Aman Kyoto

Having stayed at Aman Tokyo(and being OBSESSED with it!), we decided to try Aman Kyoto this trip to Japan rather than the 4 Seasons and we are so glad we did! At the tail end of the autumn season, fall colors welcomed us we came to this idyllic haven away from the bustling chaos of central Kyoto. For many this may not be acceptable but we were perfectly thrilled to be staying away from the busy areas. Rooms are quiet with beautiful view of the forest. Soothing Japanese style of immaculate rooms that mimic ryokans. But all rooms have all modern conveniences like power shades,USB wall chargers, wonderful light controls,Toto toilets, mini fridge with complimentary soft drinks, water etc. There are 2 restaurants on site plus a tea pavilion!- The first is The Living Room which is really the central gathering place and is open for breakfast and all day dining with a lovely central fire place and an outdoor sitting area with another fire place and individual tables with heaters and blankets as needed. The whole atmosphere is inviting and cozy! the food is equally wonderful and there are both Japanese and western choices all prepared equally well! Taka- An is the more formal restaurant wit Japanese kaiseki cuisine where we had one of the most delectables meals of our lives. It was snow crab season which we had requested in advanced thanks to the concierge service! The chef cooked each course in front of us so it was very intimate and personalized. We are most grateful to Yua our server that night (and the second night we ate there) for patiently and painstakingly translating throughout both evenings. We relished the snow crab prepared fresh, as sushi, in a dumpling, grilled,in rice, and chawanmushi. WOW!!! The Aman spa is unlike any other place we have stayed in and I highly, highly recommend it. From massage to facial, it is calm and restorative. The most exquisite experience was our private use of the onsen. What an incredibly beautiful, setting that was one of the highlights of our trip. Lastly,Service is inimitably Aman and exceptional and most of all personalized! From arrival to departure, everyone addresses you by your name! We are especially in awe of and grateful to the Butler/concierge service who were helping us seamlessly arrange tours, guides, restaurant reservations, private manicure, and so much more and appear to be available 24/7!! THANK YOU seems inadequate for their patience and support!! I wish I could thank everyone by name but the culture here is really seamless service and team work!! We truly cannot wait to go back!

Let’s start with the great: The location and the scenery are stunning. It is tranquil, and recharging. Going in peak autumn is an absolute mess. Don’t go in spring if you want to see Sakura blossoms because they don’t have any on the property. Autumn and winter are the best seasons to come here. The spa is absolutely lovely, although note that the onsens are separated by gender, and you have to book a private visit you want to enjoy the hot spring with your spouse or family. Still, I spent an amazing 3.5 hours here. I could hear some people in the hallway during my treatment which wasn’t too bad.. The food is quite good, and well prepared. Please take the garden tour with Sakura san who is an absolutely fabulous and intelligent woman. Spending time with her was the highlight of our stay. She is a beautiful orator of history and a very interesting person. The food is quite good as well. The average: If you’re staying here, you’re willing to drop over $3000 a night. We are fortunate to be able to do that for some nights, however going from another Aman property, where our expectations were set high, to this one was slightly disappointing. We just left the Aman in Vietnam where it was about one third of the price of Aman Kyoto and the rooms and service were exponentially better than at Aman Kyoto. Here, they barely cleaned our room, only coming in for turn down service. We got incorrect orders, they served the wrong items to us, there is hardly any attention to detail like other Aman properties. I completely understand there is an exclusivity to this place BUT it is extremely expensive for pretty terrible service. Additionally, you can hear guests in the hallway very loudly. It is as if they are inside our room. So again, we paid about $3500/night and there is almost no insulation between our walls and the hallway. Come here for no more than 2-3 nights to experience the gorgeous and historical property but don’t expect much service. We stayed in the Kaede King room, which I recommend because it’s not on the ground floor, so you get more privacy. I still can’t believe how much noise you hear from the other guests in the hallway. Maybe if we stayed in a suite or residence the service would’ve been better?

Booked Aman Kyoto for part of my Kyoto trip. Asked them to help book some restaurants but they said for some of the dates it doesn't overlap with my stay so they can't help. You would think for 4k USD a night, and for a customer who have stayed at 10+ of their properties they would have a bit better service.

Aman Kyoto is a fantastic escape from the bustling city life of Kyoto. I stayed here with my dad for three nights to end a 9 day excursion in Japan (we also went to FS Tokyo and FS Osaka). Three nights was about the perfect length to stay at the hotel. The hotel is great for those looking for complete tranquility and privacy. The food is phenomenal - particularly at the fancier restaurant Taka An. The service is also phenomenal as all staff know you by name. (It is only a ~25 room hotel). You will have the utmost privacy and will only seldom run into another guest. The real beauty of the property is the fact it is built entirely within gardens. Special shoutout to Seou (i think I am spelling her name right) who gave us a fantastic garden tour to start the trip off. Would highly recommend people to do a garden tour! A few things worth noting before staying here. First, the hotel is about 30 minutes from the city. While this means you have utmost privacy and tranquility (enjoying the natural beauty of the forst) it means that it may not be the best spot if it is your first time to Kyoto or you want to do a lot of city exploring. (They do however have a complementary BMW I7 and X7 to take you around if you want to go bank and fourth). Also it is worth noting that they do not have a swimming pool or gym which one might expect for the amount you are paying (however they do have a fantastic spa with both an indoor and outdoor Onsen) and the property is so large that you can get your natural steps in. Overall it was a fantastic stay for our needs. Just make sure you want a tranquil escape from city life.

Peaceful haven in Kyoto. Amazing property worth experiencing, perfectly curated space within nature and wonderful surroundings immersed onto an absolutely stunning and spectacular forest/garden. Staff members are very kind and welcoming in every way.