The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu with Leading Hotels of the World
Last year I was kindly invited by the wonderful people at Leading Hotels of the World to experience The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu located in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, close to Kiyomizu-dera and the ancient alleyways of Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka.
The architecture of this building is so unique: The original building was purpose-built in 1933 as an elementary school and community hub. The hotel preserved many of the original features such as long corridors, arched classroom windows, and the wide tiled stairwells. I stayed in a Deluxe King room with one of the better bathroom layouts I’ve experienced. Dual basins set into stone, ambient lighting (no down lights, yay!) and a big shower and bath area.
The hotel’s rooftop bar, K36 Rooftop, is pretty special, having sweeping views over Kyoto and Yasaka Pagoda. What I really loved about staying here, though, was the ability to access rare cultural experiences, such as participating in a matcha tea ceremony in English, and watching a maiko-san (apprentice geisha) performance up close.
Hopefully the photos speak for themselves. I loved my stay here.
Please click to see the full image.
