I stayed at this property for five nights toward the beginning of January and enjoyed it immensely. Arrival, at night with the black capes and perfect lighting, was truly something special. That feeling might have had a lot to do with that fact that we had just experienced the earthquake the day prior and had little sleep the previous night due to that.

Overall, this was our favorite property we stayed at in Japan. It was serene and relaxing within the hotel itself, while directly outside the hotel was either crowded and a bit chaotic (daytime hours) or very relaxing (very early morning and late evening/nighttime). The walk from the hotel entrance to our room always felt like being transported to a tranquil place. Our room was on the 5th floor, so we went through the outside walkway each time we ventured between our room and the lobby. That walk never failed to impress me, and nearly every time I stopped and took a moment to just enjoy the various spaces along the way, especially the outside area near the garden. The hotel location isn't the most convenient transportation-wise, but if you toss in a cab ride here and there it becomes very do-able. I would absolutely stay here again in the future, were I to return to Kyoto.

The other Hyatt properties we stayed at while in Japan were Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Andaz Tokyo, Tokyo Station Hotel (SLH), and Hyatt House Kanazawa.