Hotel Aru Kyoto Sanjo Kiyamachi Do-ri

The hotel is in an excellent location - right by the Kamo river where you can sit and relax in the evenings or morning, a quick walk to a metro stop, and walkable to many major attractions in Gion, Higashiyama, Pontocho. Check-in was a breeze and the room was spacious and clean.

The location is excellent, right near Kiyamachi street with easy access to restaurants, shops, and sightseeing spots. The room was clean, modern, and comfortable, making it a pleasant place to return to after exploring Kyoto.

The room size was a bit small, especially for guests with larger luggage. The Roof top need to develop more.

The room was spacious and clean. The luggage storage and washing machines was very convenient. The bed was comfortable. They had amenities downstairs you could take for free (toothbrush, shaver, hairband..). The staff was very helpful and friendly. The location was perfect to navigate around. A lot of attractions were in walking distance. Tons of shops and restaurants.

Everything was perfect.

Amazing location, clean room and comfortable place

I was really impressed with every aspect of this hotel. The staff were very kind and accommodating. The facilities were excellent. Great service. The rooms were very comfortable although the king size room was pretty tight. I plan to stay at this hotel again on my next visit to Kyoto.

Not recommended

I do not recommend this hotel for 2 reasons:1) The first two nights (out of 6), no matter how much we tried setting the thermostat higher, the vent only blew cold air (it was mid March, and COLD outside!). When I asked the front desk for a blanket and help with the thermostat they tried to convince me that it was because the room was on the cold side of the building. But what about the heating? She finally confessed that the hotel has master controls in the back; she went back and turned our heat on and we were comfortable for the rest of our stay. SO NOTE! Other reviewers have said their AC didn't work. It's because the hotel is saving money by skimping on their guest's comfort.2) The room was WAY too small for two people and 2 carry on size bags.

I have stayed at Hotel Aru twice now. This is my favorite hotel in Kyoto for sure! The staff were super friendly helping us check in. I especially love the rooms that have the nice soaking tub in the bathroom. That’s definitely a plus when you’ve been walking all day around Kyoto. The hotel is also located super close to the Sanjo Keihan Station, Pontocho Alley, the Gion District, and more. It’s a great location to take the trains to see a variety of the best spots.

Seriously the only thing I can think of is that the pillows are not my favorite, but they work. Maybe more laundry machines would also be helpful as they were unavailable every time I checked. Not a big deal to me though.

Amazing location! Only a few minute walk to everything you can need such as restaurants, shrines, and shopping.

Everything was great!

Loved this hotel! Great location, right alongside a canal covered in cherry blossoms, close to the river, and walking distance from the main tourist drag in Kyoto (Nishiki market, etc.). But, rooms were quiet and comfortable - bigger than average for Japan. Free waters/juices/coffee/tea all day was awesome, and the central dining area is open for spending time later in the day too. Nice bathroom amenities and pajamas. Front desk staff was excellent, able to store luggage both before and after stay. Strongly recommend!

fantastic location, rooms and hotel were very clean, spacious for japan, nice bathroom amenities. would return to the location if visiting again. we had friends staying downtown that were loving this area too

bar wasn't open to use drink voucher

Just fantastic, great value for money! Best hotel experience for us in Japan comparing similar fares/facilities. The location is just divine and the staff super nice and knowledgeable.

Good location, clean and comfortable, room a bit small for 2 open suitcases but just manageable, bathroom a good size. Good breakfast.

The location was amazing, very walkable to so many things (Nishiki, shopping streets, restaurants, Pontocho, Gion). Drinks (coffee, juice, tea) were available in the lobby for free daily. Has a rooftop lookout, we ate breakfast up there one sunny morning and had a great view.

The king bed was very firm.

Lovely comfortable room with pleasant outlook and luxurious feel

Noise at night

The hotel was clean, comfortable and in a great location. My room was well appointed and an average size for Japan standards. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Breakfast was a good value for the price.

Nothing other than I think I was charged to store my luggage for the day, but it was a reasonable fee.

Great location near the Sanjo-ohashi Bridge.Very clean, reasonably sized twin room with lovely bath & shower separate from the toilet. Good laundry facility. Great selection of interesting teas on offer at the complimentary self service tea & coffee bar in the lobby. 1000 yen per hour surcharge for late checkout after 11am helped our departure day plans

The lobby, lift and corridors are very cold (but the temperature control in the room made up for these cold dashes).The pillows were hard and uncomfortable.

Room is way more bigger than most of the hotel in Japan. Really good breakfast. Guy at front desk is very friendly.

Perfect location in Kyoto main bus lines and metro in less than 5min distance. Reasonable size of the room. We had very nice view on the river.

Breakfest was a bit overpriced. On Haloween night it was pretty noisy.

Great room, bed and pyjamas...! Excellent, helpful staff and good washer-dryers. Easy transport to and from Kyoto station as well as the major sights. It's an ideal base for exploring Kyoto plus lots of local nightlife

Great location. Close to many eateries and access to temples. I was on the 6th floor so great view of mountains. LOVE the bathtub. Comfy bed.

Only problem was the pillows. They are hard but that seems to be normal in Japan.