The Shinkansen from Shinagawa Station (Tokyo) arrived at Kyoto Station right on time and I headed out to the hotel shuttle bus stop. And luckily the bus was waiting and I was able to jump on and not wait in the 35 degree heat for 20 minutes.
It’s about a 15 minute drive from Kyoto Station to the hotel. The location can’t be faulted and I was lucky enough to get a room with a view of Nijo Castle.
ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
Apart from the shuttle bus the hotel is about a 5 minute walk from Nijojo-mae subway station which runs east west under Oike Dori.
My room was almost identical to the room I had when I stayed here in 2015.
I was determined to not eat hotel meals during this trip but rather get out and explore the local cafes and restaurants. Although I did have a beer in the lobby lounge because it was just so damn hot!
During the summer they also have a rooftop bar and restaurant on the roof that opens up in the early evening. I went up just before sunset on my final night in Kyoto and was able to watch the sunset while overlooking Nijo Castle, all while drinking beer as part of their “all you can drink for 2 hours for ¥2200” deal. ¥2200 is about AU$25… so not bad, and I’m pretty sure I got my moneys worth. 🙂
The hotel is undergoing a refurb at the moment which is good. My only issues were the air conditioning in the room was less than ideal, and the Wifi internet can be a little flaky at times.