Stay Sakura Kyoto Shijo Karasuma

房間還挺大，交通也便利。

Room is on level 1 and has no window, which is a random allocation (other floor rooms have windows according to staff). Guests should know this before booking. There is only one staff manning the front desk, and he isn't always there. Called the free service but no answer. The room is big compared to elsewhere in the city and the kitchen and toilet are ample sized but they don't provide cutting board, bowls and plates in the room, which is plainly ridiculous given that this is a proper kitchen and pans, pots and knife are provided. You can tell the management is trying to stinge on manpower and general provisions. Not likely to return here, or any other Sakura Stay properties.

There's a service center for all the Stay Sakura Kyoto properties near Kyoto Station. You can leave your luggage there and they'll forward it to your room. The check-in will be made later at the respective property. The location of the place was superb and a great base to explore the city. The staff was lovely and everyone spoke English very well. The room was clean and comfy. It was just right for me but it might be a bit small if you're travelling as a group. There's a washing machine and detergent and a handy drying mode in the bathroom. The electronics are all in Japanese but there's a folder explaining every application, so no worries there. The only minor things that bothered me a bit were that there was no drying towels for the dishes and no knives, just forks, spoons and chopsticks. And there were only two very small plates, no bowls or "normal" plates. But apart from that everything was perfect and I will stay again when back in Kyoto.