Ace Hotel Kyoto

Ace Hotel Kyoto in Kyoto, Japan was the perfect location, design and vibe of a hotel for a short stay in Kyoto.

When I used to frequent the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, it was a perfect place of fun with happy social memories with friends. The brand was a vibrant story of eclectic fun and function. So, when I was exploring hotels for Kyoto, I knew I didn’t want a typical hotel above a transit station. I wanted a unique and vibrant boutique hotel a bit off the beaten path.

Enter Ace Hotel Kyoto.

Location

The Ace Hotel Kyoto was absolutely perfectly situated for our stay in Kyoto. It was around the corner and extremely walkable from the Karasuma Oike station.

It feels like an East meets West oasis in the area. The hotel is easily accessible and taxis know how to get there. When we checked in, it dawned on me that it was the location of the Winter home of Noma, which Johann tried to get a reservation for.

Service

Checking in, it was the exact vibe that I was aiming for in Kyoto. After taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto, I just wanted to secure our dining reservation. Immediately after asking for the front desk’s suggestions, I was given the hotel’s suggestion sheet.

This was so perfect. The fact that they have a recommended list for sushi, ramen and more – already prepared is so, so helpful. I ended up finding Sushi Sigetomi on my own. But, the sheet was a great starting point.

Plus, another situation arose where my partner explicitly wanted to go to a sushi conveyor restaurant. However, we were confused as to if the place he chose was actually open or not.

Bringing our situation to the front desk, a staff member understood our concern, called the restaurant and found out that the restaurant had indeed closed – and the phone number now was assigned to yet another restaurant with a different cuisine (!!!).

He then suggested another conveyor restaurant, Sushiro Kyoto Fushimi-Shop. It’s the details.

Stay

My partner felt that it was the most Western hotel of our three hotels (Conrad Tokyo and voco Osaka Central) due to the music in the lobby. Personally, I LOVED it.

But, I will also say that the music changes throughout the day.

The location of our room at Ace Hotel Kyoto was great. I was happy that I didn’t upgrade to the next category of room, in the separate building. In my opinion, it’s better to stay in the main building.

The room itself was clean, comfortable and kitsch in the right way. I appreciated that the bed was lower to the ground, more like a traditional Japanese tatami bed, than not.

The in-room record player was cute. I understand the concept of the vintage throwback vibe. But, we didn’t play ’em. However, it was cute for decor.

I thought I would have copious amounts of coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters. However, I did not. What I did do is get up super early and write at the communal table in the lobby. It was nice to have the opportunity to write in a communal space and watch the sun illuminate the landscape beyond the windows in Kyoto.

Another aspect I loved is Breakfast at Mr. Maurice’s , their breakfast restaurant. If you’re debating on including breakfast in your reservation, my suggestion is to do it. One thing I don’t like worrying about is breakfast in the morning when traveling. At Mr. Maurice’s on the third floor, the space was absolutely gorgeous and the food was delicious and beautifully presented.