L'hotel De Hiei

“First Class French Ambiance in Kyoto”

L'Hotel de Hiei is not exactly conveniently located, but that should by no means keep anyone away. On the toll road that winds through Mount Hiei, bordering Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, this hotel simply cannot easilly be topped. It is both architecturally pleasing and in harmony with the surroun… more

L'Hotel de Hiei is not exactly conveniently located, but that should by no means keep anyone away. On the toll road that winds through Mount Hiei, bordering Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, this hotel simply cannot easilly be topped. It is both architecturally pleasing and in harmony with the surroundings, despite being quite purely European in design. I was fortunate enough to choose L'Hotel de Hiei for my wedding reception held in March 2007 and have no regrets at all. In the span of three months, with the cooperation of the hotel's bridal coordinators, we put together a truly unique and thus personal dinner event that appeared to have thoroughly pleased our guests. The hotel conducts no more than one wedding and/or reception a day, meaning that the day is dedicated to one couple's desires. There is no sense of being on a wedding factory conveyor belt - all too common in Japan's larger venues. Yet in terms of cost, fees were very similar to those charged elsewhere. As for food, both the reception dinner menu which we designed together with the France-trained chef, and the standard breakfast buffet the next morning were exceptional. The chef incorporated all of our favorite foods into the customized dinner menu. And at breakfast, the same degree of care went into preparing the buffet dishes as well as the warm items delivered to each table direct from the kitchen. Guest rooms, just 20 in all, come in three types. All are very tastefully furnished, have a beautiful view, and the latest bath amenities. The only shortcoming (for couples prefering a cozy night) is that all rooms feature twin beds only. Each is big enough for two, but just barely! Finally, the staff - all of whom have French 'middle' names - go out of their way to make each guest feel special. Transportation to L'Hotel de Hiei requires either a private car, taxi, or a schedule that matches the limited bus service available from downtown Kyoto.

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“Spirit expands”

This is one of those Japanese attempts at cross-cultural connection-- when it hits, it hits deeply; when it misses, it's still good. French-ish cuisine on a mountaintop overlooking a two-million year old lake. This is one of the properties of the Hoshino group. Idea of the group is to acquire… more

This is one of those Japanese attempts at cross-cultural connection-- when it hits, it hits deeply; when it misses, it's still good. French-ish cuisine on a mountaintop overlooking a two-million year old lake. This is one of the properties of the Hoshino group. Idea of the group is to acquire distressed properties, and through operational excellence, turn them around. This hotel certainly doesn't disappoint. Four things are exceptional: ambience, staff, cuisine, nexus for larger experiences. 1) By ambience, I mean location and size. Spectacular location high on Mt. Hiei NE of Kyoto. Spectacular views to the west and south of Lake Biwa. Small number of guest rooms, around 30, mean high level of attention to guests. Rooms well-appointed. Deep silence here. Public areas airy and welcoming. 2) Staff: welcoming and professional. Hard to overstate level of graciousness and hospitality. 3) Cuisine: French technique, local ingredients. A real effort to source locally, from eggs to veggies to fish and meats. They found a way to defuse funazushi, one of the harshest foods ever devised! Bread baked onsite. Only gripe: no butter on the table, which no French kitchen would forgive! High tea, dinner, breakfast included with room price. 4) Nexus: From an onsite lecture about tea cultivation and production, to an opportunity to visit nearby Enryakuji, a 1200 year-old temple, and listen to monks chanting their morning sutra, this group tries to make the hotel not only a place of great hospitality and luxury, but a sincere nexus of experience with the local community. Not cheap, but well worth it, with connections to other places of deep meaning such as Ishiyamadera, the site where the (female) author of the world's first novel, Genji Monogatari, composed her masterwork.

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“Middle of drive way”

The hotel located at middle of the Hieizan drive way. The cost of road chiket was paid from hotel at check out time. Autum leaves are half of red in drive way. Late of November is good for " Momijigari".

“Nice hotel, but a bit out of the way”

The hotel is a charming spot on Mt. Hiei with nice, quiet views of the country side. It's a good retreat from the city, but I give it only 3/5 stars mainly because I beleive they can offer greater value provided the price they charge. Here is my assessment: PROS: Nicely appointed rooms, and very… more

The hotel is a charming spot on Mt. Hiei with nice, quiet views of the country side. It's a good retreat from the city, but I give it only 3/5 stars mainly because I beleive they can offer greater value provided the price they charge. Here is my assessment: PROS: Nicely appointed rooms, and very nice staff. I was very impressed that when I missed my appointment for pick up by the hotel shuttle, the hotel reimbursed my Y4500 taxi fare to the hotel. That was very generous and unexpected. The rooms are very quiet and the hotel has charm of a mountain retreat. Likely a very good spot for banquets, weddings, or other special events. CONS: The hotel is far away from everything, requiring you to take a shuttle at fixed times. The shuttle needs to be reserved 24 hours in advance, which is fairly inconvenient for a travellor who's looking to take a break from schedules. However, I think a significant issue is that the hotel has no food or dinner service. We arrived into Kyoto from the Tokyo SHinkansen around 9, and headed straight to the hotel expecting to eat a light dinner before bed. However, upon arrival, the hotel lacked any food outside a vending machine. Even fruit or ramen was unavailable, let alone anything close to a proper meal. Again, for a hotel of this cost, I would expect better options. Further, the breakfast did not offer much selection, and I was disappointed the eggs ran out without replenishment during the breakfast. Staff did not serve anything - even water - it was all self service. Finally, I wish they had options for beds larger than twin. One final compliment is that the staff in general are very nice and accommodating (I wanted to check out one day early, and was able to do so without any problem).. However, I do believe the price is too high for the level of service.

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