We had plenty of reasons to visit Kyoto: its temples, bamboo groves and atmosphere were among the things I most wanted to experience in Japan. But I had also made one particular hotel a priority: HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO.
I was travelling with my partner and extended family. We couldn't realistically put everyone in the same luxury hotels on cash rates, so our accommodation was split: we stayed at Mitsui, while the family had separate arrangements. I didn't love having the group based in different places. What happened once we were at Mitsui, however, became one of our most cherished memories from the trip.
A Deluxe Room booking, an unexpected King Suite
We booked a Deluxe Room with one king bed and were upgraded to a King Suite while holding Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status. This wasn't an upgrade I could have counted on, and it's certainly not a benefit I would promise someone booking the same room today.
The suite was beautiful and generously sized, and its bathtub quickly became a favourite with the children in our party. That mattered more than I expected, because it helped us solve a practical problem later in the stay.
Each night priced at 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. We used 200,000 points for the first two nights, then a free-night certificate topped up with another 15,000 points for the third. In all, our three-night stay used 215,000 points plus one certificate. That's our historical June 2023 booking, not a redemption price that can necessarily be reproduced today.
Breakfast, atmosphere and an unusually memorable stay
Mitsui was the kind of property I had specifically wanted to experience, and it exceeded those expectations. I loved the atmosphere, the location and the hospitality. Breakfast was a standout too: memorable enough that it remains one of the strongest parts of my overall Kyoto hotel experience.
We spent much of our Kyoto days walking. The temples and neighbourhoods were rewarding, but the amount of sightseeing, rain and effort of getting a larger family around also left us exhausted. A comfortable hotel was more than a luxury backdrop at that point. It was somewhere we actively wanted to spend time.
The spa plan that almost didn't work
Before the trip, I had wanted my partner and me to set aside time for the Mitsui spa. Once we were travelling as a larger family group, I wasn't sure the plan would work: the children couldn't use the adults-only spa area, and I didn't want anyone left out of the hotel experience.
The upgraded suite gave us a solution. We decided to splurge on treatments for the adults in shifts. My partner, mother and sister went first, while my father and I stayed with the children in the suite, where they were delighted by the bathtub. When the first group returned, my father and I took our turn.
It wasn't a perfectly choreographed luxury itinerary. It was simply a way to make the stay work for everyone. In the end, all the adults enjoyed the spa experience and the children had their own fun. I remember that more vividly than many individual attractions we saw in Kyoto.
We shouldn't mistake that memory for an assurance that the same access rules, treatment arrangements or upgrades apply now. It is how our visit unfolded in 2023.
Why Mitsui mattered to our Kyoto trip
I often say that Kyoto is a place to experience rather than rush. Mitsui reinforced that feeling. The hotel wasn't just a way to sleep after seeing Kinkaku-ji or Arashiyama; it was one of the reasons this part of the journey felt exceptional.
Could we have stayed somewhere less expensive and still enjoyed Kyoto? Of course. But without our Marriott points and certificate, Mitsui probably would not have been in our plans. And without Mitsui, our particular experience of Kyoto would have been less memorable.
I would happily return—perhaps splitting a longer Kyoto stay between this hotel, Park Hyatt Kyoto and a traditional ryokan. That is a future preference, not a completed second stay.
Our verdict: Among the best hotels we've experienced, not because of the size of the suite alone but because the whole stay, and the way we made it work for our family, stayed with us.