Guest House Oumi

super clean, comfy bed

too crowded in peak day on Saturday

Had a lovely, cosy stay at Guest house Oumi in Kyoto. Tommy was a very attentive host and made us a tasty breakfast each morning. It was well located, with some excellent nearby restaurants and good rail links, also cyclable to and from the city centre. The room was comfortable and the shared bathroom was always spotless and there were plenty of toiletries and towels to use. Some other reviews mention thin walls - either we got lucky with our fellow guests or we just sleep very soundly, but we weren't disturbed as everyone was very considerate of the 'quiet time' curfew.

The only criticism would be, not being able to access the property between 12 and 5pm. It is clearly advertised, so we knew what to expect, however we underestimated how often we would need a nap from all the sightseeing 😂 I believe Tommy runs the Hotel independently, so it makes sense that he needs some time 'not at work'.

Everything, it’s a lovely home, all the amenities were perfect and comfortable to use, perfect location and very charming room. The host Tommy san was super welcoming and it was very nice to come back every day and tell him about our day.

I chose this property because I wanted to experience a Japanese-style bedroom and in a guest house with a more homely and local feel, than a hotel.

This property is more of a hostel than a guest house. There is a small kitchen area with two basins for washing and two shower rooms. Despite paying more than a hotel rate for this property, everything was like Wonka whereby it had an additional charge for use. There was even a charge for leaving your bag until later after checking out. The breakfast was half a toasted sandwich with coldslaw inside. As I was still hungry, I politely asked whether it would be possible to have another and I was asked to pay more for this. Hopefully you get the Wonka reference. IMPORTANTLY, you CANNOT ACCESS the property on the first day or any subsequent day, even if you are a guest, between the hours of 1200-1700. This is very inconvenient for those wanting an afternoon relax, siesta or to return to change before dinner, for example. It also means you cannot grab anything you forgot that morning like a wallet, phone charger or credit card. This was a problem for me on the first day as I was expected to arrive at 12:10 and wanted to drop off my bag. The owner messaged me that morning via the app and asked what time I intended on arriving, warning me of the 1200-1700 closure. I replied at 12:10 and provided my train times for him. I arrived to the property closed at 1210 with my large backpack. I called the property four times over the course of an hour with no answer. Instead I had to struggle with my bags whilst I visited the nearby Nijo Castle. The owner tries to be overly polite but I would say these inconveniences really damage this polite-façade.