I will be in Kyoto from March 16th to March 20th and I am looking for a nice hotel in the $150 range. From reading the messages on this board, I am getting that central Kyoto is nicer than the Station area (is that considered downtown Kyoto) because it is a little less city-like, but still has access to subways , great shopping and restaurants. Although the convenience of being near the station would be great, if central Kyoto is a little prettier, than ultimately that is where I would want to be. Is this really the case? Has anyone here stayed in a hotel in the $150 range in central Kyoto and if so, what was your experience like?

Thanks.

Hi

My wife and I went to Kyoto last year and we stayed nearer to "central Kyoto"...but it was a pretty cheap hotel (at least in Japanese standards). I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_kyoto.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

in doing some research it seems like the Kyoto Hotel Okura would have been a good choice.. Everyone is saying that the location really is the best for shopping, dining, transportation and access to sightseeing ( maybe just a little bit out of my price range) however the official website doesn't even have the option to reserve a room beyond October 2006. Is this normal? Does anyone have any ideas on other hotels in the same central Kyoto area as the Kyoto Hotel Okura? This area seems to be the most convenient!

Thanks

some other hotel sites wont let me book past October as well. Is this common for Kyoto Hotels?

The only time I booked online was with the Toyoko Inn chain and you could book no earlier than sixty days unless you were a member of their club or whatever it is called. I made my inquiries for a room in Kyoto mostly by email and did them a about two and a half months before my planned arrival. Some hotels were already full for the days I wanted. Have you just used the online forms or have you actually emailed the hotels in which you are interested? It probably is a little early for next March though....I was usually able to find an email address even on Japanese only websites. I only have learned Hiragana so I can't read Japanese websites yet. Maybe KimJapan will jump in with a better answer.

You are way too early to book for March for most hotels. If you've decided the dates and hotel for certain, you could e-mail them to make a reservation rather than try to book online. The Okura only has rates loaded in Japanese through October...they have some great stay plans though, so if you e-mail them it would be worthwhile to ask about special stay plans for March.

The Okura is in a terrific location, but I would be <i>very</i> surprised if they offer accommodation anywhere close to the $150 range.

You might also consider the Fujita Hotel. It's a very comfortable hotel on the river just a block away from the Okura and more moderately priced. I stayed at the Fujita a year or so ago when the Okura was unavailable -- I found it to be a good value.