Treat yourself to a luxury hotel in Kyoto with Small Luxury Hotels of the World. This ancient capital will dazzle you with golden temples and Buddhist gardens.
Luxury things to do in Kyoto
The towering red gates of Heian Jingu inspire awe as you enter the temple’s sanctum. As the rake gently draws across the gravel in the garden, contemplate the Zen beauty of the maple-shrouded Tofuku-ji temple. Marvel at the glistening gold roof of the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) set in a traditional garden near your boutique hotel. From the balcony of wooden-pegged Kiyomizu-dera you can watch the teeming compact city below. Around the moat-ringed Nijo Castle, cherry and Japanese plum trees perfume the air with springtime blossom. Take a trip to the prize-winning Modern Art Museum and browse through avant-garde Nihonga (Japanese painting).
Traditional culture in Kyoto
Step into the steaming wooden baths at pine-timbered Funaoka Onsen and let the hot spring water melt your aches away. As night falls, the enormous bonfire forming Chinese characters on Mount Mandara is a bewitching sight during the Obon festival. Noh theatre actors in shimmering silk brocades glide across the stage of Oe Nohgakudo.
Gourmet Kyoto
Bonsai maple leaves fall on to the moss-covered rock garden at the Ryoan-ji temple as tofu and shiitake mushrooms melt in your mouth. Sip fiery Daiginjo sake as you bite matsuzaka beef with fresh handpicked ferns and daikon (radish) near Ginkaku-ji. Strips of beef and sliced vegetables are dipped into shabu-shabu hot pots for a succulent warming dinner.
Book your luxury hotel in Kyoto with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and relax in the urban chic of your waterfront boutique hotel. Take a cruise up the Hozu-Gawa river and savour the peace of a traditional retreat.