We stayed at Ohanabo with our 10 month old son and it was fantastic. The rooms are massive by US standards let alone Japanese standards, but the warm friendly staff and unbelievable kaiseki dinner put it over the top. The owners and staff speak English very well, and are very knowledgable and helpful about Kyoto attractions. The futons are extremely comfortable as well. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

I absolutely loved my stay here. I travelled In early November and stayed 2 nights at the Ohanabo Ryokan with my partner. We booked dinner on the first night and breakfast for both mornings- all traditional japanese style.

We stayed in a gorgeous room, number 201- ask for this one!
Our room had several rooms inside, with a modern western style bathroom and a nice sitting area separate from the main room. The yukatas they provide for your use are really beautiful (don't feel silly, they are worth a try!) and each room is separated by sliding shoji doors. The futons were super luxurious, the best I slept on in Japan!!

The staff were amazing. So friendly and helpful, they were very approachable, explained about all the food and spoke a wonderful mixture of english and japanese. The maps and tourist information they provided was excellent. They went above and beyond. We left for they day and forgot a water bottle, so the staff member jumped on their bike and rode after us to return it. Seriously!

The traditional kaiseki dinner was an experience!
Lots of weird stuff! But plenty of normal delicious food too, including strips of kobe beef cooked on a burner on the table, tempura prawn and vegetables, a piece of cooked fish, miso soup, rice etc. The food just kept coming and I really enjoyed it.

I really loved the japanese breakfasts.. One day we had tofu cooked freshly at our table and it was incredible. Always a few weird jelly things, but mostly delicious food. Oh and the coffee is really delicious!

The onsen was lovely and warm. A bit weird taking a public bath, but luckily no one came in while I was there and I could enjoy it all to myself. I would recommend using the lovely onsen.

Location- perfect! About 5-10 minutes walk in a straight line from the central Kyoto station. Bus stop just around the corner, and a Lawson's across the road.

I can't recommend this Ryokan highly enough, I think that is all I can say =)

We loved staying here for 2 nights during our trip to Kyoto.....(first two nights here, 3rd night at Hotel Mume).
It was a great experience staying in a traditional ryokan - sleeping on the floor, having your food served to you in your room etc. I would highly recommend it!
The staff are sooo lovely and sweet, especially the owner who actually DROVE us to Hotel Mume when we checked out! It was so sweet and kind of her! The Japanese really are amazing people.
My recommendation for going to Kyoto would be to stay half at this Ryokan then the other half at Mume - to experience both. I'm glad we were able to.
The beds were very comfortable and it was easy walking from the train station to the hotel. (the cute staff of course came and met us half way!) Enjoy!

I stayed 5 nights at the Ohanabo while in Kyoto for a class. I wanted to experience a traditionnal Japanese ryokan, and I have to say Ryokan Ohanabo far exceeded my expectations. The service was amazing, everyone was very friendly and made me feel at ease; I never felt out of place as a Westerner withouth knowledge of Japanese language or culture. When I left after 5 nights, not only did they help me find another great place to stay, but they arranged for my luggage to be moved while I was in class.
My room was large, airy and clean. The futon that was laid out was soft and comfy (for a futon). I had a room with attached bathroom, but I actually never used the shower, preferring the fantastic communal bath. Dinner, ordered in advance, was served in the room: I sampled the kaiseki dinner, the shabu shabu and the sukyiaki; it was very exotic, and very tasty. Breakfast, Japanese or Western style, was served in a common room on the ground floor. The Japanese breakfast featured several small dishes all exquisitely presented.
I would recommend anyone whishing to experience traditionnal Japanese hospitality to try it at Ohanabo; there may be more luxurious ryokans around, but given the quality of service, the Ohanabo is a great deal. This is a very different experience that requires an open mind, good knees and back (sitting on the floor and sleeping on a futon), and I would advise to do some research on the net prior to arrival. I had a mind-blowing experience which I will remember for a long time!