Spend 4 nights and really enjoyed. It is small hotel, beautiful rooms( modern and yet feels very Japanese), helpful hotel staff and great location! A big plus hotel is offering bikes with electrical support. We used them almost every day and it helped us to see much, much more of Kyoto. Public transport is good in Kyoto, but using bikes let's you go wherever you want to and so you have much more chance to discover hidden treasures of this amazing town.
One thing is to improve is their breakfast. As someone said in the previous reviews it is not special for the price you pay, so definitely skip it and go local!
Make sure you check Japanese version of hotel's web page reservation engine. The prices usually are lower than on English version ( with chrome browser it is easy to make reservation), strange that they do not offer the same prices on their English version web site.

Lovely and very tranquil hotel near (10 minutes walk) the train station. Rooms are spacious and beds comfortable. Service is impeccable and all restaurant recommendations have been great. Only complaint is that the room is quite dark. Very difficult to put on morning make up or even shave. Free wi-fi and superb breakfast.

The Kanra is one of those hotels that goes for design awards at the expense of practical functionality travelers expect. The lighting over the in-room double sinks is so poor that shaving or putting on makeup is difficult, at best, What little storage there is is taken up by the hotel's paraphenalia (tea sets, rice cooker, room service menus, etc.). The same goes for places to store toiletries: aside from a good-sized table in the sitting area, there's no unoccupied horizontal space to put anything. I'm sure the architect & interior designer are pleased with the awards & kudos they've received for the Kanra. But I'll bet they stay somewhere else when they're in town.

I am blown away by this hotel. The room is both authentic yet modern. Beautiful design and decor. Feels like Japan. Not your corporate feel. Wooden bathtub and lively shower, the entire shower room smells like a pine forest. The huge bed is very comfi. My only complaint isthat room maid knocked on the door around 8:30AM despite "do not disturb sign". She woke me up. But not do bad since lots to see in Kyoto:)
This hotel will certainly be one of the most memorable luxury hotels I've ever stated at!