It is difficult to properly sing the praises of Hotel Mume. All the positive things that have been said here before are accurate. Based on the reviews on this site, we booked this hotel for our stay in Kyoto 6 months in advance, before we even had our airfare. I didn't want to let the opportunity to stay here pass us by and I am certainly glad I didn't. We found Kyoto to be one of the most welcoming and friendly places we have ever visited and Hotel Mume was the epitome of that hospitality. From the moment we arrived, we felt like we were more than guests...we felt like family. While all the tangible amenities and services were as great as everyone has described, it was the intangible feeling of the staff truly caring about the quality of our stay and entire trip that made this the best hotel we have had the pleasure to enjoy.

This was our second visit to Japan, but our first time in Kyoto. Trying to find those special little hotels in foreign countries can quite often be difficult, and so we turned to TripAdvisor for guidance and Hotel Mume is the currently #1 hotel in Kyoto. A little further research and enquiry direct with the hotel and we booked three nights for our stay.

The hotel is a short taxi ride from central Kyoto station (approximaely 1,000 – 1,200 Yen). We were provided with a sheet to print out to give to our taxi driver for directions to the hotel. Located on Antiques Street (a phrase most Taxi drives are aware of it seems) in the Gion area, it is very unassuming – a lovely small hotel with a bright red door. The streets surrounding the hotel are amazing, with so many traditional style Japanese buildings home to restaurants and bars. Very romantic place to walk around in the evening.

Right from the moment they opened the door to welcome us in to when they waved us off in our Taxi when we checked out we couldn't have found a more welcoming, friendly, or helpful hotel to stay at in Kyoto, Japan or probably the world!

There are only seven rooms in the hotel, we were honoured with an upgrade from the Moon room we had booked to their largest Butterfly room. And what a room that is – seating area, large flat screen TV, complimentary WiFi, a laptop on the room if you needed one to use to access the Internet, a balcony, a large rolltop bath with views out into the city, a seperate raindrop shower, and the ultimate in Japanese toilets (heated seat, washing, drying, motorised lid).

The hotel staff have very extensive knowledge of the Kyoto area, providing us with sevaral maps and suggestions of temples and sights to visit. The ones we weren't aware of or weren't planning on visiting were by far some of the most stunning sights we saw! The recommendations for gardens were some of the most beautiful spaces I have had the honour to walk around.

All the staff in the hotel spoke perfect English, and in the evenings were more then willing to suggest restaurants, make enquiries about reservations and check places had English menu's. If you do stay at Hotel Mume I would highly recommend you ask their advice on where to eat and visit.

Breakfast each morning consists of a boiled egg, bowl of fresh homemade soup, mixed fresh fruit with a bowl natural yogurt, a selection of bread and pastries, freshly pressed fruit juice and coffee or tea as you wish. The soup, fruit selection and breads change daily. The attention to detail is so good at Hotel Mume the first morning neither of us had the bannana that morning and the following two days we didn't have any bannana in the fruit selection.

Every evening between 5:00pm and 7:00pm the hotel Bar (or Saloon as often referred to in Japan) hosts a Happy Hour. You are are invited to enjoy complimentary drinks, from their wide variety of liquors and whiskeys, wine, beer or soft drinks. They also have an amazing selection of nibbles – each time our dishes were refilled they seemed to be some new! And this is a great opportunity to relax from a day's sightseeing, and talk about where to go that evening or the following day.

The love and pride all the staff have for their hotel and city cannot be understated. Next time we won't look for another hotel, we will be returning to Hotel Mume.

Just lovely! Everything about the hotel is fantastic; just like everyone has quite rightly said. The staff make the hotel what it is; they really cannot do enough to make your stay perfect. Nothing is too much trouble. We mentioned that we would like to buy washi and visit specific sites and would find directions and suggestions printed out for us on our return.
Happy hour was a nice touch and breakfasts were delicious.
We would recommend Hotel Mume to anyone.

We stayed in Kaze (Wind) - an attractive modern room overlooking a stream. The bathroom was also very nice, with the most high-tech loo we encountered in Japan. There were the expected upscale amenities, as well as a more unexpected dehumidifier and air cleaner (which we didn’t need to use). The hostesses are wonderfully attentive to the comfort of their guests, as has been noted by everyone. They even contacted us prior to arrival to mention some building work next door, thoughtfulness which we appreciated. It did not disturb us in the least. We appreciated the assistance they provided to make our stay in Kyoto as good as it could be. Especially the fact that they recommended restaurants and made reservations for places we never might have found on our own. Being provided with a printed map and restaurant photo was very useful also. Two restaurants we enjoyed very much, Yata and Wabiya Rakuchu Tei, the third not so much. However, in fairness I will not name this one as other guests have enjoyed it, and we may simply have been having an off night. The breakfasts provided by Mume were delicious and unusual, and the happy hour a delightful respite after a day of touring.
We have stayed in other boutique hotels with attractive décor, attentive hosts and even the (very welcome) daily happy hour. However, in addition Mume has this wonderful location in the Gion district, which simply cannot be beaten. It would be a shame to stay anywhere else in Kyoto.