"本次入住 111 號 Casita 房型，體驗令人非常遺憾且難以接受。 極嚴重的環境噪音： 房間與馬路僅一牆之隔（距離約 2-3 公尺），隔音近乎失效。整晚充斥著車流聲、路人交談及店家的作業聲，完全無法入眠。 不專業的應對： 飯店針對此重大問題僅提供「耳塞」作為補償，而非更換房間。在一間五星級飯店，這種硬體缺陷與服務邏輯顯然不符其定位。 性價比極低： 付出高昂房價卻換來零休息的夜晚，強烈建議旅客避開此房型。 特別註記： 我曾試圖在其他平台分享此真實經歷，但評論卻莫名消失，這讓我對該飯店處理負面反饋的透明度深感憂慮。因此，我轉而在 TripAdvisor 分享，確保其他旅客能看到真實的資訊。 [English Version] I am sharing this to warn fellow travelers about the unacceptable conditions of Room 111 (Casita Room) at this property. My experience was far below the standards expected of a 5-star establishment. Extreme Noise Pollution: The bed is located just 2–3 meters from the street, separated by a wall with virtually no soundproofing. The noise from passing cars, pedestrians, and nearby shops is relentless, making sleep physically impossible. Inadequate Service Recovery: When I reported this to the front desk, the only solution offered was a pair of earplugs. For a hotel of this caliber, offering earplugs instead of a room change for an uninhabitable room is highly unprofessional. Poor Value for Money: Paying a premium price for a luxury stay only to receive zero rest is unacceptable. Note on Transparency: I previously attempted to share this factual experience on other platforms, but the feedback was repeatedly removed. This raises serious concerns about the hotel’s transparency regarding negative feedback. I am posting here to ensure this critical information reaches other travelers."

"This charming, welcoming and well-managed hotel is in the upper section of the Gion district. Its convenient to everything but just enough outside the throngs to be peaceful. We stayed in the new section which was beautifully appointed including a wooden soaking bath and a small private garden area. The staff at Sowaka is outstanding. The property is owned by an emerging hotel group and they have assembled an amazing team. Everyone speaks excellent English and they anticipate every need. We felt like warmly welcomed guests in a private home. They made our stay effortless. We highly recommend the breakfast and the in-room massage offerings. Also, a special shoutout to the front desk and housekeeping for make sure everything was perfect. If you have time, visit the four seat bar for a whiskey tasting."

"This small, boutique luxury hotel sits in the heart of Kyoto’s Gion District, right next to Yasaka-Jinja Shrine and within walking distance of Kiyomizu-dera. We stayed in Unit 111, a two-story suite at the front of the property. Its entrance opens directly onto the street beside the hotel’s main door—which made coming and going a bit amusing, as we often caught the curious glances of passersby. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and felt more spacious than the 34 sqm listed on the website. The cypress wood bathtub was a standout feature, with a lovely natural fragrance. Because the suite sits along the street, the first floor can be a bit noisy during the day, but it becomes quiet at night. The bedroom on the second floor is very peaceful. The only inconvenience is that the bathroom is on the first floor, which may not be ideal for those who need to get up frequently at night. Breakfast was included, with a choice of Western or Japanese options. We chose the Japanese breakfast throughout our stay and enjoyed it very much. Service was excellent, friendly, attentive, and genuinely helpful. We loved the hotel’s convenience; exploring the temples and small streets of Gion was easy, and whenever we felt tired, we simply returned to our room for a rest and a cup of tea (the hotel provides a kettle and a generous selection of tea bags). Overall, we truly enjoyed our stay."

"I booked room 110 Standard Main as. Diamond member. On check in I was upgraded to room 212 Superior Garden View Annex. A nice upgrade! The annex building was a bit more spacious than the main. The room itself was beautiful and spacious. A really nice combination of traditional Japanese aesthetic and modern convenience. Room 212 is long and I think the description of a “garden view” is a bit of a stretch as you can’t see very much. I liked the wooden tub, comfortable bed, and integration of smart controls for the room. The hotel itself is located south of Yasaka Shrine and is just a short walk away. The local area is right by Gion for those looking to go there. The closest transit is a bus stop and there is a slight incline so if you have luggage you may wish to consider a taxi. I got a bit lost once wandering the hotel myself until I figured out the way between the main and annex buildings. You’ll also need to take off your shoes at the entrance which get stored behind the front desk. Remember your shoes as the staff accidentally placed my shoes under a different room number once. I had breakfast which was served in the restaurant of the annex building. I opted for the Japanese option to match the rest of my experience. There were both some expected offerings such as cod and Japanese omelette as well as more eclectic inclusions such as dried jellyfish. Overall I had a really nice time. I can see the truly boutique hotel experience and I think it’s a really authentic yet luxurious Japanese experience."

"I almost did not want to write this review, as I selfishly did not want others to know about this hidden gem. Since every room is different, it will make it harder for me to book the room I want in the future. But the Sowaka team deserves all the success, so I'm writing this review so hopefully others will understand why Sowaka is the best hotel I've ever stayed at. Prior to our stay, I sent a couple of emails to Sowaka requesting a few restaurant bookings. They carried it out to a T - provided meticulous information about the booking schedules of the restaurants and responded in lightning speed. They also went so far as to print out physical booking confirmations for us to show to the restaurant staff. The most impressive part, however, was that nowhere during these exchanges did they try to sell their own restaurants to us, which measured up squarely to the places that we tried to book. A lot of hotels came off as super tacky and always tried to upsell you. Glad Sowaka was not one of them - already a great first impression. We arrived in Kyoto after a rather disappointing stay at the newly opened Patina Osaka. We walked to the hotel from Gion Shijo station, and by the time we arrived at the hotel, we were fully drenched in sweat. We were received by the lovely Wendy, who led us to the lounge, as our room was being cleaned, offered us welcome drinks, and gave us a detailed tour of the property. I won't reveal the room we booked, apart from the fact that it's clearly the best room. It's situated in the main building, which was meticulously restored and transformed from a 100-year-old ryotei. Our room had a gorgeous view of the garden, the most plush and comfortable bed, and a giant hinoki bathtub. The staff kindly prepared all kinds of welcome gifts, including some traditional Japanese sweets, a bottle of wine from Spain, welcome fruits and cakes since we were celebrating my birthday, and a hand-written welcome card. During our 4-night stay, we also received 4 pairs of turndown gifts, and all of them were high-quality, traditional Japanese souvenirs sourced from local artisans. If you have a lot of sightseeing to do in Kyoto, then Sowaka is the ideal base for your adventures. Situated right in the middle of Gion, with the Yasaka Shrine literally next door, Sowaka offers unparalleled access to some of Kyoto's most popular sights. On our first morning there, we woke up at 6 and spent a tranquil morning at Kiyomizu-dera, which was a mere 15 minutes from the hotel. There were only a handful of tourists there, and by 9am we were back at the hotel enjoying the most wonderful breakfast. Other parts of Kyoto can also easily be accessed by 20X buses or trains at the nearby Gion Shijo and Kawaramachi stations. The staff at Sowaka was absolutely wonderful, and what a dream team they have assembled. I would go so far as to say that this was the best, if not among the best hospitality we've received anywhere. Unlike some hotels that have overly enthusiastic staff who would come off as trying too hard, Sowaka's staff made world-class service look like it's just another walk in the park for them. Just a couple of examples - almost everyone addressed me and my partner by name, and coming back to the hotel truly felt like we had returned home. The breakfast staff noticed my partner was a leftie, and from that point onwards, all of the cutlery and drinks were served on the left. Absolutely insane attention to detail. We bought a small gift back for the staff to share from Uji, and they thanked us incessantly for such a small gesture of gratitude. We did not have time to enjoy the hotel's facilities, but they did the best they could with the ryotei they inherited. There's one restaurant on site, Gion Loka, which was also the breakfast venue, a bar, and a rooftop which we did not get to see. In-room SPA can also be arranged. We stayed at 2 Four Seasons, 1 Mandarin Oriental, and 2 hotels from the Capella group this year, in addition to some other luxury hotels. None of them measure up to the experience we had at Sowaka. It stood firmly at the #1 spot as our new favourite hotel of all time and we couldn't wait for our next visit."