, has been plopped in the middle of an inner courtyard, and tips the scale toward kitsch. A sleek top-floor spa with spring-fed pools showcases views of Kyoto from large windows, but access is an additional fee.
Location
Central location close to attractions and the subway
The hotel is centrally located on a main road, surrounded by restaurants and chain stores, including two Starbucks. It’s a five- to 10-minute walk to either the Karasumaoike or Shijo subway stations, and it's then a 10-minute ride to Kyoto station, the main rail station in Kyoto. It’s a five-minute walk to Kyoto International Minja Museum, a 10-minute walk to the Nishiki market, and a 20-minute ride on public transportation to the historic Gion District across the river. Nijo Castle, Heian Jungu Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera Temple are within a 15- to 20-minute walk. Osaka International Airport is about an hour's drive, or an hour and 20 minutes by public transportation.
Rooms
European-looking striped rooms in a range of sizes with modern amenities
The 327 air-conditioned hotel rooms come with flat-screen TVs, desks, tea- and coffee-making facilities, mini-fridges, hairdryers, pajamas and slippers, and free Wi-Fi, along with an LAN connection. European-style decor is either mostly gray with dark-blue-and-cream-colored stripes or red-based with crimson-and-cream stripes. Rooms range from compact Standard and Superior Singles and Doubles to Deluxe Corner Twins and Family Rooms with sitting areas. Rooms with king-size beds are available. Some of the rooms can feel cramped with luggage, and pillows have a buckwheat-hull filling, which some guests find hard and uncomfortable. Compact, boldly striped bathrooms come with small sinks, which in the Superior Single and Twin Rooms are wedged between the narrow shower/tub combos and the toilets. Shampoo, conditioner, and a body wash are provided in pump dispensers.
Features
Two restaurants and a British library-themed cafe, plus a top-floor spa
The hotel has two restaurants, a French establishment called Escale and a Japanese venue called Zuientei, which are both open for lunch and dinner. The Cafe & Bar ("the Library") serves tea from the morning until the late afternoon and drinks well into the night. A breakfast buffet with Japanese and Western dishes is available for an extra fee. Guests must pay an entrance fee to use the hotel’s top-floor spa, which has hot baths filled with natural spring water from below the city, along with various spa treatments. The on-site English-style wedding chapel hosts wedding ceremonies. There are two banquet rooms and a small meeting room, and free Wi-Fi is available throughout.
