LuxuryFeed.com

11 Feb '13, 12pm

Our hotel of the day is a Gold Standard ryokan in #Kyoto, #Japan:

Our hotel of the day is a Gold Standard ryokan in #Kyoto, #Japan:

One of those rare, otherworldly places that both relax and inspire, this small, four-room ryokan is high up in the misty Japanese cedar forests, an hour's drive from Kyoto. The only neighbour is a Shinto monk along a mountain path. From the moment your English-speaking personal assistant greets you at the low wooden door, you are immersed in the gentle ritual of Japanese hospitality. Shoes are shed, magnolia tea and sweetmeats offered, and guidance is given about etiquette, such as the pleasurable custom of taking several piping-hot dips in the communal cypress bath. It overlooks a mossy, bubbling stream and is filled for your chosen bathing time before dinner, after dinner and before breakfast. Once scrubbed and wrapped in a cotton yukata (light kimono), you can linger in your traditional tatami-matted room. There's no TV or Wi-Fi, only the simple Zen aesthetics of a deli...

Full article: http://www.cntraveller.com/awards/the-gold-list/gold-stan...

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