Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto
Higashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
A low-rise Higashiyama hotel of 110 rooms and 13 suites around an 800-year-old pond garden.
Why we recommend it
The garden is the argument. Shakusui-en is eight centuries old by the hotel's account, and a stay here means living beside it: a meal above the pond, a walk across to the tea house, rooms that look onto the water.
This is also the largest and most complete of the Higashiyama hotels, with a 20-metre pool that most of its rivals lack, which makes it a sound choice for families and longer stays. See Kyoto's decade of new hotels for the alternatives and our article on the opening.
Location
The hotel stands beside Myoho-in and Chishaku-in temples in southern Higashiyama, a short walk from Sanjusangen-do and the Kyoto National Museum and about fifteen minutes on foot from Kiyomizu-dera. Kyoto Station is ten minutes away by car.
