The Ritz-Carlton mixes in plenty of modern luxuries too. There are 600-thread-count sheets on the beds, en suite marble bathrooms and plenty of designer chic throughout. The suites are particularly impressive, hosting private gardens and mountain views. Further innovations can be found in the hotel’s four restaurants, ranging between intimate sushi counters and kaiseki banquets – a dining style invented in Kyoto itself where the finest local ingredients are showcased in successive degustation courses. Additional indulgence can be found in the teppinyaki dining room where wagyu steaks are prepared at your very table. For more familiar tastes, La Locanda serves up traditional Italian cuisine in a wood-panelled townhouse.
And, to match the range of dining options, there’s a full spread of facilities available. Return from days spent wandering Kyoto’s bamboo groves and World Heritage temples to spa treatments, pool soaks and a delightful candle-lit bar. Something of a Kyoto institution, it’s the ideal place to enjoy a cocktail nightcap.
