Lodge assessment: The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto in Japan

Getting there

Booking details

Standout features

• Kamogama River views
• Walking distance to Gion and Nishiki Market
• Tatami rooms for people who wish to try Japanese-style sleeping arrangements on futons
• Multiple on-site restaurants
• Relaxing spa and heated indoor pool

Drawbacks

• Beautiful but somewhat sterile public spaces and guest rooms
• Not within walking distance of some of Kyoto’s most popular tourist attractions, such as Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
• Some rooms have boring or uninspiring views

The vibe

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto feels like a large business hotel and, in fact, caters to corporate meetings, conventions and wedding events. There’s a wedding boutique below the lobby and it appeared to do brisk business while we were there.

Despite that, it didn’t feel crowded, but instead exuded a sense of calm from the moment we stepped out of the taxi in the hotel’s underground entryway. The approach to the hotel is a bit anticlimactic since there’s just a small sign out front indicating the hotel’s name.

Once at the door, though, you are ushered along a covered outdoor walkway with soothing water cascading down stone steps on either side.

By the time you enter the hotel, tones are hushed, lighting is muted and the mood shifts to one of quiet seclusion.

We arrived at the peak of afternoon tea in The Lobby Lounge. Even though every table was taken, it wasn’t loud at all on that side of the lobby. When the lounge isn’t busy, this level of the hotel acts as the thoroughfare to the La Locanda Italian restaurant, or to and from the guest room elevators and the hotel entrance.

The Pierre Hermé sweet shop and the front desk are directly across from the lounge. However, when we arrived, the bellhop announced our arrival into her earpiece and a front desk staffer came to greet us, showed us directly to our room and checked us in there. This is a personalized touch we always enjoy at hotels such as this one.

While we were at the hotel, a woman played a traditional koto, a stringed instrument, which lent the reception area a dreamy ambience.

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto is an elegant hotel, but it felt like it could be anywhere in Japan rather than having many place-specific elements.

Rooms at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto has 134 rooms and suites with views of the Kamogama River, Higashiyama mountains, Japanese gardens or the city, depending on the category.

Base-level, 538-square-foot deluxe guest rooms (with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the city or courtyard) accommodate up to three people with king-size beds and cribs (free) or rollaways (12,000 yen) available. Note: There is no accessible version of this room category.

There are also 667-square-foot deluxe courtyard-view rooms with two double beds and deluxe garden-view rooms that accommodate up to three people and are wheelchair accessible.

Here are the other room types:

• 560-square-foot Grand Deluxe Kamogama Larger Room with river view and one king bed or two double beds
• 699-square-foot Garden Suite with king bed
• 667-square-foot Garden Terrace Suite with mountain view and king bed
• 667-square-foot Garden Terrace Tatami Suite with twin futons
• Corner Kita Larger Suite with river view and king bed
• 1,076-square-foot Corner Tatami Larger Suite with city view and twin futons
• 1,237-square-foot Corner Minami Larger Suite with river view and king bed
• 1,356-square-foot Kamogawa Executive Suite with river view and king bed or two double beds
• 1,506-square-foot Tsukimi Penthouse Suite with mountain view, terrace and king bed

All rooms feature 600-thread-count linens, duvets, pillowtop mattresses and feather beds, nightly turndown service, and 24/7 room service.

We booked a deluxe garden view since that’s the category for which we could use our free night certificates. Despite the fact that both my husband and I have been Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members for years and we were celebrating our 30th anniversary, we did not receive a room upgrade (and there were higher-category rooms and suites still bookable with cash upon arrival). That’s one reason I prefer Hyatt over Marriott. As a Hyatt Globalist, I am upgraded a vast majority of the time. On the other hand, I am almost never upgraded when I stay with Marriott.

That being said, the room was lovely and comfortable and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The hotel left some very nice amenities for us to enjoy, including fresh fruit and homemade sweets.

Even base-level rooms are stocked with complimentary bottled water, loose tea and teabags, Nespresso coffee pods, and (for a fee) minibar drinks and snacks. Teapots, teacups and saucers, wine and Champagne glasses, plates, and silverware round out the stored housewares.

The king-size bed was comfortable and not too high. I’m 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and I sometimes struggle with hotels that install beds that are so high I need to take a running leap to settle in for the night. That wasn’t the case here.

There were various bedside controls that allowed us to open and close the blinds and curtains or set various mood lighting presets. There was also a Tivoli Audio clock radio on a bedside table. The clock and controls looked old-fashioned, but not out of place in this room of beige and gray tones with pops of red and black lacquer accent furniture.

I especially loved the “room within a room” design. The dining area with a table and chairs set along the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden was built into its own inset space, which placed it apart from the rest of the room.

With the exception of the white rug in front of the dual vanity, which felt like a tripping hazard, the bathroom was both luxurious and utilitarian. The three mirrors above the vanity were well lit, and one panel hid a TV. The deep sinks were a nice touch, and I always appreciate a lighted makeup mirror.

Food and drink

To be honest, the dining experiences at this hotel didn’t all wow me, but let me add the caveat that I don’t eat sushi. As should perhaps not be surprising, the focus here was on traditional Japanese flavors and presentations, even in some of the venues with Western menus.

Breakfast at La Locanda

Breakfast in La Locanda’s dining room, which is complimentary for Bonvoy Platinum Elite members, included a Western option that was a combination of a la carte items you ordered from the menu and some buffet-style dishes, such as granola, yogurt and croissants. There was also a Japanese set offered.

The ingredients were of high quality and included free-range eggs from Wabisuke poultry farm, milk and yogurt from Yuge Farm in Kobe, and Amazake Granola, which is made for the Ritz-Carlton right in Kyoto and is 100% gluten-free.

I prefer breakfast on the lighter side, but you could also order menu items such as eggs Benedict with ham and spinach, French toast, or other egg dishes (omelet, scrambled, poached, fried or boiled) with local Hiyoshi pork sausage, bacon, hash browns and steamed vegetables.

Former TPG staffer Zach Honig also visited this hotel, and he enjoyed the Japanese breakfast option. Here are some photos to give you a taste of that menu, which is also available at La Locanda.

The full menu also included a grilled fish dish of the day, a “century” preserved egg, simmered beef and vegetables, a veggie dish of the day, fresh fruit, miso soup, rice or rice porridge and Japanese pickles.

Mizuki

Japanese lunch and dinner are served at the ground-level Mizuki restaurant. There are four sections with different menu options: kaiseki (a lot of small dishes), sushi, tempura and teppanyaki (grilled a la minute).

La Locanda

La Locanda is a stunning Italian restaurant serving meals made with locally sourced ingredients. What’s special about the dining room is that it encompasses Ebisugawa-tei: a series of private dining rooms that were once the two-story townhouse of Fujita Denzaburo, founder of the Fujita Industrial Group. While the structure is from 1908, some of the wood within it is 700 years old. It’s a beautiful way to preserve the history and beauty of Kyoto.

It’s a lovely dining experience since you can peer into the private dining compartments from the main dining tables. We met friends here for dinner and tried a variety of dishes, including the seasonal vegetable salad for 3,500 yen ($22), buffalo mozzarella Caprese for 4,500 yen ($29), spaghetti Bolognese for 4,400 yen ($28) and sauteed sea bream with zucchini escabeche for 7,200 yen ($46).

Set menus are also available at lunch and dinner. Three courses plus an amuse-bouche, dessert and petits fours are 4,800 yen ($31). Four courses plus the extras run 6,500-9,500 yen ($41-$61).

Chef’s Table by Katsuhito Inoue

This exclusive experience is offered Wednesdays through Fridays for six lucky patrons. It’s a farm-to-table experience that fuses Japanese and Italian flavors. According to the hotel, the menu takes guests “on a culinary journey through Japan’s 72 micro-seasons with dishes crafted from the finest, freshest local ingredients.” The meal, served in a private room at La Locanda, will set you back 35,000 yen ($226) per person. Note: You must remove your shoes upon arrival.

The Lobby Lounge

I’m a sucker for afternoon tea, and The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto offers a beautiful setting for it.

Make reservations if you have your heart set on this. We didn’t and couldn’t be accommodated for the time slots we still had open in our itinerary upon arrival. However, I’m including some of Zach Honig’s photos from his experience here a few years ago.

The lounge also offers a light menu that’s heavy on appetizers such as truffle french fries and caviar. The onion soup gratin was hearty and delicious, and minestrone was also available. A wagyu burger for 4,200 yen ($27), several pasta dishes — including spaghetti amatriciana and penne beef ragu — for 3,000 yen ($19) and sandwiches for 2,800 yen ($18) fill out the menu. And, of course, you may order a Pierre Hermé pastry with coffee or tea for dessert.

Pierre Hermé Paris

Don’t panic if afternoon tea is all booked up in The Lobby Lounge. Just go across the lobby to the Pierre Hermé Paris patisserie, which sells beautiful single-serving pastries as well as sweets, spreads, macarons and more.

There’s also a wide variety of sweets that you can buy to take home for yourself or to give as gifts.

The Bar

Open from 5 p.m. daily, The Bar has a dark, clubby, intimate atmosphere. Sink into a comfortable leather armchair next to a granite-top table or take a seat at the bar to watch the mixologists work their magic. This area leads into La Locanda, and there’s a curved wall of wine bottles that’s interesting to peruse.

There is a short but thoughtful list of signature cocktails to order from, including a roasted green tea martini; a smoked old fashioned with Michter’s rye, cream de cacao, cherry liquor, angostura bitters, cane sugar and orange peel; and a basil “smash” highball with Monkey 47 gin, chamomile, lemon, syrup and soda — all for around 2,500 yen ($16).

The bar menu offers most of the same things The Lobby Lounge does, plus a few additions such as a cheese board for 1,700 yen ($11), smoked salmon for 2,000 yen ($13) and fried chicken with a spicy sauce for 1,500 yen ($10).

Bonus for music lovers: A small jazz ensemble plays here every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night.

Room service

Our stay was at the tail end of our trip, and we had tired of dining out every day, so we enjoyed a few room service meals. Each order arrived remarkably quickly and the food was very good, including an ultrafresh fruit plate.

Amenities and service

Service was uniformly good at The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, although perhaps a bit reserved. The friendliest staff members were to be found at the bell desk at the hotel’s entrance.

When we made a request that couldn’t be honored (a table in The Lobby Lounge to have a light meal), they suggested we dine at La Locanda. We didn’t want to do that since we were dining there that evening with friends. When the staff members understood the scenario, they told us to head to La Locanda and that they would arrange to serve us from the lobby’s light menu. That’s the type of above-and-beyond service that brings me back to Ritz-Carlton time and again.

Spa

If access to a spa is important to you, the Ritz is a good home base. Its spa features six treatment rooms plus a spa suite, a soothing waterfall feature, a steam room, a dry sauna and a heated 20-meter swimming pool.

Standout treatments here include the Kyoto Bamboo Ritual, which uses heated bamboo stalks and warm oil to improve flexibility, and the Ryokucha Serenity Ritual, which incorporates antioxidant-rich green tea leaves from the city’s Uji region in its body, foot and scalp massage. Both of these options are 90 minutes and cost 39,500 yen ($255).

Out and about

The Ritz-Carlton is not smack-dab in the middle of Kyoto’s action. Most attractions are further afield, but here are a few of the places you can walk to from the hotel:

• Nishiki Market (18-minute walk): Great place to sample local foods and buy souvenirs, such as Japanese kitchen knives.
• Kyoto Imperial Palace (14-minute walk): Book a tour in advance.
• Gion District (23-minute walk): The best chance you’ll have to see geisha in the evenings.
• Samurai Ninja Museum Kyoto (18-minute walk): A family-friendly museum with some fun interactive experiences, such as star throwing.

Otherwise, you’ll likely take a taxi or public transportation to most attractions. Here are some of the city’s most popular sites:

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest: Go early! This place gets crowded since it’s ideal for photo ops.
• Fushimi Inari Taisha Shinto shrine: Home to thousands of vermilion torii gates.
• Kinkaku-ji Zen Buddhist temple: Also known as the Golden Pavilion.
• Nijo Castle: The palace of the shogun Tokugawa.

Accessibility

The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto has added many accessible features to its public spaces and guest rooms. The main entrance, meeting spaces, hallways to rooms and suites, and the entrance to the fitness center are all accessible.

You may also book guest rooms with the following accessible additions:

• Accessible vanities
• Adjustable-height hand-held shower wand
• Alarm clock telephone ringers
• Bathtub grab rails
• Bathtub seat
• Flashing door knockers
• Lever handles on guest room doors
• Lowered deadbolts on guest room doors
• Lowered electrical outlets
• Mobility accessible rooms
• Roll-in shower
• Toilet seat at wheelchair height
• Transfer showers in guest rooms

To ensure your room has the amenities you need, call the hotel and book a room directly so you can discuss the options with a reservationist.

Checking out

Ritz-Carlton has been one of my favorite luxury hotel brands for years, and I enjoyed my brief stay in Kyoto. That being said, there are many luxury options in the city. I probably wouldn’t make it a point to stay here again unless I was on a budget and needed to use a free night certificate or points. The location was a bit more out of the way than I would have liked; however, the attentive service and beautiful public spaces made for a memorable stay.

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