1 week rental in Kyoto (machiya / apartment)
Oct 1st, 2015, 08:07 AM
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1 week rental in Kyoto (machiya / apartment)
As we will have 6, or 7 nights in Kyoto in April 2016 I'm thinking a rental may give us a little more space and flexibility for our visit, and potentially, a cost saving too.
My requirements wishlist:
* Location as close as possible to a station, preferably in the area bounded by Shijo, Karasumaoike, Higashiyama and Gion-Shijo stations. My level of tolerance for distance from transport is probably lower than it is for many people as I have hip/ back pain so tend to hit a limit on walking-heavy days. If our residence is close to a transport hub, that's a chunk of walking shaved off the daily itinerary.
* Preferably an area that's got lots of local, inexpensive eating options, some konbini and so on. Not the big shiny modern business districts.
* Preferably a bedroom with western style beds. I can/ will do floor futons for a couple of nights at a time, but really want a bed higher off the floor for this one. Realise that rules out many of the machiya available. Would love to find a King but realise that's rare so twins would trump a standard or small double bed.
* Really want some seating that is not at floor or very low level - preferably a sofa or regular armchairs that one can relax in. We liked to return to base and chill some afternoons before heading back out for dinner.
* Basic kitchen facilities including fridge, and would love a kitchen table and chairs if at all possible. Don't plan to do any full-on cooking, but some reheating may be handy.
* If we rent a flat or house, toilet needs to be on same floor as bedroom. Bath/ shower can be on a different floor if need be. In an apartment, I'd expect it all to be together so that may favour the modern over the traditional, even though I yearn for the traditional!
* Here's the kicker, I'd really like to stick to no more than £100-150 GPB per night, that's Y20,000 to Y30,000. Yeah, I'm travelling in peak season! But if it goes much higher than that I may as well go for a hotel, even though that does mean I'd lose the kitchenette facilities.
I've looked at AirBnB and pretty much ruled it out. Anything in my budget is pretty poky / student-level in style with tiny beds or futons only... just not comparable to hotels at same price range. Anything that looks decent is waaaay overpriced (in my opinion, I do understand that it's all about supply and demand).
I checked out quite a few machiya sites and found just one or two places that fit and are available for our dates. But I'd like to look at more modern apartment options before I decide and am struggling to find any.
Dates I'm searching on are 5 April 2016 for 7 nights.
THANKS
x
My requirements wishlist:
* Location as close as possible to a station, preferably in the area bounded by Shijo, Karasumaoike, Higashiyama and Gion-Shijo stations. My level of tolerance for distance from transport is probably lower than it is for many people as I have hip/ back pain so tend to hit a limit on walking-heavy days. If our residence is close to a transport hub, that's a chunk of walking shaved off the daily itinerary.
* Preferably an area that's got lots of local, inexpensive eating options, some konbini and so on. Not the big shiny modern business districts.
* Preferably a bedroom with western style beds. I can/ will do floor futons for a couple of nights at a time, but really want a bed higher off the floor for this one. Realise that rules out many of the machiya available. Would love to find a King but realise that's rare so twins would trump a standard or small double bed.
* Really want some seating that is not at floor or very low level - preferably a sofa or regular armchairs that one can relax in. We liked to return to base and chill some afternoons before heading back out for dinner.
* Basic kitchen facilities including fridge, and would love a kitchen table and chairs if at all possible. Don't plan to do any full-on cooking, but some reheating may be handy.
* If we rent a flat or house, toilet needs to be on same floor as bedroom. Bath/ shower can be on a different floor if need be. In an apartment, I'd expect it all to be together so that may favour the modern over the traditional, even though I yearn for the traditional!
* Here's the kicker, I'd really like to stick to no more than £100-150 GPB per night, that's Y20,000 to Y30,000. Yeah, I'm travelling in peak season! But if it goes much higher than that I may as well go for a hotel, even though that does mean I'd lose the kitchenette facilities.
I've looked at AirBnB and pretty much ruled it out. Anything in my budget is pretty poky / student-level in style with tiny beds or futons only... just not comparable to hotels at same price range. Anything that looks decent is waaaay overpriced (in my opinion, I do understand that it's all about supply and demand).
I checked out quite a few machiya sites and found just one or two places that fit and are available for our dates. But I'd like to look at more modern apartment options before I decide and am struggling to find any.
Dates I'm searching on are 5 April 2016 for 7 nights.
THANKS
x
Oct 1st, 2015, 08:33 AM
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Kavey, have you been in contact with KimJapan, a Fodorite and now a travel agent in Kanazawa? A number of us used her for some travel arrangements, including rental of a machiya house in Kanazawa. What you are asking for is a pretty tall order, but if anyone can find you what you are looking for, it's Kim.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Oct 1st, 2015, 08:58 AM
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Hi Kavey, I think that KimJapan is a great suggestion. Have you also tried HomeAway.com or VRBO.com? My version is in US Dollars, but here is a link with some central Kyoto possibilities under $225 USD per night.
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...ce%2FAscending
You can search by various criteria and there is a map. Your local version will probably be in GBP. Good luck!
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...ce%2FAscending
You can search by various criteria and there is a map. Your local version will probably be in GBP. Good luck!
Oct 1st, 2015, 09:02 AM
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Check out the location of this one, as well as the amenities and the price. It seems to also have open dates the first two weeks of April:
http://www.vrbo.com/324164ha
http://www.vrbo.com/324164ha
Oct 1st, 2015, 12:55 PM
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Hi Kavita,
As you may recall we stayed at Koke-An with another couple for 5 nights and loved it. The price is right and the places are hidden gems. Wendy and Avi are very helpful and well give it a look. They have different size machiya available.
https://www.kyotomachiyastay.com/index.php/en/
Aloha!
As you may recall we stayed at Koke-An with another couple for 5 nights and loved it. The price is right and the places are hidden gems. Wendy and Avi are very helpful and well give it a look. They have different size machiya available.
https://www.kyotomachiyastay.com/index.php/en/
Aloha!
Oct 1st, 2015, 09:55 PM
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Russ, I've never used VRBO, thank you for the tip. And oh my gosh, the place you pulled out is the place I ALMOST booked for our last trip, and it's just what I'm looking for. I have sent in a query to see if the suite we'd choose is available, certainly the calendar shows those dates, but hard to know if one or all four rooms are free. Thank you!
Oct 4th, 2015, 06:48 AM
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OK I went back to look at machiya options, and there was one that I loved, traditional machiya, good location, one room with beds rather than floor futons (other room with futons but as there are just the two of us, we would use the beds) and just gorgeous but realised that the price I'd mistakenly read as the total was the price per person so out of our price range.
I was already on AirBnB for another property - we found a place we wanted to book for Miyama on there but they aren't accepting bookings for April yet, apparently - so I decided to have another search for apartments.
Found a recently loaded property that looked perfect but was definitely priced lower than others at the level, likely because it's new to market and has very few reviews. BUT it's rented out by a company that had nearly 50 other properties, all of which had very good reviews and feedback, most of whom mentioned how accurate the photos and descriptions were, how quick and responsive the company was to any communications and just all round huge thumbs up.
So I booked it!
I was nervous as you have to pay upfront the cancellation policy most Kyoto rentals have selected is AirBnB's "Strict" policy, which only gives 50% refund if you cancel (even months in advance) and the AirBnB fee is always retained.
But they responded very quickly to my emails - they clearly have a team of staff online all the time, one of their marketing points is that support is available all the time.
So I went for it.
It came to around £180 per night, it's a lovely modern apartment with lots of space, large comfortable-looking beds, sofa, a decent kitchen, a bathroom and a really excellent location very close to that bus station area at the Yasaka Shrine end of Shijo Dori.
Woooooooooo!
I was already on AirBnB for another property - we found a place we wanted to book for Miyama on there but they aren't accepting bookings for April yet, apparently - so I decided to have another search for apartments.
Found a recently loaded property that looked perfect but was definitely priced lower than others at the level, likely because it's new to market and has very few reviews. BUT it's rented out by a company that had nearly 50 other properties, all of which had very good reviews and feedback, most of whom mentioned how accurate the photos and descriptions were, how quick and responsive the company was to any communications and just all round huge thumbs up.
So I booked it!
I was nervous as you have to pay upfront the cancellation policy most Kyoto rentals have selected is AirBnB's "Strict" policy, which only gives 50% refund if you cancel (even months in advance) and the AirBnB fee is always retained.
But they responded very quickly to my emails - they clearly have a team of staff online all the time, one of their marketing points is that support is available all the time.
So I went for it.
It came to around £180 per night, it's a lovely modern apartment with lots of space, large comfortable-looking beds, sofa, a decent kitchen, a bathroom and a really excellent location very close to that bus station area at the Yasaka Shrine end of Shijo Dori.
Woooooooooo!
Oct 4th, 2015, 09:19 AM
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Thanks Russ and Kathie, I'm really happy and excited.
I'm still hoping the place I want for a night in Miyama ahead of this week in Kyoto might come through, but if not we'll overnight in Otsu or elsewhere that night - we'll be getting a rental car out of Nagoya that morning, visiting Miho Museum and continuing on from there.
Then we have these 7 nights in Kyoto. On the second night we have a (press) invitation to dinner at a high end ryokan in Arashimaya, but otherwise the itinerary is open. I'm thinking about booking a couple of organised things but the rest I'll leave open!
I'm still hoping the place I want for a night in Miyama ahead of this week in Kyoto might come through, but if not we'll overnight in Otsu or elsewhere that night - we'll be getting a rental car out of Nagoya that morning, visiting Miho Museum and continuing on from there.
Then we have these 7 nights in Kyoto. On the second night we have a (press) invitation to dinner at a high end ryokan in Arashimaya, but otherwise the itinerary is open. I'm thinking about booking a couple of organised things but the rest I'll leave open!
