Ranzan

The location is very close to Tugetsukyo Bridge and the Bamboo grove and a number of shrines in Arashiyama. That said, because of the location, the surrounding areas do get crowded very quickly during the mid-day through evening. However, it does give you the opportunity to visit the locations ahead of the crowd, assuming you're an early riser. The half-board kaiseki dinner was good. Both breakfast and dinner are served in the attached restaurant. The front desk staff is very attentive. Dinner could be intimidating for a first-timer if you're not sure how to eat certain dishes (e.g. sukiyaki, tofu on soy sauce, etc). As they assume you know what to do. It's part of the experience though!

Great location at Arashiyama. The room is spacey enough, a bit dated of course but well-maintained and managed. The public bath is clean and spacious, which is a plus for me. Meals were delicious, refreshing, and traditionally Japanese. Staffs were friendly, courteous and helpful, provided great services. I am unable to eat any raw fish/seafood (i.e. sashimi) due to my health condition, the hotel staffs and the chef had arranged meals for me accordingly, I was really thankful.

My family of four (two adults, two teens) booked Ranzan because we wanted to stay in a ryokan. Ranzan fit our budget and had good reviews. We booked the traditional Japanese room that fits four. The view of the garden was beautiful. The staff was gracious. Our beds were made for us when we returned from touring every evening. We did not get meals because we have a vegetarian in the family and were often gone at mealtime. This hotel is located in Arashiyama, which is not centrally located in Kyoto, but it is the most scenic part of Kyoto that we visited. Ranzan is a short walk from the Monkey Park, Tenriu-ji Temple, and the Bamboo Forest. It is 30-60 minutes by public transit from most other Kyoto attractions.

Convenient to shopping, bridge, bamboo forest rickshaw. Beautiful grounds, and view of river from restaurant, comfortable lobby to meet up or relax. Liked the shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and air/ clothes freshner. Appreciated the many outlets on desk and bed. Staff were all very pleasant, polite, and helpful. We got a great tip to go to Sushi Iso, she made the reservation, and gave great directions. Check-in and check-out were very easy.

Location is great to walk to Tenryuji temple & Bamboo forest, you're pretty much close to everything - very nice walk around the area for either sightseeing or food. Clean room and well equipped public bathroom. The staffs are friendly and helpful, they keep up to date with JR status and advise us when we try to go to Kinosaki in the snowstorm day.