Most hotels have lousy lighting in the room, often making it difficult to read. My room in the Palace Side had the best lighting of any hotel I have ever visited. The room was small, but they managed to squeeze the normal amenities into the small space. I had a small chest of drawers, which other guests told me they lacked, maybe because I had a single room. The temperature control worked well. The shower was adequate for me, and I appreciated the delightful Japanese toilet seat. I also enjoyed the fridge for cooling my sake. There were two small elevators that were fast and responsive. The staff were courteous and responsive, and most spoke good English. I did not, however, enjoy the food in the restaurant.

Large room, but absolutely unusable bathroom. I had to shower standing sideways because there wasn't enough room for me to shower otherwise. I used the lobby bathroom as much as possible and contemplated visiting the public bathhouse down the street. The furniture and room needed some attention-- very old and worn. The bathroom was clean, but the carpet was disgusting. Luckily we had some disposable slippers from our previous hotel that we used.

Even though the hotel advertised room temp control, it's not quite correct. Once they flip the switch to heat, you can no longer cool your room. Only heat it. My husband and I were really hot the first couple of days, and then a cold front moved in so we finally got comfortable without having to open the window (which has no screen).

The worst part is that the hotel is located by a hospital and a fire station. Three of the four nights we were there there were no fewer than three emergency vehicles blazing their sirens in the middle of the night. I didn't get much sleep.

The hotel staff was helpful and spoke English well. The Fresco down the street is pretty nice and the laundry facilities were great.

The free Wi-Fi in the lobby worked well, but hotel computers are full of malware. Despite advertisement, there is no in-room safe and having to drop the key off at the front desk is irritating.

I can't recommend this place and won't stay here again. My husband and I were counting down the nights until we left.

Central hotel with very spacious rooms, located next to the garden of Kyoto Imperial Palace, 5 minutes walk from the bus station and Marutamachi metro station. Large foyer with two free internet terminals. Excellent value for money!

I stayed in the Palace Side Hotel for almost a week to attend a conference, followed by some sightseeing around Kyoto (I had seen most of Kyoto already during my first visit). The room was clean, and although small (for Western standards, for Japanese standards it was probably above average) big enough to be comfortable. The hotel has free internet (wifi only in lobby), a restaurant with decent prized meals and the staff spoke adequate English. You can get a Y 100 discount on the good breakfast buffet if you buy your ticket the day before.

Although the hotel is next to the Imperial Palace, it is not close to most major sights inside Kyoto (which didn't matter to me as I already seen those). There are also not many restaurants on walking distance. However, it is within 5 min. walking of the subway, which was very convenient for me. Close to the subway station is also a 7/11 with an ATM, in case you run out of cash.