Which room should you book at Aman Kyoto?
Book a Kaede room for autumn and a Susuki Terrace room for the rest of the year. All four room types at Aman Kyoto are the same size, 60 square meters, with the same hinoki bath (a deep tub of Japanese cypress), tatami floors (woven straw mats) and a choice of king or twin beds in most of them. What changes is which way the windows face and what is outside them, so the season you travel decides the room.
The Kaede rooms face west, onto mature maple trees and the forest garden. Kaede means maple, and from mid to late November that is the view the room is named for. The Susuki Terrace rooms face east, are on the ground floor and come with a private terrace, which is what I'd want in spring, early summer and the clear days of October.
The resort sits in the forest at Takagamine, in the north of the city near Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. Aman's page puts it about 30 minutes by car from Kyoto Station. That distance is part of the choice: you come back to the garden, not to a street.
How do the Aman Kyoto rooms compare?
| Category | Size | Faces | Outlook | Beds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaede | 60 m² | West, upstairs, one floor above the garden | Maple trees and forest garden | King or twin |
| Nara | 60 m² | West | Woodland, moss-covered stone walls or mountainside trees | King or twin |
| Susuki Terrace | 60 m² | East, ground floor | Forest, from a private terrace | King or twin |
| Susuki | 60 m² | East, upstairs, one floor above the garden | Forest and the moss garden below, near the Kamiya river | King only |
| Takagamine Suite | 165 m² | East, on raised land | Maple and cedar forest, Mt Hiei in the distance | King or twin, futons in the tatami room |
| Takagamine Pavilion | 226 m² | East, on raised land | The whole garden and Mt Hiei | Two bedrooms, king or twin |
| Washigamine Pavilion | 241 m² | East, highest point of the resort | The whole garden and Mt Hiei | Two bedrooms, king or twin |
Every room has a hinoki bath, a double vanity and a tokonoma, the alcove where a Japanese room displays a scroll or flowers. Every stay includes breakfast, drinks in the room including alcohol, afternoon matcha, an evening aperitif, a guided walk through the garden and the hot-spring onsen (a natural hot-water bath) at the spa, per the room pages.
Kaede or Susuki Terrace?
Kaede if you are coming for the autumn leaves; Susuki Terrace if you want to sit outside. The Kaede rooms face west into the maples, so they take the afternoon light through the trees, and in November the color is right at the window. None of the other room types promise that.
The Susuki Terrace rooms face east and get the morning. The terrace is the only private outdoor space in the 60-square-meter rooms, per the Susuki Terrace page, and being on the ground floor puts you level with the forest rather than looking down at it. From April to May that terrace is where I'd have breakfast.
In winter the choice matters least. The garden is bare, the windows stay shut, and the hinoki bath and the onsen are the reasons for the room. I'd book whichever is cheaper on your dates.
Which Aman Kyoto room would you skip?
I'd pass on the plain Susuki room if you need twin beds, and on Nara if you want a garden view you can count on. The Susuki page lists a king bed only, unlike the other three types. It faces east toward the moss garden and the Kamiya river and is a good room for a couple who want morning light without paying for a terrace.
The Nara rooms are spread around the property, in the heart of the resort or in its most secluded corners, and the view runs from shrubs and tree trunks to moss-covered stone walls or the mountainside. That range is the problem: two people booking Nara can get very different rooms. For privacy, ask for one of the secluded ones. For a view, book Kaede.
Who should upgrade to a suite or a pavilion?
Upgrade to the Takagamine Suite for a stay like a traditional Japanese inn, with futons laid out on tatami, and to a pavilion only for two couples or a family. The Takagamine Suite is 165 square meters with a living room, a Western dining room, a kitchen area and a separate tatami room where the staff can lay out futons, the way a traditional inn does. It sits above a six-meter stone wall and looks east over the maple and cedar forest to Mt Hiei.
The two pavilions each have two bedrooms with their own bathrooms. The Takagamine Pavilion, at 226 square meters, adds a wine cellar and a trekking path from the door, and its page includes round-trip private transfers for one car. The Washigamine Pavilion is the largest, at 241 square meters, and sits at the highest and most secluded point of the property. For four adults I'd book a pavilion over two rooms: you share a living room and dining room instead of meeting in the lobby.
What should you ask for when you book?
Ask for twin or king when you book, and in autumn, say that the maples are the reason for the trip. The room type sets the direction but not the exact room, and in the Kaede category the trees closest to the glass make the difference. For Nara, ask for one of the secluded rooms. For Susuki Terrace, ask which rooms have the most open terrace.
Plan the arrival too. Aman's page gives about one hour by car from Osaka's Itami airport and two hours from Kansai airport, or the express train to Kyoto Station and a car from there.
How does the season change the call?
November is when the room type matters most, and when the resort is hardest to book. Kyoto's maples usually turn from mid to late November, and Kaede is the room built around them, so book it as soon as your dates are firm. Late March and early April bring the cherry blossom crowds to Kinkaku-ji and the city, and the resort's forest is a quiet place to come back to; I'd take Susuki Terrace then. The rainy season runs through June and early July, when the moss is at its greenest and a terrace is less useful. In winter, book on price and use the onsen.
What else should you plan around an Aman Kyoto stay?
The where to stay in Kyoto guide compares the north of the city with Higashiyama and downtown, and the machiya or hotel guide covers the other way to stay in Kyoto, a restored wooden townhouse. If you are coming for the leaves, the Kyoto in late November guide plans the days. For a Tokyo stay at the same group, see the Aman Tokyo room guide.