BAKPAK KYOTO HOSTEL IN JAPAN

Kyoto was our longest stay in one city here in Japan. Since we were there for five nights, we chose to book a dorm room instead of a private room at Bakpak Kyoto Hostel to make the stay less expensive. Both of us have stayed in dorm rooms before on our own, but this was the first time we tried it out as a married couple.

Worries were put aside on our first night with great roommates and a surprisingly quiet atmosphere for a dorm room. Bakpak Kyoto Hostel was great for meeting other travelers and for easy access to restaurants, temples, shrines and river walks.

Dorm Room:

We booked a bunk bed that came with sheets and blankets in an eight-bed dorm room. The spacious room was divided into two areas with four beds on each side. The lighting was also divided, so a guest could have a light on in their half of the room without disturbing someone who may be resting in the other half. We were lucky to have a bunk bed next to the windows and air conditioning so we never felt too hot at night. The mattresses were quite thin and while we both slept well at first, by the end of our stay we were noticing hard spots and growing more uncomfortable For security, the hostel provided free storage lockers with locks inside the room. All roommates were respectful and quiet when they came in late at night or when they were packing up in the early morning. Our dorm experience was better that we expected and we even met some other great travelers in our room and had some fun going out and singing karaoke with them.

Amenities:

Bakpak Kyoto Hostel  provided free WiFi throughout the building along with a computer in the commons area. This area also had a TV and was next to the kitchen where there was a purified water tank and refrigerator. The kitchen provided a toaster oven, microwave, and an electric kettle that always had hot water in it for the free tea and instant coffee. We liked using the toaster oven for lunches and made open-faced sandwiches with cheese, deli meat, tomatoes and cucumbers. For bathroom amenities- there is a toilet on each floor with three showers on the first floor. They also offer free shampoo and a hairdryer in the bathrooms. On the top floor there is a coin-operated washer and dryer and a nice rooftop patio with a covered area where one can relax and read/smoke/snooze etc. While parts of the kitchen and showers could have received better attention, overall the hostel was very clean. There were times when the toaster oven stopped working, the community hairdryer quit or the lights went out on me in the shower.

Pricing:

It was a great price for a dorm room in a main part of Kyoto at 1500 yen/night for each person. We are glad we went with a dorm room as the experience it provided was really fun and much better than we expected. And with all the available amenities we managed to save more money by frequently using the kitchen to make our own breakfasts and occasional lunches.

Location:

Bakpak Kyoto Hostel is located in the Gion District which is known for its geishas. It is within walking distance of several temples and shrines such as the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka-jinja Shrine and Kenninj Temple. It is also located next to several subway stations for the Keihan Railway and Hankyu Railway, as well as local bus stops. We walked a lot while staying at Bakpak Kyoto Hostel, but also did a one-day bus pass to get to the Iwatayama Monkey Park, Bamboo Path, Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) and the Imperial Palace in one day. Best of all, the hostel is just a few doors down from a Fresco grocery store where one can stock up on food if they’re not wanting to eat out three times a day.

Next hostel on our route: KOYASAN GUEST HOUSE KOKUU IN JAPAN.