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Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.0
#150 of 340 hotels in Kyoto
Location
3.7
Cleanliness
4.3
Service
4.2
Value
3.5
Boasting large communal baths and a beautiful garden that changes its colour with the season, Ryokan Nenrinbo is a traditional Japanese-style accommodation nestled in peaceful Kyoto mountains.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We stayed here for 3 days at the end of December 2019 as a family of 4 adults. My parents stayed in a bigger room while my brother and I stayed in a normal twin room. The rooms come with Futon beds which are laid out for you on the Tatami.
The service was very good and the front desk staff do speak English well enough to communicate with each other. The Ryokan hotel is very clean and comfortable. We were not able to go out to the Japanese garden as it was winter and thus closed but you have full view of it from the lobby area. The Onsen (and there are at least 3 onsens per gender) was very nice and comfortable (they open in the morning and after 4pm but not in between). Each Japanese hotel room also had its own toilet and bathtub which is also very comfortable. One suggestion for improvement is that the Futon should come with one more layer of cushion otherwise it’s quite hard for those not so used to the Japanese futons.
Breakfast was a treat and the food was always very beautifully laid out. The Ryokan’s location is to the north-west of Kyoto. It’s not too accessible unless you have hired your own car (parking is free). There is also a mini-bus service that the Ryokan operates but we did not use it. There is a 7 Eleven about 1 minute’s drive away.
One criticism is that the wifi in the Ryokan is not strong at all and you often get cut off. They should consider installing a better wifi system. I also think that the Wifi network is possibly funded partly by the government rather than by the Ryokan itself. They should certainly consider installing their own wifi system which cannot be that expensive.
Dinner was quite expensive (about £45 equivalent) so we drove to the nearest station at Kita Oji which has a mall with several restaurants. If you want to take dinner at Ryokan Nenrinbo you’d need to tell the front desk 1 day in advance.
For 3 nights, the standard room cost us HK$4500 while the bigger garden view room cost us HK$6700 for the bigger room (all inclusive of breakfast).
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Date of stay: December 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Well I stayed here in our trip to Kyoto in March with my friends. Room was quite large (or beacause it had no bed so it seemed large) and comfortable. Some of my friends couldn't got used to the Janpanese style room, they got used to sleeping on bed, but for me, it's fine. Room had only basic funiture, no laptop. But this hotel had a very beatiful designed garden with strange plant. I love this place for its peaceful and quite atmostphere !! Recommended !!
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Date of stay: March 2011
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Cleanliness
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from nenrinbo_kyoto, フロント オフィス マネージャー at Ryokan Nenrinbo
Responded Dec 17, 2013
We apologize for the delay in our reply. Thank you very much for staying with us and the good rating for the room and garden. We are pleased with your comment and be glad taht you enjoyed the stay at Nenrinbo. We look forward to serving you again soon.
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We have never been treated so well anywhere else in the world. The service exceeded all our expectations. The staff people were the nicest people we have ever met. The rooms where nice clean japanese style rooms. We went to Kyoto for 4 days and it was also our first trip to Japan. Arriving from Tokyo we were expecting to find all places, including the ryokan to be right next to a subway station but we found out that Kyoto only has 2 subway lines and that everything is reachable by bus. The ryokan was 15 minutes away by bus from the kitaoji station so it was well positioned to go to many of the places we wanted to visit in particular the kinkakuji gold temple. The japanese rooms have a nice view of a japanese garden and also it has a good view of the mountains. Our japanese room had a private bathroom but we also had access to a traditional japanese bath which had the most amazing view to the mountains. We included the option of breakfast and dinner in our reservation, which is traditional japanese food (yes you have option of american breakfast). We have never eaten so much and the quality of the dishes was excellent. For these reasons the prices were extremely reasonable. Nenrinbo has both western and japanese style rooms. They speak a little english and they were very helpful in giving us directions to the city. Because the ryokan location there is no city noise and we were able to enjoy the calmness of the place. To get from the Kyoto station to the ryokan you should take the subway karasuma line towards kokusaikaikan and get off at the kitaoji station, then go up stairs to the bus departure place and go to the E door. Then take the bus named "kita one" (weird symbol - 1) NOTE: dont take the bus number 1 which is different. Jump out in the takagamine genkoanmae stop and walk 4 minutes uphill.
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Date of stay: June 2009
Value
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Cleanliness
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from nenrinbo_kyoto, お客様担当マネージャー at Ryokan Nenrinbo
Responded Dec 17, 2013
We apologize for the delay in our reply. Thank you very much for staying with us and the good rating of the room, meals and our services. We are proud of a nice view of a japanese garden and having a good view of the mountains. And we are glad that you enjoyed the calmness of the place, our Kaiseki dinner and the japanese style room. We look forward to serving you again soon.
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As I have tattoos, I chose a ryokan to stay in based off the grounds and the meals as opposed to the onsen. The photos of the garden at Ryokan Nenrinbo looked gorgeous and I was looking forward to walking around in it. Unfortunately, the garden was closed for maintenance. Without the garden and onsen, the only places on the property I could visit were the dining room, the lobby and my room. Honestly, if I had known the garden was inaccessible I wouldn't have stayed here.
The kaiseki dinner was delicious and all the staff very polite.
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Date of stay: April 2017
Value
Location
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Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A group of us stayed here for the second time in 2 years and had the same remarkable experience. This Ryokan is tucked away in a quiet residential area in the mountains so it's super peaceful. The staff here is very friendly/helpful and the food is on point. My favorite feature is the beautiful garden that you can view while sitting in the lobby and enjoying a night cap after a sumptuous meal. I highly recommend this Ryokan if you are looking for a traditional Japanese experience.
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Date of stay: February 2017Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wonderful royokan in lovely Kyoto. There is a shuttle which will pick you up. I missed it but it only cost 1200 yen to take a taxi. The room was so cool and the onsen was relaxing. Do your research on etiquette in an onsen. Delicious authentic Japanese breakfast. Do your research on tipping culture in Japan. Remember to bring a thoughtful gift from your home country in pretty wrapping for the girl who prepares and attends to you at breakfast and any others who are especially kind to you. The next morning the shuttle dropped me off at the randon station so I could take the tram to the bamboo forest. Enjoy your stay.
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Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from nenrinbo_kyoto, お客様担当マネージャー at Ryokan Nenrinbo
Responded Aug 30, 2016
Dear Elizabeth m, Thank you very much for your recent stay with us and your comments in this review. I am very glad to know that we were able to serve your needs and you enjoyed your trip in Kyoto. It is nice of you to mention about a gift to our staffs, however, it would not be necessary to bring anything. We are here to try to make our guests happy, not vice-versa. Sincerely yours, Ryokan Nenrinbo
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We made the booking because it was stated on Booking.com that the price we were paying for, would include dinner. But when we arrived, the itinerary from the receptionist stated ‘No Dinner and Breakfast.’ I showed him my Booking.com itinerary which showed ‘Meal Plan’ underneath by booking but they insisted there was no dinner for the price we were paying for. The facilities were just average. The onsen, was very much smaller and less physically attractive than the public bath that I went to. I feel that it isn’t worth the price that we paid for. The service was good, as with Japanese hotels in general!
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Date of stay: August 2018Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was more of a hotel with a Japanese style room and not necessarily how you might imagine a ryokan. The view was great from the room of the mountains.
The room itself was very clean and well appointed.
Unfortunately the garden was closed which I don't remember reading when I booked the room.
The communal bath is great with a view out to the mountains.
The bath in the room however had brown water come out when we turned the water on.
The WiFi was also the city wide service and not an independent source within the hotel. I had trouble logging on and the night manager was not able to assist me to join it.
Mixed feelings about my stay here, it was very quiet almost ghostly which is both good and bad.
There was a complimentary shuttle service to a station.
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Date of stay: May 2018
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We did not stay here long due to timings of transportation but what we saw was great. Our room was recently renovated so was spotless with a wonderful powerful shower. We are not use to sleeping on the floor on a futon but we wanted to try it. The duvet was delightfully thick, fluffy & warm. We could hear some noise from nearby rooms (eg. TV) and the fridge was quite noisy. We had the kaiseki dinner which had an abundance of dishes which all looked so beautiful. As some of the dishes are prepared early on, they were a bit dried out. Breakfast was also impressive with lots to try & the view from the dining room at breakfast was lovely. Ambience during dinner could be improved as the lights are quite bright & it's essentially a large multi-purpose room. The pool & gardens were not available due to maintenance at the time we stayed there but it did look nice. The onsen for men was very good with a nice view. There is a handy shuttle bus to a nearby popular temple & train station as this hotel is on the edge of Kyoto in a residential area not near public transport. The upside is that it's a more relaxing, quiet stay with views of the hills. We could not fault the service. Everyone we came into contact with were friendly, smiley & just great.
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Date of stay: April 2018Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Extremely over priced for what you get. The equivalent of a 4/5 * hotel which it is not. We'd thought we'd splash out on a nice ryokan experience at the beginning of our holiday. This isn't a true ryokan (we experienced many of these in the rest of the holiday). It's a hotel with a hot bath.
On the good side - the staff were without exception wonderful, friendly, helpful and went beyond for us several times. Especially when we arrived back soaked through and they gave us access to the staff laundry drying machine. The foyer area which lovely Japanese garden is also very nice.
The bedroom - is a typical ryokan layout. Tatami mats, seating area, futons etc. Futons I found very hard but that's just personal so I got an extra mat out of the cupboard which made it a bit better. Lovely view towards the mountain (and over the large swimming pool of green algae filled water). Walls are fairly thin- we were kept awake by the conversation in the next room.
The biggest disappointment were the meals. The breakdown on the bill at the end made these a staggering £100 a meal. They are served in a massive room with surgically bright lighting bit like a big school hall, no attempt at atmosphere. First night was the best - typical Japanese meal, sushimi, miso soup, tofu, rice etc. Whatever you do don't have the Chicken Hot Pot (cheap gristly, boney, fat chicken which you cook yourself in a pot of stock) or the Shabu Shabu (even cheaper slices of gristly beef with so much fat attached its inedible- this you cook yourself in boiling water thus removing any flavour at all). Having had Kobe Beef elsewhere yes it should have some fat running through it but this was inedible.
The pool - as mentioned before you couldn't use.
Location - it is in a pretty area right on the edge of Kyoto so you do get lovely views of mountains and the cherry blossom. But this means you are extremely far from any tube line. The hotel provides a lift down to either Golden Pavilion or nearest tube at 9am or 10am. We missed this by a minute so one of the reception staff extremely kindly took us down in his own car. The staff here were lovely but that's the only redeeming feature. If you're going to spend this kind of money on something you'd be better off going elsewhere - this just isn't worth it.
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Date of stay: April 2017
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It depends on the room I believe. My two companions and myself decided to splurge and the served it in a mon empty suite next door (?) With a view of the courtyard garden. But I think it is served in the breakfast room
Thank you very much for contacting us.
Every guests can smoke in guest rooms.
If guests requests non smoking room, we eliminate the smell of smoking and refresh the air.
There are more places to choose from in the Kyoto area.
PRICE RANGE
$121 - $178 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
nenrinbo hotel kyoto
LOCATION
JapanKinkiKyoto PrefectureKyotoNorthern Kyoto
NUMBER OF ROOMS
43
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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