Just got back from two nights at the Westin Miyako in Kyoto. I had originally booked it on cash and points, but converted to cash when I checked in (I asked what the best available rate was that night and was told 15,000 yen, which was a few thousand less than the prepaid rate when I made the reservation originally). Used 1500 points/night to upgrade to the club level, which included the breakfast buffet in the restaurant (or a continental breakfast in the club lounge - go to the restaurant), and evening cocktails in the lounge and a tasty appetizer plate they bring you in. There's also a computer with free Internet access, or free wifi (they'll give you the password). The restaurant breakfast was good and included many Japanese items. I'd definitely recommend the club level - it was a great value.

The hotel provides a free shuttle to/from the Kyoto train station, so if you're taking the bullet train it is very convenient - about a 20 minute drive with two possible stops along the way which are also convenient for touristic purposes. The folks in the tourist information center at the station can tell you how to find it when you arrive. It departs every 30 minutes during the day. The hotel is also about two minutes on foot from a metro station.

The room was up to normal Westin standards - not going to blow you away, but fairly spacious and comfortable. Ask for a room with a view on the front of the hotel - we were on the sixth floor with a balcony and it was beautiful. The hotel itself is fairly large and has extensive grounds, including an exotic bird preserve. With about 500 rooms there was plenty of life, but it wasn't noisy or chaotic. Only saw one or two other groups of Westerners at the hotel; tourism must still be way down.

The hotel is in easy walking distance to several temples and gardens in Northern Higashiyama, and a longer, but doable, walk to downtown. For our day and a half we were on foot the whole time or took the hotel shuttle to/from Kyoto station. Depending on how much you want to see you might need to take the metro to some sights, but I thought the location was good, especially with the view. There are some hotels located more in the center of the city, but I didn't find that part of town to be particularly attractive and it was easy enough to get there with the shuttle or metro anyway.

There's a big thread about the hotel in the SPG forum.