Kyoto Brighton Hotel

Oh my. You know when you book a hotel on Expedia (or booking.com, etc) - and you read all the reviews, and it sounds pretty good? And there are 4 of you, and it's a little more expensive than you usually go with, but not much, so you book it?

And it turns out AMAZING.

The unanimous reaction was "whoa." Followed by the kind of thing every mom wants to hear from the millennial children - "Way to go, Mom!"

This hotel was worth every penny. Service was impeccable. Luggage brought to room, everything explained, free shuttle to the subway, concierge service, walking maps, restaurant lists with maps, taxi stand (turns out, the public transportation in Kyoto is not exactly comprehensive, and taxis are an essential component for getting around). It made our touring so much easier.

Room was huge - plenty of space for 4 people and luggage.

In fact the level of service was...disconcerting at times, we are just not used to traveling that way. "It's too fancy!" Was a common refrain every time we passed through the lobby.

One oddity - while the room was affordable (although certainly the most expensive of the trip), hotel dinner was not. Much emphasis was placed on the 1000 yen discount we would get on dinner in any of the four very nice restaurants. Except dinner was 10,000 yen. Per person. So, essentially, you would get $10 off your $100 meal. Drinks not included.