Hotel Binario Saga Arashiyama

Convenient location; right next to train station but not noisy

A simple inn for basic staying

Great place

The location is great- steps from the train station. Not a lot nearby in terms of food and most things close early when the tourists leave for the day. Which means it’s pretty quiet at night. Rooms are good size, not cramped like most of Japan. Windows barely open and the AC was not working well when we were there.

Only reason I stayed here was for my Kyoto tour that was meeting right outside the hotel’s metro station. The station is a minute away. Everything else was quite disappointing. First, there’s a curfew hour for the hotel—The doors lock at midnight. Never ever seen that anywhere in the world. Two, the hotel desk asks you to leave your key at front desk whenever you leave the room. Never ever seen that either; why leave the key ?! Three, the rooms with a private bathroom are so poorly made that anyone can trip and fall entering or exiting. In addition, the bathtubs are poorly put in place and water leaks behind the uncaulked bathtub in the back. Mold issues assuming. While it looks amazing from the outside, inside it’s no better than a motel 8.