Matsubaya RyokanvsShunkoin Temple Guest House
Both Matsubaya Inn and Shunkoin Temple Guest House are rated very highly by those who travel for a living. On balance, Shunkoin Temple Guest House is the choice of most writers compared to Matsubaya Inn. Shunkoin Temple Guest House ranks #27 in Kyoto with approval from 4 reviewers such as Lonely Planet, Frommer's and Time Out.
Matsubaya Ryokan
 Insight Guides
 Fodor's
 Frommer's
 Lonely Planet
Higashinotoin Nishi-iru, Kamijuzuyacho-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 600-8150
From $44/night
- Free Internet
 - Laundry Service
 - Laundy Room
 - Multilingual
 - Air Conditioning
 - Fax / photocopying
 
 "Cosy but highly efficiently run ryokan dating back to the Meiji era. All rooms are Japanese style and the bathing communal." 
 "You won't find kimono-clad attendants here, but you also won't find wallet-emptying rates." Full review
 "Rooms are mostly Japanese style, with the best overlooking the garden. Also good bets are five Western-style rooms on the fifth floor with kitchenettes and tiny balconies." Full review
 Top Choice
 "A short walk from Kyoto Station, this newly renovated ryokan has clean, well-kept rooms and a management that is used to foreign guests." Full review
Shunkoin Temple Guest House
 Fodor's
 Time Out
 Frommer's
 Lonely Planet
42 Myoshinji-cho, Hanazono, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-8035
From $0/night
- Free Internet
 - Free Parking
 - Kitchenette
 - Air Conditioning
 
 "Visiting Kyoto's temples gives you a taste of the city's history, but staying in one is a more intimate way of experiencing the past. ... Rooms are comfortable but appropriately ascetic." Full review
 "Not many temple lodgings come furnished with wireless internet, air-conditioning and a kitchen, but these rooms within the grounds of the Myoshin-ji complex are surprisingly comfy." Full review
 "For a different kind of experience, consider staying at this Buddhist temple, established in 1590." Full review
 Top Choice
 "This is a shukubō, or temple lodging, at a subtemple in Myōshin-ji. It’s very comfortable and quiet and the main priest here speaks fluent English." Full review