Sowaka in Kyoto

Awesome hotel at excellent location. Stylish and classy, full of heritage yet modern inside. Great service from the staff. Wonderful main garden inside.

Outstanding traditional hotel within which to feel the Kyoto vibe. Extremely friendly staff and well appointed rooms

This is the most satisfying hotel I've ever stayed in, and of course, the price reflects that. I would definitely choose it again if I came back. It's truly top-notch in every aspect, and the photos turn out beautifully. You can contact the hotel to arrange for a photographer to come in for a shoot.

I will never book a hotel through Trip again.
I don't usually write reviews, and I'm not sure if this is the right place to write about this, but I'm leaving this so that no one else experiences the same problem.

During my recent stay, I received a call from Trip a few hours before check-in.
They contacted me to inform me that my reservation for room [101] had not actually been made.
The Trip representative unilaterally requested a room change, but I don't understand the circumstances.
Furthermore, I had booked the main building because I wanted to stay in a Japanese-style house, but they explained that I would be moved to the new building instead.
The representative didn't even know the difference between the main and new buildings and was probably just making a business-like call.
They said they would contact me by email with details about the room, but it's incredibly rude to ask someone who is traveling to confirm details by email, and anyone would be furious about what they said at that time.
I simply cannot accept this. Although I requested a room in the main building, I received no further contact from Trip.

Since I wasn't getting anywhere, I contacted the hotel directly and finally understood the situation, including the system error.

I understand that the hotel staff were in a helpless situation, and I know it wasn't a human error. I'm actually grateful for their willingness to help.
The service and quality are the same as other guests', so I think it's a good hotel.

However, realistically, I couldn't stay in the room I was scheduled for, and the bed and bathroom didn't meet my expectations.
If this had cost tens of thousands of yen, I might just consider it bad luck, but
paying over 100,000 yen for accommodation and having such an unpleasant experience makes me wonder what the point was.

I will never use Trip again.
Everyone, please make reservations through a different platform!

A very comfortable hotel. The breakfast was especially plentiful and exquisite. The room was beautifully decorated with a Zen-like window view. The tatami mats were very comfortable to sleep on, and the soothing music in the room was particularly good!

A fantastic hotel, a small-scale luxury hotel under the SLH brand, where you can experience the exquisite service of Japan. Each room has a slightly different style and view. I booked the cheapest room, the new wing, for 210 yen. The room wasn't large, and the view was decent, but it was still quite comfortable, especially the bathtub. Happy hour is from 5-6 pm daily, with complimentary drinks, including non-alcoholic and Japanese sake. Each room also receives a welcome gift – you get what you pay for, which is really nice.

We recently stayed in Sowaka Room 103 for two nights. The room was really beautiful. The staff who took us in also said that this was the most beautiful room. We highly recommend it. The service is impeccable, warm and attentive, just right without being excessive. The amenities are very complete, the mini bar is completely free, there is a bed-turning gift every night, and a bottle of red wine is given as a welcome gift. The details are very thoughtful. The breakfast was a bit ordinary, and I didn't have dinner, so I can't comment on it. Disadvantages: The bathroom in Room 103 is poorly designed, the floor is creaky and not very stable, the bathroom light is too bright, and it is not friendly for makeup application. Summary: Room 103 is really beautiful. Apart from its tolerable shortcomings, it is still highly recommended to stay for one or two nights. The full score is 100, so you can give 95 points.

Will choose this hotel again next time!

Friendly staff, delicious food

The house is old and dark. The corridor is very cold. My husband caught a cold and had a fever there. The staff is nice. It depends on whether you like this style. The price is OK.