Garrya Nijo Castle Kyoto by Banyan Group

This was my second stay. Once again, I felt the staff’s warm hospitality in so many moments, and it made for a truly wonderful visit.Both dinner and breakfast for solo diners were delicious. Since this trip also celebrated my mother’s birthday, I was especially looking forward to the cake I had requested. It looked beautiful, the figs were wonderfully fresh and juicy, and it was genuinely delicious. It was light and easy to eat, so even though we were full after dinner, we finished it in no time.I also loved the welcome amenity sweets so much that I bought some to enjoy after my stay. I had planned to take the herbal cordial home as well, but after trying a sample I couldn’t stop—I ended up drinking it all during my stay because it was that good! At breakfast, the carrot smoothie left a particularly strong impression. It was sweet and delicious—I even looked up the same one afterward. Everything—from the food to the amenities—showed such care and attention to detail that they were things I wanted to keep enjoying even after leaving.I also used the bath salts included as a Well-being Room benefit right away; they warmed me from deep within and felt wonderful. The bed was very comfortable too. I usually have trouble falling asleep when traveling, but this time I drifted off quickly.One small point: I found the lighting controls a bit hard to understand. At night, I wanted to turn on only the toilet light, but couldn’t get it to work as intended and felt a little confused. If it were more intuitive, it would be even more comfortable.Once again, we had such a relaxing time together and made lovely memories with my mother. We would love to return.

We were blessed with great weather again, and it was another wonderful stay.Since we arrived at the Hotel in the middle of a midsummer day, being able to use a hired car for the outbound trip as a Diamond member benefit was extremely helpful.The lobby is a favorite space of mine where I can forget everyday life—the garden’s fresh green maple leaves reflected on the basalt table are beautiful.The Room is comfortable with no unnecessary frills, and it was also convenient that a water purifier has newly been installed in each Room.Sipping tea on the bright tatami platform while simply gazing at the greenery of Nijo Castle is incredibly soothing.We had both dinner and breakfast at Shinzo.French dinners can feel intimidating with children, but here there is a kids’ menu and the staff warmly welcomed us, so we enjoyed our conversation and were able to dine leisurely for the first time in a while.In particular, our daughter loved the kids’ plate “Galli Chicken” so much that she said she can’t eat fried chicken anywhere else anymore!When we shared our thoughts, they even offered us an adult tasting portion—thoughtful touches like this throughout left us truly moved.That said, the final dessert may be divisive… it didn’t quite suit our taste.It looked lovely, but as the closing dish of an otherwise excellent meal it felt slightly disappointing, so I’m deducting one star.Even after being completely full from all those creative dishes, it’s somehow surprising how easily you can still enjoy breakfast (in a good way).The Western-style egg dish had no eggy smell at all and was delicious even without ketchup or salt, and it was wonderful that both the pancakes and omelet were branded with “GALLERIA.”Even during peak time there were only about six parties, so it felt far removed from the noise and bustle that often comes with Hotel breakfasts.This is a Hotel where you can truly experience what small luxury is all about.Thank you very much for your courteous messages before our stay and your heartwarming letter. Please allow me to express my sincere gratitude here.