Ryokan Genhouin

Love the Japanese style house in a peaceful setting with beautiful garden and super kind, friendly and very helpful staffs. The onsen facility is also nice and super clean. The room set up is just perfectly done.

Just some little things need to be improved like there’s no breakfast available (it would be nice to have a lovely breakfast in such a beautiful place like that). The check-in and check-out time are a bit too late and too early than others(in at 4pm and out at 10.30am). And there’s no hot water at in-room wash basin. The rest is just perfect.

It’s a very quiet piece of haven with a beautiful garden.. I was in awe with its history and it felt like I was traveling back in time. It was a well spent overnight stay and I would love to be back again when my travel takes me back to Kyoto. The Ryokan is well kept and spotless everywhere. My room was the smallest one but it was just perfect for a solo traveler like me. The view was unforgettable.❤️ It felt like home but in a more noble way. I was so lucky to have found this Ryokan thru Booking.com P.S. The welcome tea and macaron was priceless.

If you're looking for a place to relax and enjoy your stay in a beautiful setting, this is the perfect spot. Whit its wonderful wooden structure and garden, Genhouin ryokan offers a great traditional experience,that I would say is a must do in Kyoto. The rooms are big, the futons comfortable and you will find all the amenities you need (yukata included). The place is also well connected with the bus and taxis, a super market is available nearby as well. All the staff is very welcoming and kind. We also tried the breakfast, which was typical of Kyoto and it was really good. A special thanks to Taiga, who has been very helpful and patient with all our questions. Especially with the suggestions for the activities to do in Kyoto, we really enjoyed the beer garden

Truly amazing experience, we stayed for one night for my birthday, it was our first experience with a traditional ryokan hotel. We thought it could be a bit overwhelming with all the rules we read about at ryokans, but turned out it was not that hard, as the hosts were extremely nice, helpful and welcoming. Can't really say enough about the design/aesthetics of the interior and the view to a beautiful garden. We got there on a rainy day and it was a perfect meditative experience to simply stay in our warm room and enjoy the view. We had a private traditional hot bath prepared for us in the evening and a very special breakfast with a variety of small-portioned dishes, each of which was unusual and delicious. Thank you to the hosts for they hospitality and top-level service!

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This hotel was nothing short of spectacular. The ryokan was quaint, clean, and situated in a beautiful setting. The staff were incredible. Super helpful and accommodating in every way. The onsen was relaxing and a great way to unwind after a long day of site seeing. You needed to book the private onsen with the staff before taking a bath or shower, but it was always available when we needed it. Our stay was over New Years and the staff delivered a traditional New Years Osechi meal set to our room for breakfast. We booked one of the shared toilet rooms, and I was nervous it’d be inconvenient, but you’re only sharing the bathroom with 3 other rooms, and we didn’t run into a single person during our stay. The beds were super comfortable and their duvets were fluffy clouds of warmth.

The location is further from the hustle and bustle of the touristy areas which some may find inconvenient, but we found the local bus to be a great way to get around and there was a bus stop 3 minutes away.

We were incredibly blessed to be get to stay in the Luxury Triple Room with Garden View and it honestly breath taking. One of the highlights of our trip. The staff we SO friendly and kind, we got tea and cake on arrival, they even commented saying that they appreciated how much we were enjoying the view. The garden is stunning, the bamboo water feature, the lantern, the stones. You can tell a lot of time and effort was put in to make this place special. We put our phones away to stare at it for ages, can't recommend it enough. I'm a big big fan of baths and the wooden bath was everything I wanted and more. You can open the windows to enjoy the view and cheeky birds flying and chirping outside. The futon beds were so comfy we fell asleep instantly. We also had the breakfast in the room and it was a delightful array of different vegetarian treats, again you could tell a lot of work had gone into this and it felt magical. I feel so honoured we got to stay here. Thank you Ryokan Genhouin.

There weren't dinner options at the the Ryokan but that wasn't a huge issue because there is a connivence store nearby so we were able to pop out and get some food, this is stated on the listing but something to be aware of. There is nothing else!!!! I really liked it!!!!

When arriving, they receive you with tea and macaroons and show you to your room. Although they did not speak much english, the staff was really nice and eager to help. The room was wonderful with a great view to the garden, really peaceful, clean and with everything you could need. Also they give tea and cookies in the room. We only stayed for a night and left early in the morning so we did not have a chance to try the breakfast nor the public bathroom. When leaving, the hotel informed us that they could book a taxi for us, for free, to wherever we wanted to go. In our case, we went to a temple 2/3 kms away, so it saved us a lot of walking. Also we got the chance to experience the japanese taxis which were a lot fancier than we though! Although the ryokan is far away from the city center, it is located near a lot of temples.

The price was a little elevated (at least for our budget) but it is common for this type of traditional hotels.

We felt like we were treat like royalty here! Everything was thought of from the moment we arrived and left! Staff were so very attentive to our every needs and were very wholesome throughout our stay. We felt very very relaxed and thoroughly well looked after here. Would definitely come back in the future!

They didn’t speak much English, but they were also very patient and tried to converse with us none the less. Their service was still to the highest standard which made every experience even more authentic.

The property was amazing. It's what I imagined a ryokan would look like in terms of a traditional japanese style building. From the moment you enter you enjoy the view from their tatami reception area as they serve you tea and a sweet while the check you in. The rooms were amazing, spacious, clean, and had that japanese tatami room feel. The view out of our room into the garden was beautiful and soothing. The staff were very helpful and accommodating to english speaking tourists. The japanese breakfast they served was awesome. The private reservable onsen was very nice. We also had a nice shower/bath in our room. The place was very quiet and I feel like I didn't see many people so I felt like I had the place to ourselves.

Wish they had a Kaiseki dinner, but that is a minor short coming as we found great places to eat in the area.

What an unusual stay...if you want the whole ryokan experience, this is a good place to do it. It felt like I was staying at a feudal lord's house whilst he was away. The gardens look like you're at a temple – beautiful! And it was so quiet and meditative inside...a peaceful oasis and quite the change after the sensory madness of Tokyo from the past few days. The staff was beyond nice – like having personal servants almost. We communicated well despite my lack of Japanese. They even made me dinner reservations at a traditional multi-course meal that was one of the best, most interesting meals of my life. The hotel is super-traditional – you'll be taking shoes off and putting on and taking off different slippers and sandals depending on what area you're walking in. The room was immaculately clean, simple, with tatami mats and a bed on the floor that was nevertheless comfortable. And the bath . . . You have to select a time for your bath, and they prepare it for you. It's a whole ritual of cleansing oneself. The tub is a massive wooden thing, and with the hot water and the afternoon light filtering in through the steam and the quiet and birdsong from the garden, it was the best bath I've ever had – I felt like I was in a different world. Breakfast is a giant Japanese breakfast affair, and was all quite good. I miss these Japanese breakfasts now that I'm stateside.

The only downside was that lack of bathroom in the room...you had to go downstairs to use it. It is a 100 year old house, so I could look past that given all the other perks. If you have trouble with stairs, you may want to ask for a downstairs room. The location is on the edge of town outside the center, but in a quiet neighborhood and close to some of the temples that are must-sees, so it kind of balances out. It's about a 30 min. walk to the center, but there's a bus stop nearby, too.