The shinmonzen

The hospitality of this place is incredible. The warmth of the people is amazing and remarkable. Tadao Ando really went all out in designing this place that every single detail is thought about from the material of the door handle to the thoughtfulness of how a guest moves around. We have stayed in some of the world’s best hotels, resorts and villas but this tops our list as the best hospitality experience. The food, the architecture and the location is all outstanding but the hospitality takes the cake. The team goes beyond and above to make you feel the soul of their service and hospitality and culture. We will be definitely back. Thank you, Shinmonzen team, for the experience!

The experience we just had at The Shinmonzen was truly second to none. The ryokan itself is stunning with meticulously clean rooms, extremely comfortable beds, beautiful and very large wooden bathtubs which they fill for you every night, huge bathrooms, lovely balconies overlooking the waterway, and a team that provides the highest quality services we have ever experienced. The guest experience team helped us to shape an itinerary full of things we would never have been able to experience had we not stayed with them - a private tour of the Kiyomizu-Dera temple, a tea meditation ceremony, and a Zen meditation - each of these three experiences was truly unforgettable and worth every penny. We learned an enormous amount and felt not only immersed in Japanese culture but genuinely cared for with the exceptional personalized service we experienced. The food at The Shinmonzen is also amazing. I had the Japanese breakfast every day and the variety as well as quality of the flavors were beyond words. The staff at The Sinmonzen were there 100% of the time, anticipating our needs before we even knew them ourselves. Every single member went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. We honestly can not recommend this stunningly beautiful ryokan enough, not only for the comfort, bespoke stay, and overall privacy it provides, but also the wonderful team of people we met during our time there. We hope to be back someday soon.

I had the pleasure of staying at The Shinmonzen recently, and it was an experience I won’t soon forget. From start to finish, the team went above and beyond to make my stay special. Luna, Satsuki, Yu, and Komang and the whole team were incredibly thoughtful and attentive. They helped me organize a series of unique experiences tailored perfectly to my interests. I had a private tea ceremony in a closed temple, which was an extraordinarily genuine cultural encounter. The team also arranged a walking tour through the beautiful Gion Higashiyama area and secured a reservation for me at Ryō-shō for an unforgettable omakase dinner. Staff at The Shinmonzen provided a true luxury experience, and interacted with myself and other guests in a manner that was gracious, kind and also in a manner that seemed genuine and authentic to who they were. Some luxury properties are high on pomposity and overly solicitous artifice - but not The Shinmonzen. Paddy san should be very proud of this team. As a thoughtful parting gift, they gave me a book about Tadao Ando, which was a meaningful touch that truly set the experience apart. The Shinmonzen knows how to create a personalized and seamless stay. If you’re looking for a peaceful and luxurious experience in Kyoto, I can’t recommend it enough.

Without doubt the best place we've ever stayed. 1) well located on a quiet street right along a river in Gion 2) nine rooms only - ours was Kinu, very well designed 3) architecturally stunning (I don't use that word lightly) by Tadao Ando-san 4) service bar-none takes the cake - these are lovely people 5) jaw dropping artwork throughout the hotel from the owner's collection We both loved this place and wish we could have stayed longer.

This hotel is exceptional because of the level of service and attention to detail of the staff! We have travelled all over the world and stayed at top notch hotels, but my wife and I agree that the excellence in service at Shinmonzen is second to none! They reached out ahead of time with activity suggestions, met us at our train car door, planned our whole itinerary, went through our minibar foods with us to be sure there were no allergy concerns, and just went above and beyond to make our stay special! The hotel is beautiful (a modern luxury take on a traditional Ryokan), centrally located in Gion district, and again, I just can’t say enough about the hotel team! We would definitely stay there again and recommend it without reservation!

This is now our favorite hotel and we have been all over the globe. The reason is that the service is flawless. We came to celebrate our daughter’s double graduation. She wanted to stay at a traditional Ryokan and I desired modern conveniences so we found this modern take on a Ryokan and it was a wonderful perfect choice. It is located in Gion which is great for walking. The rooms face a canal that flows from a river. The decor is light wood and sliding paper panels covering sliding glass doors. Very peaceful. There is in the winter a bit of a draft from the windows but the heat works great and we were comfortable. We stayed at the Urushi and Jiki rooms - the former has a wooden soaking tub. They both have seating areas and the latter has a small desk. They have small outdoor porches for when the weather is better. I love being able to open the doors and let in fresh air. The beds are very comfortable and we all slept well. It is mostly quiet except for an occasional car sound or ravens making sounds. We had a cute heron living across the canal I named Noaoki. The shower is nice but there is a large cement block in the middle that I didn’t think was necessary. Now for the staff. They are amazing. The queen is a lady named Luna (Haruna in Japanese) who needs to have her salary doubled. She asked us our wishes before we arrived. She made sure all of our transportation was taken care of, that food allergies were respected, that we were at all times happy and entertained. It was like having a fairy godmother. We love Luna. She got us a walking tour with a wonderful Balinese man on staff named Mr. Dana. Great man with a great smile. Luna got us a meditation with a monk named Mr Ito at the Ryosokuin Temple. Amazing. She got us a tea ceremony at the Shigemori Tea House with geiko Fukuhiro and maiko Fukuyama. They prepared tea, performed and played a fun game with my kids. Luna was there to translate. So fun. She helped with restaurant reservations. The staff filled our tub with hot water, gave us treats like chilled yuzu water, handed us hand warmers on the way out, etc. Ten stars to all of them and a big thank you. Housecleaners kept everything neat and clean. Small complaint is that they rearranged personal items on the desk and would turn on a floor lamp at turndown that does not turn off with the master switch. That was it. All else was wonderful. The small restaurant was great for breakfast every day. Delicious food! We also went one night for dinner and it was good. Small nitpicks: the gluten free bread was lousy and tasted packaged (should be made in house). The chefs loudly cleaned the open kitchen during our meal (should wait until guests leave). After the very expensive meal, two of us who are not allergic were given cakes as a parting gift. It would be kind if they had also arranged gf cakes for the two of us with allergies. Luna made up for this slight by showering us with parting gifts that were very thoughtful and lovely. We were very