Ryokan Sumiya Kihoan

The breakfast was amazing! Me and my friend had the Japanese style for the two days we were there and did an amazing job prepping us and giving us a tour of our room.

This place was an absolutely godsend for our group after an intense week on our feet walking around Tokyo and Osaka. The staff were incredibly welcoming, the food delicious, and the onsen baths deeply relaxing. Also loved their gift shop! We want to come back for sure.

We had a great time here

Very kind and attentive staff. Everything was clean and very comfortable for us.

This is a special traditional

The ryokan was awesome!!! The people were amazing. I have never been to a hotel with this level of service and attention to detail. The customer service was next level and the team worked tirelessly to make the trip a pleasure.

The place was amazing, if you're looking for a typical japanese experience this is the place . The property is nice and well maintained. The rooms are not new but it add to the classical japanese experience. Overall i recommend if you are looking to live the authentical japanese experience. The staff was so polite and professional too.

Great place. Location close to a main road makes it noisy. A particularly annoying issue is that you have to pay for your coffee while in the onsen.

The pictures and website don't give this place justice, it was one of the most amazing and relaxing experiences I've had. I had a group of 4 and we booked a room with a private hot spring and foot bath. The room was traditional with the shoji doors and windows, everyone at the hotel is given yukata robes and sandals to wear which were comfortable and fun. We opted for the meals in the restaurant, I loved everything they served and the staff was so professional and kind. I recommend you eat everything with an open mind, it was delectable. We paid extra to visit the mountainside hot spring, it was a small outdoor walk and my favorite part. It's big enough for a group but I went with just my husband and it was a vibe. It was rainy and the sun was setting but I still loved it. I highly recommend staying here, and shout-out to the shuttle guy for driving everyone back and forth seamlessly from the train station

Our family spent one night at this traditional Ryokan during our time in Kyoto. The service was impeccable, from the moment the shuttle bus picked us up at the train station and throughout our stay. A designated staff member greeted us, offered us tea, and then went over the amenities of the property with us. We reserved the private onsen so we could enjoy it as a family (regular communal onsen is not coed). The onsen is a natural outdoor hot spring with medicinal benefits! Dinner and breakfast were nutritious and delicious, and the mats we slept on on the tatami floor offered a comfortable night of sleep. Would definitely stay here again!

It was exactly what my wife and I were looking for in the Ryokan experience. The in-room onsen, private onsen, and communal onsens were excellent. Our in room meal was excellent and the traditional ryokan breakfast the following morning was great as well. The only issue was we were only there for 1 night.

Amazing private onsen

This was easily one of our highlights from our Japan trip. The staff here are extremely friendly and accommodating, food was outstanding and a shuttle to easily get into Kyoto for the day. Don’t skip!

료칸은 처음이었지만 만족스러운 숙소였다. 대욕탕도 좋았고 노천탕도 모두 좋았으며, 직원분들이 매우 친절했다. 숙소에 있었을 때 눈이 와서 그런지 분위기가 매우 좋았다.

Room was very spacious and comfortable. The private Onsen was a treat and the public Onsen is fantastic! They sure feed you well here too!!

The stay was beautiful!

落ち着いた雰囲気と非日常を味わえる温泉でした。リニューアルした設備でしたが、それを感じさせないほど、キレイで落ち着く空間でした。温泉付きの部屋でしたが、早朝から自然を感じながら和やかで豊かな時間を過ごさせていただきました。オススメのお宿です。

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. The hospitality and experience of this ryokan was like a dream.

Pro: Staff were very helpful and accommodating Food was excellent We loved the secret onsen Con Our room smelt and was mouldy It was v expensive

とても素晴らしい旅館。 ご飯も美味しい。

일존에 온 김에 료칸을 이용해보고싶어 심사숙고해서 예약한 곳이었는데 픽업해주시는 직원분과 맞이해주시는 분들 응대해주시는 분들 모두 너무 친절하셨고 엄청 맛있으면서 양도 정말 많았던 가이세키와 조식도 너무 만족스러웠습니다. 보통 숙소에 개별 스파가 있는 룸으로 예약 많이 하시던데 프라이빗 온천과 대욕장 이용하면될거 같아 코타츠룸으로 예약했어요. 밤에 즐긴 프라이빗 온천은 쉽게 경험하기 힘든 산 속 온천으로 해가 진 뒤로 예약을 해서 주변 풍경이 잘 보이진 않았지만 물소리 풀벌레 소리 외에 다른 소리 없이 가족과 조용하면서도 매우 특별한 시간을 가졌어요 ! 간단히 씻을 수 있는 바디솝,샴푸,트리트먼트와 세면장이 있었는데 좀 불편해서 들어갈때 간단히 씻는 정도로 이용하고 나와서 바구니 반납하고 대욕장에서 편하게 씻었어요. 어매니티 퀄리티도 좋고 클렌징 오일에 폼에 스크럽까지 다 구비되어 있어서 손 가벼이 목욕다녔어요. 디너 가이세키에 샤브샤브 또는 스키야키 선택할 수 있었는데 개인적으로 스키야키 추천드려요- 여튼 모든 직원분들의 친절한 응대와 깔끔하게 잘 관리되어 있는 숙소덕분에 여행 마지막 밤을 잘 마무리했답니다. 다음에 또 머물 기회가 있음 좋겠네요 :)

Very friendly staff and beautiful property

Amazing experience. It’s out of the way to get to, and there isn’t anything else really around, but that’s kind of the point….. you go for this hotel to just relax and dine at the hotel. The in room meal was amazing and the onsen was super clean and relaxing. Highly recommended.

I can't explain enough how much we enjoyed our stay here. The staff was super courteous and spoke very good English. The location is gorgeous and quiet and the hotel runs a shuttle to and from the nearest rail station several times a day if you want to get into Kyoto proper. That said, it's likely to take an hour to get to Kyoto by shuttle/train or 30 minutes if you take a rather expensive taxi. Plan accordingly! I think we would visit again.

This was our first stay at a rhyokan (spelling!)and we were blown away by the beauty, The comfort (personally I felt sleeping on tatami mats on a futon perfect). The attentive service was welcoming and spot on. We ate breakfast and dinner here and the local food was abundant, gorgeously presented and flavorful. We had a room with a private Onsen on a deck. Highly recommend. This was a unique, peak experience and I am a seasoned traveler. Do it.

Todo bien diferente pero buena experiencia

Absolutely wonderful!

An absolutely refreshing getaway from busier city centres to relax. Everyone was polite and service was exceptional. As a foreign visitor they did their best to facilitate their service in English. Breakfast was included - both I had were different and traditional (visitors should do their research on traditional Japanese breakfast). Their supper was presented beautifully and was excellent and refreshing. Be sure to call in advance for shuttle pick up from Kameoka station. The shuttle is scheduled and is spaced an hour apart. Departing shutting from the ryokan starts at 0900 for any visitors planning their next day’s travel; takes approximately 30 minutes to get to Kameoka station. Highly recommend, would come again in the future for some much needed relaxation.

ずっと行きたかった旅館でこの日をすごく楽しみにしていました。到着してからチェックアウトまでスタッフの方の雰囲気や、気遣いがとても素晴らしかったです！ありがとうございました。 夜ご飯と、朝ご飯をいただきましたが、味付けだけではなく見た目も素晴らしく感動しました。また行きたいなと思います！

部屋にこたつがあり、とてもゆったりとした時間を過ごすことができました。 接客の対応も良く、帰省時には凍ってしまった車のフロントガラスも溶かしていただき、快適に帰る事ができました。

Amazing! Very refreshing!

Highly appreciate the excellent and delicate seasonal and local dishes in both breakfast and dinner, beautiful environment during the maple season

枕頭不夠高，整個晚間料理不知道菜式

This is a fabulous place, and the service is amazing. Well worth it as a relaxing side-trip if you're traveling to Kyoto or the surrounding area. The grounds, baths, and rooms are beautifully kept and very clean. The private outdoor onsen is well worth reserving, and gorgeous in the evening/night hours. Quick FYI in case you're unprepared: this is a traditional-style bath house, with separate public baths for men and women; i.e. no swimsuits or clothes allowed in the baths.There is also a shuttle that makes limited trips to/from Kameoka Station and Ryokan Sumiya, and can save you a good bit of taxi fare if your timing works out.

The secret onsen is excellent and provides privacy to you while you can enjoy the hot spring and the environment.

We had a lovely stay here. The staff was extremely pleasant and accommodating. The food was delicious and they were very helpful in steering us away from seafood which neither of us care for. The room was lovely - Japanese-style with Kimono and tabi- It was more difficult to get to than we had anticipated- a good 45 minute trip out of Kyoto. Need to take a local train and then either a shuttle or a taxi. I wouldn’t recommend it if you were just there to tour Kyoto but we wanted a spa-type relaxed environment which it definitely is with Lovely hot springs. Nice gift shop. We enjoyed all of it!

Wonderful traditional ryokan with beautiful baths, the service and facilities are fantastic. We felt very welcomed and cared for. The public baths are great, but the best experience is the private outside bath which can be reserved separately -- well worth it! There is also a shuttle that does pick up and drop offs at selected times from Kameoka station, which is super helpful. Overall a delightful experience great for relaxing and getting away from the rush. Thank you to the wonderful staff!

Staff were very friendly and understanding if you needed to ask about anything, the location is a dream,

Very good onsen, dinner and breakfast is just fantastic! The price for the room is reasonable. Highly recommend visit the hotel with self drive vehicles. The location is not close to anything.

Not bad , A little smoking smell in the room.

Our stay was wonderful. We had the sukiyaki for dinner, absolutely delicious and filling. We also enjoyed an experience in the secret outdoor Onsen at night time. It was very romantic and peaceful. The room itself was lovely, it smelled clean and fresh. If we have the opportunity to visit Japan again we would definitely come back here.

We left from Italy with the wish to see the real Japanese style of life and here we found it! This is a beautiful place where you can relax, live the real Japanese culture and you can relax in the hot springs. We discovered the real Japanese food, and it was fantastic! We say "Thank you very much" to the staff, for their kindness, availability and for the services. An unforgettable stay! Giuseppe Ghiraldo.

What an awesome place! Stayed there at the recommendation of a Japanese friend. It's great to experience a traditional Japanese hotel for a few days. You sleep on the mats in your room, and you can order a dinner to be served in the room. The food is excellent, try their traditional multi-course dinner, it's a bit expensive but totally worth it! It looks like the most of the guests are Japanese, but stuff goes out of their way to make foreign visitors welcome. Most of them speak decent English. Also, try the onsen - the experience sounds a bit weird at first, but it's really amazing! It turns out that John Lennon and Yoko Ono visited this place in 1977, if you ask, they will show you their autograph.

La struttura e il personale sono perfetti pronti a soddisfare ogni tuo bisogno. Il clima e l'atmosfera sono quelli della vera tradizione giapponese. Le camere sono belle, il cibo secondo la vera cucina in Giappone. Per chi si vuole rilassare e riposare dopo le giornate frenetiche in giro per le grandi città del Giappone l'hotel offre ai suoi ospiti i benefici delle terme. Per noi il soggiorno in questo hotel rimarrà un ricordo fantastico e pensiamo che chiunque venga in Giappone questa dovrebbe essere una tappa da non perdere per scoprire la vera anima di questo Paese.

段差3段は簡易のスロープを利用すればOK、旅館備え付けの室内用軽量車いすを用意して乗り換えすればOK 障害者が利用しやすいホテルになっていただきたい。

Loved our stay at this Ryokan! The service was amazing as expected. If you love nature and want to get away from the buzz of the city, you’ll love it too! They have a shuttle you can take instead of the bus from Kameoka station.

Wonderful, peaceful experience at this Ryokan. Easy to get to and facilities were well maintained. The private Onsen was a memorable experience - try to do it at dusk! The 7 course dinner was a delightful experience even catering for 6 year olds! Amazing service all round especially from Mizuki for the dinner service in our room. Highly recommended for family.

Très beau ryokan on est complètement immergé dans la culture japonaise Belle chambre avec futon et onsen très agréable Très bonne cuisine , dommage que le petit déjeuner soit seulement japonais Pas de petit déjeuner continental Seul problème est la situation à presque une heure du centre de Kyoto!

The best part of our stay was enjoying the private outdoor hotspring. It’s worth the extra cost and advanced booking. The pros: the staff was friendly and helpful. We appreciate the fact they arranged for English-speaking staff to assist us. They also brought us a heater when we noted that the shower area in the room was cold. The hotspring tub in the room was nice and big. The cons: The inn is close by a highway. One can see cars fleeting by from the dining area and the wine bar/cafe. The Western room with private outdoor hotspring bath that we booked was small for the price. The easy chair facing the green view is in the bathroom. The room is very basic. No elegant decorations like in other ryokans. The tiny pantry for making tea is next to the toilet. There is no choice of yukatas. Both male and female have the same ones. We were never asked about size selections either. The coat over the yukata was thin. In some other ryokans we have stayed in there were thicker coats provided. The whole place other than the room was chilly. There seemed to be no heating at all. The Sukiyaki dinner we chose was good but not fantastic. They do give you lots of food though. Breakfast was half- buffet style. Very basic, nothing impressive. It’s ok overall but we will not return. We stayed at Suizen and liked it much better.

員工服務態度好好，又會幫忙搬行李回房間，溫泉開放時間長，由入住時間到等二朝10點，食物質素佳，早餐有西式或日式選擇，我兩日都選擇日式，好食之餘份量重好多，值得入住！

Very friendly staffs. We stayed 2 nights and enjoyed very much. Staffs remembered our taste and needs, and we tried different views and didn’t use the same dining table every meal. Fantastic. Yummy meals.

The service is good. As we got into the hotel, a staff would give a brief introduction of the hotel and led us into the room. In the restaurant, the waiter introduced the dishes to us. They are helpful.

The most beautiful 8 course lunch, very thoughtful and attention to detail. Mizuki our host was so smiley and helpful, she made our experience very special. The outdoor private onsen was incredible. Highly recommend!!!! We will definitely be back.

This is a beautiful Ryokan near Kyoto. For those that don't wanna use the communal baths they have a private outdoor onsen that's secluded and and very relaxing. The staff were very friendly and the food was excellent. The day trips are well worth the trip and good value.

The ryokan is located next to the car road in the middle of country field. Its good that they have shuttle bus from kameoka station. We made reservation for 1night and paid extra $32 for using private open air bath for 45min(usually other ryokans offer it for free). Private bath was very dark and far...not very clean...and seemed insecure and we had to leave after 20min. Sumiya Kihoan was very different from other ryokans making us pay for even WATER bottles and all the minibar drinks. no complimentary drinks in the room. i recommend to buy water bottles when you arrive at the train station before taking the shuttle bus. bc there is nothing near this ryokan. i feel sorry to the staffs but kaiseki food is really bad. fish is dry and sashimi is not fresh. only! steak is good (paid extra for steak). Also if you bring wine bottle and drink during in room dining, they also ask you for ridiculous corkage cover charge. Theres a reason for cheap room price. they will make you pay extra for many things.

Sumiya Kiho-an Ryokan in the hot springs resort area of Yunohana, Kameoka has become one of my three favourite Japanese style inns. The food here is fantastic. On this stay I even got to try the local delicacy, boten Nabe made from wild boar. The rooms are large and feature a kotatsu (low heated table) and the hot spring baths are soothing and warm. Was lucky enough to see the areas first snow fall as well.

시설, 청결, 직원 서비스 모두 훌륭합니다. 온천 너무 좋았어요 다음에 또 방문하고 싶습니다.

We enjoyed very personalised service from the time we boarded the hotel shuttle bus to the time we left on the same shuttle bus. The hotel staff ensured we were taken care of every time we interacted with them. We loved the private Onsen experience even though it was somewhat mysterious/ scary to be bathing in near darkness. Meal times were especially delightful. Our waiters and waitresses were all highly professional, engendering mutual respect and kindness for each other. Overall, we loved the stay as we did everywhere and every time we are in Kyoto.

Stayed one night, everything from room, meals to service were amazing. The outdoor public bath is small but a cosy size. There are a few small pocket areas which is quite thoughtful allowing some personal space. However the baths did not swoop while we were there so it wasn’t possible to experience both baths (usually male/female baths swoop in the morning so guests can experience both). Unfortunately we weren’t able to book the private outdoor bath. Have to say that was quite disappointing. We thought booking wasn’t available before arrival so didn’t even try to ask, arrived around 4 so was hoping it wasn’t too late to book but it was already full. Maybe the ryokan can consider giving guests with bookings for no-private-bath rooms an advance booking option? Just a thought. The restaurant area is very cosy and every party had a separate area, it was a good variation to the room service (dinner: room service; breakfast: restaurant) Staff are friendly, professional and multi-lingual, they were quick to respond our queries and requests. The place is 20mins by express train or 40mins by local train from Kyoto main station. The ryokan offers shuttle service from the train station (Kameoka), just message them in advance to ask for the schedule, the hotel was quick to respond and very helpful. Will highly recommend the place for anyone looking for a quiet onsen experience.

We had one night there. The onsen hotel was near the mountain so one side was facing the road and the other side was facing mountain. Our room was mountain side and we had a private onsen outside of our room. Room onsen was nice and relaxing. The onsen and room inside were clean. Dinner and breakfast were traditional Japanese styles. Totally, we had a very nice onsen there and a relaxing night in the onsen hotel.

一歳半の子連れだったのですが、気遣いして貰って、楽しい滞在でした。食事もオーソドックスな美味しさで、お湯も良く、ただ古い旅館なので、お風呂をもう少し綺麗にして欲しいなと思いました。

Very traditional Japanese furnishings in guest room. No chairs or sofa. Low table and sitting position on floor. Beds were flat cushions on the floor and if used to soft mattress it is an unpleasant experience. Dinner was outstanding and so was breakfast but very pricy as no other restaurants nearby for options. Would stay again for the service and experience.

We didn't stay at Sumiya Kiho-an whilst in Kyoto, but we came instead for their private onsen and lunch package. The whole experience was so smooth, the staff spoke perfect English on the phone and it was all organised flawlessly, you can sit back and let it happen! We took the JR train first to Kameoka station, where we were picked up by their shuttle bus which we had pre-arranged. We were greeted at the entrance of the hotel, invited to relax in the library (which was clean and beautiful) until our lunch slot. Lunch was included in the price aside from drinks, and we had a full set of 7 appetiser courses of traditional Japanese food (sashimi, salad, clear soup...) and then we chose our main meal from a list (shabu-shabu, grilled fish, chicken etc.) and fruit jelly for dessert. Afterwards we went to the private onsen across the other side of the hotel, you walk through a wooded area to get to it and it's silent except for the sounds of nature and the running water. The hot spring itself is so beautiful, you're given towels and the key, there are washing areas and a shower... it's just perfect!! Highly recommend to anyone staying in Kyoto who wants more of a day trip experience.

Very nice traditional Japanese-style Ryokan though it opened quite recently.

We wanted to indulge in a great Onsen Ryokan experience with Kaiseki dining. We got that and more! Our own private outdoor hot spring tub, spacious room and friendly service. This was the best example of formal yet friendly hospitality we have experienced.

료칸 자체는 무척 훌륭한곳이에요. 온천도 넓고 시설이 너무 깨끗하게 잘되어있어서 흠잡을데 없이 좋은 느낌이었습니다. 다만 너무 외진데 있는곳이다보니 셔틀버스를 이용하지않으면 택시비가 만만찮게 들고.. 이동거리가 교토에서 너무 멀다는것이 단점이구요. 레스토랑 분위기는 너무 좋으나, 다른분들 후기처럼 가격대비 나오는 음식들이 맛도 별로고 종류도 다양하지 않아서.. 돈아깝다는 생각이 많이 드니.. 그건 비추에요.

El lugar es lindo y la gente q trabaja ahi tambien. Lo q estuvo muy complicado es q no nos fue claro donde era la reunion del "shuttle" Nosotros llegamos a la estacion del tren y resulta q todavia nos faltaba ir en el "tranvia"hasta otra ciudad. Tuvimos q comunicarnos un par de veces con Hotels.com y ellos con el Ryokan. Se complico mas por el internet y la tormenta de lluvia. Por fin al llegar estabamos cansados, pero tanto el personal como nosotros hicimos lo mejor de una situacion imprevista. Este tipo de aljamiento es mas bien una experiencia completa y realmente estuvimos muy contentos de haber tenido la experiencia. Recomendariamos ser mucho mas especificos y claros de la distancia y la manera de llegar. Arigato!

초등5, 고1 아이 포함 4 가족 이었는데, 아이들이 나중에 어른 기준으로 계산해야 된다고 해서 추가 비용이 각각 20만원 정도 나왔습니다. 아이들 있으신 가족들은 주의하세요. 그외에는 다들 처음부터 끝까지 아주 만족 했습니다. 식사는 조석식 모두 화려함에 비해 맛은 별로 였지만.

旅館服務十分好！旅館好隱蔽私人度好高，一開始無訂到晚餐，後來問可否加也可以盡量配合到。暫時訂私人露天溫泉也很喜歡。離開旅館後忘記拿走的東西也可以安排寄送回香港，整體來說十分滿意。

모든 직원들이 친절하고 여행객의 만족을 위해 애써줍니다. 객실은 깨끗하고 따듯하며 유카타와 잠옷, 외출할 때 걸칠 옷과 양말, 신발까지 제공해줍니다. 객실 내에 코타츠도 있습니다. 지금껏 묵어본 숙소중 단연 최고의 숙소였습니다. 다만 다소 한적한 곳에 위치해 관광을 마친 후에 숙소로 오는 것이 효율적일 듯 합니다. 관광 중간에 짐을 놓기 위해 들르면 시간도 돈도 많이 뺏길 수 있습니다.

Took the complimentary shuttle bus from JR Kamaeoka station provided by the Ryokan. Upon arrival, I was warmly welcomed by someone who personally attended to me and brought me to my room. I selected the room package that came with dinner as well as breakfast and they were all served in-room. Food was really good and fresh and again I was being attended to during the meals. The ryokan also had an outdoor and indoor onsen and although it wasnt very big but it was good enough as the ryokan doesnt accomodate many rooms as well hence there wasnt any crowd for the onsen. Overall, i had a good stay and I believe its a must-go if visiting Kyoto.

有中文服務員，服務態度非常好，住宿舒適，溫泉人很少很舒服。食物也不錯，懷石料理賣相非常精緻。周邊環境很好，已經有火紅楓葉，非常美麗。唯一不足的是發email預約接送車服務沒有收到回覆，但上官網留言還是會有回覆的。

If you are looking for a traditional ryokan experience, Sumiya Kiho-an will check all of your boxes. From private onsen (hot spring baths) attached to your room (highly recommended) to an amazing kaiseki (seasonal Japanese tasting menu), this ryokan will cover all of your bases. I would give closer to 4.5 stars because, besides the activities at the hotel, you are somewhat isolated from other areas. However, if you are looking for a short stay, this is definitely the place for you. The food alone is worth every cent!

A very welcoming Ryokan within a fairly easy travelling distance to Kyoto city. My family loved the onsen and also the fact there was an outdoor swimming pool. All the staff were very friendly, room was very nice and I would definitely stay again.

I loved everything about this ryokan. The staff were all amazing polite, the onsen was clean and comfortable, and the rooms were spacious and clean. I would recommend this place to anyone!

One of the best onsen hotel that we have ever stayed in Japan. I would recommend everyone to stay at least one night of accommodation in onsen hotel such as Sumiya Rokyan to experience Japanese onsen and the traditional Kaiseki dinner. Value for money!

amazing experience - friendly staff, the place is super comfortable. the secret onsen and the food were nice - worth a try.

We stayed in the Honami room on the 12th of April 2017. The following texts in “xxx” are notes I took on the night of my stay to help me not miss any important points in my review. “So I am typing this up in the ryokan during the night of our stay (after dinner). So far, we are disappointed, to say the least. Let's wind back time a bit to give you a bit of background of our stay. We were staying at Gion, Kyoto for 2 nights prior, in a fabulous ryokan (check out my other review). We checked out from the Gion ryokan earlier today and were very sad to leave. Caught the JR line to Kameoka Station as advised on the Sumiya website. Train was packed until we reach the start of the Romance (or sightseeing) train line. Once we got to Kameoka Station, we started to feel hungry and decided, let's go to Sumiya 1st and find something to eat around there. We took the taxi as advised on the ryokan’s website. We arrived at the property and went into the lobby. We tried out luck to check in even though it was only 12.30pm (check in time is at 3pm). They told us the rooms are not ready yet, which we totally understand. We asked them whether there were anything close by that we can kill some time with or some good eateries nearby. The front desk said nothing much around. He didn't offer any suggestions or invite us to the on property restaurant. We went outside the property and looked up Google. Everything was a few miles away. We went back in and ask them whether they serve lunch. The lady said she will find out and get back to me. She later invited and escorted us to the dining place down 1 level from the lobby. We ordered lunch. My wild boar rice was good. Wife's tempura udon was lack lustre. We finished lunch and went back to lobby. They offered us tea. After 15 or so minutes, they invited us to the library area to wait (They told us it was a nicer area to wait in). They reminded us Wifi is free and can be used. The room was ready at 2pm. We checked in and were escorted to our room.” We were told that this is the largest room on the property. Our room was indeed massive. The front door opens to a large typical Japanese foyer, where you remove your shoes. Then it either opens to the main dining area (centre of the room) or to the side – a Japanese living room (There is a restroom next to it). Next to the living room facing the windows/view was the hotspring/onsen bath for legs only. It was intended that you can sit here relaxing your legs in hotspring water while admiring the view. On the other side of the dining area was our room, a second restroom and the onsen bath and shower area. We also paid an additional 3240 yen for a 45-minute private use of their “secret open air onsen”. Consistent with other reviews already here, we had to walk around 10 minutes on an outdoor trail to the secret onsen. Fortunately, compared to other reviews, we had booked our session to be around 4/5pm so there was still daylight. The outdoor onsen was not bad, we had the place to ourselves. The onsen water was a bit too warm for us so we could not stay too long in the water. When we got out of the water and got dressed, we were nice and toasty (it was rather chilly before getting into the water). We lazed around on the lounge chairs for a while (as we still had left over time) before making our way back to the main building. The air-conditioning in our room was not customisable. We read the room info in the form of a leaflet that we were not to change the operating modes but we had to switch it from the heating cycle to the fan cycle as it was too warm for us. Ideally we would have liked a cooling cycle but the a/c unit doesn’t allow us to do so. So it was a warm night and we had to open up the windows to cool our rooms. We did not have a great night’s sleep. We had breakfast early and left early (before 9pm) to catch the train to Tokyo. At that moment in time, we were very disappointed with the stay. We couldn’t wait to leave. Now, after a few weeks, I have calmed down a bit and am trying to be a bit more objective. Our main bug bear is: From the website, we had imagined that the place would be nice and quiet, secluded, peaceful. Photos on the website, intentionally or unintentionally, misled us to believe this. Or you could say that we were naïve and did not look up Google maps or read the bad reviews more carefully on Tripadvisor, for example. The property was alongside a busy motorway/highway. View from the room was this motorway. Not a very peaceful, scenic or relaxing image. Same with the private onsen. Pictures on their website look wonderful. I will give them a bit of slack on it being the start of spring but yeah not relaxing or scenic at all. Being near the motorway did not help. I suppose we had very high expectation coming to this property. We had a superb stay at the Gion ryokan (best in our lives) so that set the bar unreasonably high. We paid 20-25% more for our stay at Sumiya (I understand it is a very very large room) compared to the previous ryokan. So we were expecting somewhat 70-80% of the satisfaction of our previous night’s stay at the Gion ryokan. All these factors led us to be utterly disappointed. If you only speak English, good luck. One person at the front desk speak some English. One person at the restaurant understood English. The rest of the staff during our stay were struggling to communicate in English. I do admit, we have no right to expect everyone to understand English when we travel to a foreign country so it is not entirely their fault. We speak no Japanese and speak some Mandarin. So fortunately there was a staff that spoke Mandarin, who was allocated to serve us on the 1st day. All in all it was an average stay but we had high expectations partly because of the previous stay and the high price. Biggest no no for us was the location next to the highway. If you want a peaceful a quiet stay in a ryokan with onsen, my personal 2 cents is to try somewhere else. Note: This is in no way a finger pointing review, which says the property is at fault and we had no responsibility in our disappointment. It is just a review and our personal opinion. We may have visited not at the best time or state of mind. Just thought some of the points would be helpful for others in making the choice of staying. The property offers a day visit to use their onsen too. That may have been a better choice for us.

We have never visited Japan. Based on input from our friends, we chose to visit Kyoto due to the colourful history. Indeed, it was memorable for us even though it was a short visit (4 days 3 nights). We chose to stay at the Sumiya Kiho-an in Kameoka due to its location that is on the mountain side, about 45 minutes from Kyoto City away from the busy areas due to Easter. The service at the Sumiya exceeded our expectations. We selected the Japanese style room because the website at the time did not provide details about the other rooms. We think that next time we'll choose Seiyu instead which is combination of western beds and Japanese style living room. The Onsen bath was located outside and there was an enclosed sun room from the living room. The view from the sunroom was the mountain. One morning we saw a deer looking for food. The Sumiya package include breakfast and dinner served in the dining room. Yoko served us during the 4 days. She was polite, English speaking and answered our many questions about the food being served. We had the choice of the Chef's 10-course dinner, which varies daily or Sukiyaki. The Chef's dinner special was a daily surprise but most interesting and delicious. We chose Beef Sukiyaki on one night and the Chef's special on other nights. For breakfast, there's a choice of Western or Japanese style. Both were equally delicious. Lunch is not part of the package and is not normally served. However, we did not go touring on one of the days and the resort was quite accommodating serving us lunch on that day. We had the choice of tempura udon or rice with pork. We chose the former, which was quite tasty with shrimp and assorted vegetable tempura. The tempura was moist and not oily. The dining room had beautiful landscape from the dining tables. My husband was delighted to see a crane walking along the stream at the side of the hotel. We did not use the male and female public baths so cannot comment. We hope to return to the Sumiya.

The hotel is far away from JR station but it offer shuttle bus service. You can also take public bus to the hotel if you prefer a more flexible time but not recommend because the frequency of the bus is low. The team line up to welcome us, it is very japanese style and you can feel the professional and hospitality they take pride in. I book a room with private onsen. The room is very spacious. But the view of the onsen was not particularly spectacular. If i book this hotel next time, perhaps i will book a normal guest room and separately book a section of their secret onsen. You need to walk a path to get into the secret onsen and its ambience was terrific especially in the magic hours. The staff is friendly and helpful. They can speak limited English which made a small confusion when i had the dinner. No scenic spot around the hotel. A good place for meditation.

Paid a fortune but got only dinner with seasonal vegetables. Onsens very small and not well equipped. Strange that no drinking water was provided in the changing room. Just small towels provided in the onsen, and you will be charged if you need additional bath towels ! Service not on par with general Japanese onsen standard.

Amazing experience, felt fully relaxed and pampered.

Great service , not too far from city , easy to access

Great onsen experience and room service. Exceeded our expectations.

I've stayed at another Ryokan in Nikko that was THE BEST experience, but I could say this is almost just as great and easier to get to. I went with my girlfriend and stayed for two days. We hit the onsen each day, had kaiseki, breakfast, and also the private onsen. I would say that is a MUST do at this place and do it during sunset. you won't see the sunset, but you'll see the nature in both light and dark. The food was authentic and delicious, the onsens were not the biggest, but nice, and everyone working there was VERY nice. I'd go again for sure.

The onsen was great, I wish I could go back tomorrow, for a japanese room it was huge and had plenty of great features, which really let me heal after the last couple of days of walking across tokyo for 8 hours at a time. Everything was very organized and there were set times for dinner and breakfast. the breakfast was insane, just great food after great food. I spent my night hiking around the town of Kameoka and it was all very gorgeous and I took a ton of photos. The shuttle was very convenient and was pleasant too and from the train station.

Great service for an excellent couples retreat

The Ryokan is a cozy retreat, with very comfortable rooms, a nice onsen and especially attentive staff. We arrived later than planned, so the dinner time was over. We were served in our room a more than satisfing choice of small dishes by the very friendly and polite staff. This made the first impression exceptionally nice. The area around is not too much to explore, so just enjoy the hotel itself, the privat onsen for example.

It's awesome to experience this Japanese traditional hotel in a small town outside Kyoto. Excellent personal service from the start all the way to the end of our stay. Very good food but just few options. Be aware of the very limited hotel shuttle times. First one at 9am going out and about 5:50 pm coming in to hotel.

For two Americans looking for a traditional Japanese experience, this hotel was outstanding!! The onsen (communal hot spring bath) was fabulous, the room large and comfortable, and the staff attentive and helpful. They spoke some English (though speaking more Japanese would give you a better experience here) and were kind. The only difficult thing was that the hotel is a bit remote, and the shuttle bus leaves at specific times only (you must come back to the hotel no later than 5:50pm,) so we took a city bus back from Kameoka Station, which ran til 8pm and cost about $4. Breakfast is awesome, I highly recommend the traditional Japanese breakfast. Dinner was overpriced ($50/pp!?!?) and not outstanding.

The hotel is a traditional ryokan and the facilities were wonderful with private rooms, a beautiful lounge area and a fantastic restaurant. The shuttle to and from the local railway station was excellent. By far the best part of the hotel were the wonderful staff and the truly outstanding food - an experience to be remembered and cherished.

The staff were very lovely, polite and spoke very good English. They did everything to make my stay perfect. I had a bath in the "secret" private onsen which was amazing. It was nice to be secluded most of the time but if you get hungry or needed something, you couldn't go out and get anything nearby so its best for a couple of nights. Would love to go back if I go to Kyoto again!

We traveled with our twenty-something daughters for some quality time together. The ryokan was the highlight of our 10 day Kyoto/Tokyo trip by all accounts. Convenient to Kyoto from Kameoka station (hotel shuttle). We stayed in the spacious four futon tatami room with private bathroom. Staff is excellent and speak English. Amazing in-room generous authentic multi-course dinner. Two in party were vegetarian and two regular meals. Awesome Japanese breakfast as well- ours was in dining room. Reserved secret garden onsen for private use and also experienced the public onsen. Very clean. We enthusiastically recommend this ryokan. We wish we checked out the scenic train instead (need advance reservation) and stream rapids boat ride nearby. We can try that next time!

I wanted a typical Japanese setting with hot springs and found this excellent one. Highly recommend

We loved staying at the Ryokan and enjoyed the extremely wonderful hospitality. They went above and beyond to do everything to make our visit perfect. The onsen is a great place to relax and we enjoyed ending the day with the baths. On some nights there were other guests in the baths but often it was empty. Service was a bit off for dinner in the restaurant but we thought they might have just had a bad night. Hope to come back soon!

Great place, wondeful staff and outstanding room and food

Stayed for one night with a party of four. Ordered the Secret Open Air Onsen (private hot springs) for about $40 USD. Could not reserve the spa, even though we asked several months in advance. Pros - Friendly staff. - Free 30 minute shuttle bus to/from Kameoka station. - Delicious food (Bento Box and Tempura). - Relaxing atmosphere. - Room reasonably comfortable as it can get with futons on the floor. Cons - Food expensive. No other options for food in area. - Nothing in the area, although you are best spending the whole day in the ryokan relaxing. - Secret Open Air Onsen was a little dirty and had more bugs than I would have expected. A significant part of your time-limited paid experience will be spent trying to find it. - If they removed the television from the room, it would have made things significantly more authentic feeling. Overall pleasant, relaxing experience. It was very much needed after 6 days of exploring Tokyo on foot.

Very good. Feel like we are treated like a VIP. No wifi in the room. Opt for the japanese style dinner & breakfast. Not used to it. If you want to try the Secret Onsen, suggest book days or weeks before as we booked when we check-in and given time slot 10pm to 10:45pm and late at night is quite scary.

Staying at the Ryokan Sumiya Kihoan is truly a one of a kind experience for travellers. Though on the pricey side, I highly recommend a short stay for those looking for something different.

A must stay for the full Japanese experience. Wish I had time to stay longer, and will definitely book again. Beautiful traditional-style rooms and hot spring. Great service with authentic feel. Only negative is somewhat far from the city, but the hotel provides a shuttle back to the train station after checkout.