There is something truly magical about the Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto — an urban oasis in the heart of one of the world’s most enchanting cities. There are times when you go to a hotel, and you could be anywhere in the world — here, it is quite the opposite. The sense of place here can be felt throughout the property. Warm and inviting, the thoughtful design and execution of every element of the guest experience reflects a deep sense of honor for stewarding the culture. We left feeling wowed by just about everything here (except for select aspects of the food and wine program) and eager to return, with Kyoto ascending the ranks as one of our all-time favorite Four Seasons properties.

Overview

At-a-Glance

• Date of stay: November 2023

• Length of stay: 3 nights / 4 days

• Trip type: Family journey around Japan

• Property type: Luxury urban oasis

• Tailor-made for: Couples, families, and wellness-enthusiasts seeking a serene base in the city

Highlights

• Unexpected upgrade to spacious residence with apartment-style amenities, balcony, and incredible views over the garden

• Exceedingly warm and personalized service experience throughout stay, consistent with Four Seasons brand

• Serene historic Japanese garden and courtyard with walking paths, koi pond and resident crane

• Plethora of unique kids amenities — scavenger hunt with stamp book, kids menus that doubled as masks, kids playroom

• Japanese afternoon tea served in Fuju, a traditional tea house set in the gardens

• Large indoor swimming pool with hot tubs, cabanas, onsen baths, and sauna

• Spa facilities and massage

• Rickshaw tour of Kyoto departing from hotel

• Daytrip to Arashiyama bamboo forest

Good to Know

• Luggage shipping can be arranged through the hotel if you are traveling around Japan by train

• There were many American guests when we stayed here

• Early March is the best time to visit for weather and crowds - cherry blossom (late March) season and fall foliage viewing (late November) season are extremely crowded

• We did not dine at the Michelin star restaurant here but the dining quality at the casual restaurant was not as stellar as the rest of the stay experience — notably, the casual restaurant was transformed into a steakhouse shortly after we visited

• Due to its popularity, there is an upcharge to dine on the terrace overlooking the koi pond

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Location & Setting

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Located in the Higashiyama ward, approximately a 10-minute drive from Kyoto station and Gion (geisha district), Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is close enough to town and the tourist sites to be well-located, but set far enough apart from the hustle and bustle to have a retreat-like feel.

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Property & Grounds

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Build around a historic Japanese garden and koi pond that dates back to the 12th century, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto comprises 123 rooms and suites and 57 residences. The hotel features modern Japanese design elements throughout and houses and extensive art collection. In addition to its rooms, suites, residences and garden, the hotel features a spa, fitness center, indoor swimming pool, 2 restaurants, a bar and lounge, a teahouse, event facilities, a chapel, and a kids playroom.

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Room

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We booked a 1-bedroom suite with a Four Seasons Preferred Partner and were generously upgraded to a 1-bedroom residence on arrival (Room 422) — other booking perks included complimentary daily breakfasts, a $100 property credit, and a VIP welcome. In addition to being more spacious than suites, the residences offer apartment-style amenities that are ideal for families, including: in-room washer and dryer, a kitchenette and dining room with seating for 4-6, a powder room with shower, and folding walls that converted the living room with sofa bed into a bedroom-like space for the kids at night. The bedroom, bathroom, and walk-through closets were spacious. The picture windows and balcony off the bedroom offered incredible views over the garden. On arrival, we were delighted to discover personalized welcome amenities for the whole family. Tatami-style residences are also available; however, these rooms setups offer less privacy for families.

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Service

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One of the main reasons we stay at Four Seasons properties so often is the exceptional service experience that is the universal brand standard. The service at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto was a standard-bearer for other properties in its class. Team members made us feel instantly at home and welcome, anticipated our needs, and were unfailingly responsive to any requests. The General Manager, Fanny, regularly walked the hotel’s common areas and dining areas to personally check in on the guest and staff experience.

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Dining

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Our stay here was nearly flawless — the sole exception was the dining and wine program. While the breakfasts, lunches, in-room dining, and Japanese afternoon tea at Fuju were lovely (with the latter two serving as true highlights), the dinner and wine program in the casual restaurant was just okay. After our stay, we learned that the casual restaurant was transitioning to a new steakhouse concept with a complete menu redesign. Curiously, the casual restaurant and Fuju teahouse provided guests with disposable wet naps at the start of the meal while all other restaurants we dined at in Japan provided warm cloth towels on silver or bamboo trays. It’s worth noting that we did not dine at the hotel’s Michelin-star sushi restaurant, which likely would have skewed our experience more positively.

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Family Services & Amenities

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This property exceeded expectations for kid-friendliness, particularly for a city hotel. On arrival, the children were given coloring books, a scavenger hunt activity, and a beautifully-bound keepsake journal to collect stamps in the hotel scavenger hunt along with hand-painted goshuin stamps from temples and shrines around Kyoto. There were sweet, personalized children’s welcome amenities in our room on arrival. Kids robes and slippers were provided in the room and children’s menus were available in the casual restaurant and in-room dining. The hotel had an unsupervised children’s playroom perfect for younger children. The swimming pool was available for families to use during all open hours. Aside from the pool, our girls loved feeding the koi in the garden pond — the casual restaurant keeps packets of fish food on hand, available at guest request.

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Activities

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Aside from the spa and wellness facilities (see section below), the hotel garden is a focal point for activities. Maiko dancing takes place at the hotel twice a week and mountain walking is offered twice a month. Like most city hotels, the activities primarily take place in the surrounding area and are arranged through the hotel concierge. The rickshaw tour of old town Kyoto we arranged through the hotel was a standout highlight from our time in Japan. We also enjoyed our day-trip to Arashiyama, though it was immensely crowded, especially in the bamboo forest, and we should have arranged a rickshaw tour there or arrived very early in the morning. The hotel is steps away from the Kyoto National Museum, and a short walk to the city’s famous temples and shrines.

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Wellness

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The hotel offers a full-service spa with men’s and women’s spa facilities, including men’s and women’s cold and hot pools, steam room, and ofuro. The 65-foot indoor swimming pool is surrounded by cabana-style loungers and thermal spas (hot tubs). The pool facility also has men’s and women’s saunas, ofuros, and relaxation areas, similar to the spa facilities. A sprawling, well-equipped 24-hour fitness center is located directly across from the pool. The hotel’s Japanese garden and koi pond also promotes an outdoor, meditative wellness and walking space for guests.

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Wow Factor

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This hotel wowed us at every turn. Highlights included the property design and Japanese garden, the residence layout and amenities, the swimming pool, and the service experience replete with thoughtful, personalized touches.

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Value

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This property is not inexpensive, but the hotel is generous with its inclusions and service touches. We are very glad we booked with a Four Seasons Preferred Partner as it delivered a host of value-added benefits at the same price as a direct booking, including a significant room upgrade, complimentary daily breakfasts, a property credit, and a VIP welcome. We also booked a weekday spa package combined with Japanese afternoon tea which delivered additional savings.

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Overall

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Overall, we ranked this as one of our favorite hotel stays and one of our top few Four Seasons stays. Our time here was seamless, effortless, and full of highlights at every turn. There was something for everyone in the family here — everyone left happy. We cannot wait to return someday, hopefully very soon.

Rating Legend*

💛💛💛💛💛 Exceptional

💛💛💛💛 Notable

💛💛💛 Standard

💛💛 Substandard

💛 Unsatisfactory

*All ratings are relative to similar-class properties