K's House Hostel Kyoto
418 Naya-cho, Shichijo-agaru, Dotemachi-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
+81 75 342 2444
kyoto@kshouse.jp
Distance from Kyoto Station: About 900 meters (10-minute walk).
Nearest station: About 300 meters to Shichijo Station (Keihan Line).
Five-storey K's House Hostel has 4-bed, 6-bed, and 8-bed dorms, and private single, double/twin, triple, and quad rooms. The rooms though, whether dorm or private, share a common toilet and shower. The good thing is that there are shower rooms and toilets on every floor. Shampoo and soap are provided. Towel though is not, but can be rented for 100 yen. Rooms on the upper floors can be accessed by elevator or stairs. Shoes should be taken off when entering the hostel; slippers and shoe lockers are provided.
My friends and I stayed in their 4-bed mixed dorm in November 2015. Since we were four in the group, our 4-bed dorm became our own little space (private room)! The room was neat and tidy and the beds were comfortable. There was enough space to move around (luggage can be stored in the cabinets under the bed). We were already halfway through our 10-day trip and we were glad we could do our laundry at the hostel (300 yen for washing machine and dryer).
Breakfast is not included. But the hostel has a kitchen where guests can cook and a big enough common area to eat meals in. The hostel also has Zen Cafe on the ground floor, open from 8AM to 12MN. Plated breakfast is served for 500 yen. There are also convenience stores nearby.
Luggage storage is available between 7AM to 11PM.
Price:
Dorm beds start at 2400 yen.
Private rooms start at 3800 yen.
Book a room in K's House Hostel Kyoto through booking.com
Guesthouse Wind Villa
226-2 Hiyoshi-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto
+81 75 744 1884
windvilla.kyoto@gmail.com
Distance from Kyoto Station: About 1100 meters (13-minute walk).
Nearest station: Just 100 meters to Shichijo Station (Keihan Line).
The lobby to Guesthouse Wind Villa is on the second floor and the rooms are on the third and fourth floors. That means everyone has to do a little weight lifting with their own luggage (read: no elevator). The common area, kitchen, and laundry area (washing machines are free to use; 100 yen for laundry soap) are all on the second floor.
Guesthouse Wind Villa has female–only and mixed dorms, and private single, double, and triple rooms. During my solo trip in November 2016, I stayed in Guesthouse Wind Villa's dorm room which had capsules, not bunkbeds. The capsule space, at least the bottom ones, were amazingly comfortable and spacious. I could sit up and not bump my head and I could even rummage through my luggage and store my luggage inside the capsule (though there is a luggage rack in the room). Each capsule has two power outlets, a lamp, and coat hooks. There are a couple more power outlets in the room (outside of the capsule).
None of the rooms have an attached shower nor toilet, but some rooms have a sink (my dorm room had a sink). Each floor has two toilets (one for each gender), but the shower rooms are only on the second floor. Though there are only three shower rooms for the entire guesthouse, I never had to wait; there was always one available. Each shower room has a changing area and dispensers for soap and shampoo. A towel is also provided for each guest.
Breakfast is not included but there are many convenience stores and restaurants nearby.
Guesthouse Wind Villa is tidy and well maintained and the staff (during my two-day stay, I have only seen two: a man, who I think is the owner, and an elderly woman, who I am guessing is his mom) were kind and friendly. The man could speak English well, while the elderly woman couldn't, but she was so motherly that I had to give her a hug when I picked up my luggage (luggage storage is available from 8AM to 8PM) to leave.
Price:
Dorm beds start at 2800 yen.
Private rooms start at 4500 yen.
Book Guesthouse Wind Villa through booking.com
Shiori Yado
433-1 Hanaya-cho kudaru Wakamatsu-cho, Takakura-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
+81 75 754 8458
Distance from Kyoto Station: About 900 meters (10-minute walk).
Nearest station: About 600 meters to Gojo Station (Kyoto Subway).
Shiori Yado is a machiya (townhouse) that has been turned into a guesthouse. It is located in a quiet residential area (I didn't find any convenience store within a 5-minute walk) and just next to Shosei-en Garden. Good thing I had looked at photos of the guesthouse beforehand for it would have been difficult to spot because it looked like a private home and not a guesthouse—the only indication that it was a guesthouse was a paper with very small "Shiori Yado" printed on it that had been stuck on the wall.
Shiori Yado is very clean and looks very new. It has a traditional feel to it with a garden. It has private rooms and dorm rooms; the dorm rooms are on the second floor and the private rooms on the third. On the ground floor is the reception, garden, bath, and small common room and kitchen.
I stayed in the dorm room (a spacious room even with two bunk beds) and on the first night I had the room all to myself! Guests are expected to make their beds themselves (put the bed, pillow, and blanket covers on), which wasn't really a problem for me, but it might have been had I arrived in the guesthouse really tired and wanted to lie in bed right away. Each bunk bed has a lamp and a power outlet. The dorm rooms though cannot be locked when going out because guests aren't provided with room keys.
There are two shower stalls on the second floor. The changing area is outside the shower stalls and the only form of privacy is a curtain. Towels are not provided, but can be rented for 200 yen.
Because I wasn't scheduled to leave Kyoto until late in the afternoon, they permitted me to leave my luggage after check out and just come back for it after 4PM because, as a rule, the guesthouse is closed (for cleaning) between 10AM to 4PM (all guests should be out at these times!). (Luggage storage before check in is also permitted, provided you drop off your bags between 8AM to 10AM.)
Price:
Dorm beds start at 3500 yen.
Book a room in Shiori Yado through booking.com
About the photos: I had forgotten to take photos, so I just grabbed all of the above photos from booking.com.
JapanKnow Before You Go
Single Entry Tourist Visa for Japan
Roam Around Japan with a Swagger
From Tokyo to Hiroshima (2015)
10D/9N | Tokyo, Toyama, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Hiroshima
Tokyo: Shinjuku Airbnb
Tokyo: Memorable Tokyo Eats
Tokyo: Odaiba
Tokyo: Doing Touristy Things in Tokyo
Toyama: A Night to Remember in Ainokura
Kyoto: K's House Hostel Kyoto (you're here!)
Concentrate on Kansai (2016)
Kyoto: Guesthouse Wind Villa and Shiori Yado (you're here!)