Biwako no Senmatsu

Our stay was during the Easter Holiday 2015 and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We really loved this place and would recommend it to anyone who wants to feel welcomed and appreciated for their business. They basically treat you like family and are so helpful. The atmosphere was also very pleasant and quiet. We had a pretty crappy trip on our way to Japan, but this place really made us cheer up right away. At first, we were thinking about ditching the stay there because we thought it was so far away from Kyoto, but it's really not. It's only about a 15 min train ride from Kyoto station. You do need to take a taxi or ask them to pick you up at Ishiyama station which only takes another 5-10 mins. The staff really greeted us warmly and even though only one person there was able to communicate in English well, they were still more than happy to try to help us. Use the Google Translate app on your phone (be sure to pick up a SIM card for your phone - it comes in so handy in Japan). With that in hand, communicating was a bit easier. Every morning, a traditional Japanese breakfast was prepared and waiting for us in a common dining room. The food was excellent and fresh. One morning, they even prepared crab miso soup. If you don't like seafood, you probably won't like their breakfast. It is only included if you purchase it as part of your stay. The room was very spacious and clean. The room we got had twin beds which wasn't ideal for a couple, but we were able to sleep well. There was a living room with a Japanese style table where you sit on the floor. Outside of our room was a little garden and sitting area as well as a big tub to hang out in. We didn't use it as it was raining during our stay. The room felt like our own little apartment in Japan! They also provide a shuttle bus in the morning to get to the closest train station which really was helpful to get you going sightseeing quickly. Nearby, there's a huge mall called AEON with quite a few restaurants that should help you take care of any shopping and hunger needs. They also have a hot spa there, but we never found time to use it and were a bit shy as well (in Japan walk around naked inside =) ). The only negative we can say is that there's no wifi in the room and the shower isn't very comfortable (still clean), but probably more Japanese style which we weren't used to