Hotel Resol Trinity Kyoto

Great location; friendly English speaking staff; rooms are stylish, comfortable and well equipped; onsen available on site;

We loved the ambiance, art, and overall vibe of the property. All of the staff were really accommodating and friendly. The public baths were amazing and much needed after walking all day. There were ample amenities provided like toothbrushes, combs, and face lotion. It was conveniently located in central Kyoto, so we could walk to many shops or take a short train ride/taxi. We appreciated that they had breakfast for purchase as most places in Japan don’t open until at least 10am.

I kind of panicked before my actual trip as I realized that the location was near the Kyoto City Hall, instead of Shijo Kawaramachi where I thought it was (I had booked based on the map in Booking.com and made a mistake) and where transport would be more convenient. I was travelling with my mum so that was an important thing. I think it turned out well - I'd consider this to be a good place to stay the next time I'm in Kyoto. Although a bit out of the way, it was at least still near one train station, and although the train line wasn't as convenient as the other lines in Kyoto, it was possible to transfer. There was also a bus stop nearby with buses going to Shijo Kawaramachi. Another bus stop near to the City Hall about 8 minutes walk away had buses serving several tourist spots, and those buses tend to be less crowded than those going to Kyoto station. So for example when we were at Heian Shrine, while the queue was very long as most tourists were headed for Kyoto station, the bus we took to the City Hall was much less crowded with no queues. The hotel had back alleys with interesting restaurants, and there's also a 7-11 a few steps away. There's also an underground mall with some restaurants. The Northern end of Teramachi is just across the road.

The hotel was very well situated, close to many cafés and bakeries and small restaurants as well as the shopping galleries. It was very well designed to look cozy right from the entrance, with the bar, restaurant, reception and cherry tree. Nice food, cocktails and background music. All the staff at reception spoke good English and were extremely helpful in booking dinner places for us too. The rooms were quite small but traditionally decorated, well equipped and most important the window was opening a bit... We also had a maiko and a samurai demonstration on 2 evenings ! All in all a very pleasant experience 💖

Most of all I appreciated the desk staff. There are usually 4 or 5 people behind the desk which is a lot for size of hotel. I used bus transportation a lot. Many times helped me select the most efficient bus, compared to Google maps directions which were difficult to understand and included transfers and walking between transfer points. The staff explained a variety of things to me that I found confusing. They were all around great. You will notice many reviews rank the hotel location highly. The reason for this is because it is located a few blocks from city hall so the neighborhood is a transportation center for the whole city. Buses to everywhere within blocks. Train stations relatively close, There is a large covered pedestrian a couple that is 2 blocks away. It probably covers 8 blocks and has speciality shops for everything. More formal shopping a few blocks past that. The Kabuki Theater is relatively close (walking distance). The hotel has a rare and interesting event in the lobby 3 days a week. A Maiko ( 16-20 year old Geisha in training) who does a 10 minute dance performance and then allows her picture to be taken with guests. It is rare to see a Maiko as they usually stay in the Gion district and you are usually not allowed to take their picture. The hotel has men's and women's communal baths (a Japanese thing). Finally the hotel is comfortable. It has Japanese maples and bamboo growing on the grounds and it seems very Japanese as opposed to corporate.The morning buffet is slanted towards Japanese food, but there is American food. You can eat at the restaurant in the lobby any time of day. The 7-11 around the corner has a huge variety of amazing food at dirt cheap prices. I highly recommend going in fall foliage season (November 15 - December 15). Peak December 5.