This Tranquil 5-Star Hotel Has Kyoto’s Most Spectacular Hidden Thermal Baths

24.02.2024 - 02:59 / forbes.com

Kyoto, Japan has become one of the hottest destinations around the globe in recent years, and for good reason. Surrounded by lush mountains, rivers, and bamboo groves, and studded with exquisite gardens, the city’s natural beauty is positively enchanting.

Kyoto is also known as Japan’s cultural capital. Having served as Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868, the well-preserved city is a treasure trove of ancient temples, shrines, geisha districts, warrens of charming narrow alleyways, and other historic landmarks. So it’s ideal for travelers looking to experience what the former Imperial capital looked like a hundred — or even a thousand — years ago.

And while there’s no shortage of hotel options in this city known for its incredible hospitality, Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto stands out for its singular blend of stellar design, service, and amenities. You enter the property through an ornate 250 year-old gateway that once marked the entrance to the property when it was the residence of the Mitsui family, a household name in Japan. After a few hundred years, the land fell out of the family’s ownership in 1945, but remarkably was purchased by the family’s real estate company in 2015, opening as a 5-star luxury hotel in 2020.

While the elaborate entry gate is a nod to the property’s storied history, the sleek modern lobby that guests enter next showcases how that heritage blends with the contemporary, design-driven side of today’s Kyoto. The sumptuous, all-glass lounge looks onto the immaculate central courtyard garden, where stone lanterns and other artifacts from the days when the Mitsui family lived there decorate the mossy landscape. A cherry tree bears delicate pink blossoms in spring during Kyoto’s world-famous sakura season, but the garden is magnificent year-round.

From the garden to the lounge, library, two restaurants, and garden bar, the hotel is comprised of elegant and restful spaces. But none are more jaw-dropping than the nearly 11,000 square foot subterranean spa and thermal pools fed by an on-site spring. The sexy, dimly-lit corridors and treatment rooms create an underground oasis along with the gorgeous thermal pools that feature stone walls, contemporary lighting, low loungers, and modern misters that rain water down at regular intervals. At the center of the co-ed pools is a striking, sculpture-like boulder sliced in half and polished. Even in a city with countless onsen options, this space is special, and is worth the visit to Hotel the Mitsui on its own.

Location

Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto is centrally located in the heart of Kyoto, Japan, less than two miles away from Kyoto Station. The hotel is walkable to Kyoto Imperial Palace and many other popular attractions.