Hotel Review of Guesthouse Soi, Kyoto: A Modern Guesthouse with Attitude

After going on about how I never stayed anywhere bad in Kyoto, about time to put word out about some of my favourites. From capsule to four-star hotel, I’ve tried them all, and now I am going to share some of my favourites with you. One of my favourite places to stay in Kyoto is Guesthouse Soi.

Because, let’s face it: Kyoto has an abundance of hotel rooms – about 60.000, which fill up in the high season which is traditionally cherry blossom season, end of March to early April, Golden Week, and autumn foliage season from November to December.

So, when it comes to finding nice accommodation in Kyoto, my advice is to book early, book conveniently, either close to a station or a landmark, and book wisely. For this solo traveller wanting a bit of foliage viewing, Guesthouse Soi was just right for a few busy sightseeing days.

The Guesthouse

Guesthouse Soi is a mid-sized guest house in a traditional Kyoto building with a modern annexe and about 12 rooms on two floors. Roughly half the room shave private bathrooms, and the others share two large bathroom suites on the ground and first floor.

The house feels spacious, light and modern, and there is a little outside space with a lovely courtyard garden and quite ample shared seating with an open guest kitchen, where a free continental breakfast is laid put in the in the morning, and water, coffee and tea are available all day.

Location of Guesthouse Soi

The location in Higashiyama Ward is fairly good for kyoto tourist pursuits. From Kyoto Station, it takes about 15 minutes, depending on traffic, to get to the guest house, and major bus routes like the 206 , 207 and 208 City bus stop nearby.

The problem is that Kyoto City buses, especially buses that serve touristic areas like the 206, 207 and 208 (Kiyomizudera approach, Gion, Tofuku-ji) get incredibly busy to the point of turning passengers away and long queues forming. You will be okay getting to the guesthouse from the station with a small luggage like a cabin case or small backpack, for everything else it is better to take a taxi.

For sightseeing like Kiyomizudera and onwards towards the Higashiyama temples, Yasaka Shrine and Gion, it is very easy to walk from Guesthouse Soi. Getting on a bus might be time consuming at popular times due to the crowding in the Kiyomizu-dera area. Fortunately, the guesthouse rents out bicycles which are excellent for sightseeing. You could also consider trains, but the nearest station. kiyomizu-Gojo noi the Keihan Line, is about 800m away. Direct Keihan trains and will take you as far as osaka, Lake Biwa and Enryaku-ji approach, and you can take Keihan line directly to Fushimi Inaroi and Tofuku-ji.

The street the guesthouse is in is moderately busy, and not too touristy. This is first and foremost a residential area, with a lovely okonomiyaki restaurant a few doors down, a coffee shop and a couple Western restaurants – and, of course, a convenient store at the bottom of the road near the bus stop! You will be in a normal Kyoto street, so don’t expect Old Kyoto charm. The road then turns into Higashioji-dori. or Route 143, after about 350 metres, which is basically always busy, the busiest route this side of the river apart from the motorway of nearby Gojo-dori.

As a cyclist, i was happy with the location, but be aware that the buses might be crowded. 

My Room at Guesthouse Soi

I stayed in a Traditional Single with Shared Bath, on the first floor. although the room was relatively small and modern, i was very impressed how much thought had gone into making this a comfortable and incredibly practical room for travellers.

Comfortable broad stairs led up to a large landing and spacious corridor on the first floor. Once I opened my door, there is a large enough area to enter with your shoes, with very generous shelving for both your luggage and anything you might want to unpack. Even a monster suitcase or two could probably accommodated in these generous luggage spaces.

Then, you step, now without shoes, onto a smaller tatami area, which is separated by a narrow shelf with some necessities like lamps, and a water kettle and tea making equipment. to one side was a very comfortable futon, thicker than the standard issue, probably for those sensitive WEstern backs, and the other side had a small futon style sofa and large low table. This probably gets turned into a futon bed as well if two people occupy this kind of room, and I still think there is enough room for two in this style of room, especially if you fold up the futon during the day.

My room was well lit by a large window, with blackout curtains, and pretty thick glass, so I did not hear much traffic outside with the window closed. Also, that is residential traffic, so hardly any traffic after 23.00. 

And, of course everything was spotlessly clean. The bedding was cotton and very good quality. Very nice and practical and really well thought out, although not much of a “traditional old Kyoto” character. This could have been anywhere in Japan, so my only thought would be to have some art or som eobjects in the room that signify we’re in Kyoto – but that did not detract that this room was extremely pleasant and comfortable.

Are there better rooms?

While my small room was perfect for me as a solo traveller, you can get bigger rooms and also rooms with private bathroom, both traditional Japanese style with tatami mats and futon and also with WEstern style beds and a wooden floor.

Facilities at Guesthouse Soi

Guesthouse Soi is a small to medium size guesthouse, and it has a nice shared kitchen and sitting area given its relatively small size. There is always coffee, tea and hot water available, and in the morning, you can help yourself to a simple Western style breakfast. For a small supplement, you can order a traditional Japanese breakfast, too.

And of course, Guesthouse Soi comes with all the trappings of a welcoming Japanese hotel like self-service laundry, luggage storage before and after Check-in , and there is usually someone at reception in the daytime to help you with any queries and travel arrangements.

But the best service for me, and one that wasn’t particularly well adversited, is the bicycle rental/ for just 500JPY per pay, you can rent a very well maintained three-speed bicycle plus helmet, which will fulfill all your sightseeing needs in Kyoto!

Special Treats

For me, that was definitely the bicycle hire – with cycling helmets! For 500 yen. I was given a very sturdy well maintained three-speed mama-chari, the best kind of bike to explore central Kyoto, as it is very stable in the sometime mental Kyoto traffic, has lights, its own stand and a basket for your shopping.

Bicycle helmets come as standard, which I really loved, since bike helmets aren’t usually done in Kyoto – you’ll out yourself as a tourist, but rather that than a brain injury.

Alternative Accommodation nearby

The Kiyomizudera area- due to being a tourist hotspot, is pricey, so Guesthouse Soi is the best moderately priced option in the area.

For a little bit more, in the 100 euro-per room region you can look at Hotel Ethnography, across higashioji-dori.

Double that, and stay in a quiet area yet close to Kiyomizu-dera to be there before the crowds at Kyomachiya Hotel Mifuku, a beautiful modern ryokan in an old Kyoto mansion.

Leaving the area, but still staying on the Higashiyama-Gion side in a traditional building, I recommend Kiraku Inn, in a quiet and very atmospheric Gion Street. It is simpler – and cheaper – and room s are smaller and quite spartan, and also, it is more difficult to park a bicycle. There is a very large cat lording over the place, so not for you if you are not into cats.

Hotel Details

Guesthouse Soi perfectly balances modern accommodation for travellers ona midrange budget, paired with some traditional japanese style without compromising comfort.

The location is pretty convenient, too, especially if you like walking  – it’s close to the approach to Kiyomizudera and the Higashiyama Hills. The only problem might be the buses – they are plentiful but this route is one of the most touristy bus routes in all of Kyoto so there was barely a time when I didn/t see crowds and long lines at the bus stop on the main road.

I used Booking.com to reserve and pay for this stay at Guesthouse Soi. In fact, I use them for all my hotel stays if I use a booking site.  Its fast and easy. I can pay in my home currency and make changes to my booking easily, and I can also cancel if I book with free cancellation. However, if your plans are firm or you would like to book far in advance, you might be better off to book at the guesthouse website directly, as we all know, Booking charges a commission to accommodations and by contacting them directly, you might be able to book further ahead and even get a better price.

How much? Expect to pay between 6000 JPY (38 Euro) for a single with shared facilities and 20.000 JPY (125 Euro) for a large double or triple room with en-suite bathroom per night. There are two mixed dorms as well where a bed costs around 4000JPY. I paid 115 euro for two nights, in relatively high season (Autumn Foliage Season)

Full Details:
Guesthouse Soi, 509-2 Shimouna-machi, Higashiyama-ku, KYOTO
605-0873 JAPAN
In Japanese: 京都市東山区下馬町509-2

Email: guesthousesoikyoto@gmail.com

Telephone 075-205-5201

www: https://guesthousesoi.com

Nearest Airport: Kansai International (KIX) , direct train (Haruka Express) or Osaka Itami (ITM), closer to Kyoto but involves at least one change, or take an Airport Limousine Bus.

Nearest local transport: Bus stop just outside the guesthouse for some local buses.

Features: Friendly and sociable communal sitting areas, calm and very comfortable rooms

Doesn’t have: Services like in a hotel, nightlife.

The Small Print

I visited Kyoto in January 2025 and paid all my own expenses, so this is not a sponsored post.

This post contains affiliate links to Booking.com.  This means I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you book any hotel through them.

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