Suiran, Kyoto & Shisui, Nara, Japan

There aren’t many hotels that are steeped in history, yet both Suiran and sister property Shisui both share similar traits. With hundreds of years of legacy between them, staying in these unassuming design properties hidden on the outskirts of two of Japan’s oldest and most important cities are destinations unto themselves. Working perfectly as a city pair, Kyoto and Nara are for those looking to step back to Japan’s rich and colourful past and the perfect antidote to the bustling modern cities of Osaka and Tokyo.

Connecting between the two hotels couldn’t be easier, either by arranging a car transfer, or taking the magical Kintetsu Aoniyoshi sightseeing train, connecting Kyoto’s main station to Nara in just 35 minutes. Our recommendation after visiting both, is that two to three days in each property gives enough time to explore both destinations as each is a sprawling city of temples, historic buildings and magical sights.

And what better than to sit back, relax, discuss (and upload) your day’s adventures over a glass of champagne or two, which is complimentary to guests every night in each of the hotel’s authentic traditional tea houses. Whether it’s getting lost in the ornamental gardens of the temples in Arashiyama or making friends with Nara’s population of friendly bowing deer, these are destinations not for guests who are looking for laid back luxury, but for those looking to lose themselves in the ever-surprising side streets filled with Geishas, history and should you come end of March, like we have, swathes of cherry blossom that mark the culturally sacred Sakura festival.

Suiran Kyoto

We started our stay at Suiran, which is part of The Luxury Collection by Marriott. This world-class property seamlessly blends the enduring cultural traditions of old Kyoto with modern-day comforts to offer all travellers exceptional experiences steeped in warmth and sophistication.

On entering the unassuming entrance on the banks of the Hozu river just moments away from Kyoto’s famous Togetsukyo bridge, you are transported back in time to the 9^th Century. Suiran have done an excellent job in maintaining the heritage of a key site, while carefully and quietly adding all the modern creature comforts you would expect from a 5-star hotel.

In the 14th century, both bridge and villa were incorporated into the Tenryu-ji temple complex. While the temple precincts are no longer as extensive, Tenryu-ji continues on today next to Suiran as a beloved World Heritage site. Its name, literally “temple of the heavenly dragon,” is said to have come from a dream had by the younger brother of temple founder Shogun Ashikaga.

However, this property doesn’t date back as far, 1899 saw both the Enmeikaku villa and Hasshoken house established, which have been preserved as the hotel’s signature restaurant and cafe, respectively.

Suiran is small, just 39 guest rooms are lavished with all the attention and detail you would expect from such a perfectly formed retreat. Each room is slightly different, bringing various approaches to Japanese tradition and design. Ranging in size between 38-94sqm wide, colours within the rooms vary from violet, indigo blue, vermilion, jade-green, gold and moon-white, with 17 rooms (like ours) also offering an open-air ‘Onsen’ bath for guests to enjoy natural Arayishama spring water at a muscle-melting 40 degrees Celsius.

Our suite was semi-traditional Japanese style, semi western, with a main king-sized bed and lacquered wardrobes available for comfort, which then became Japanese in design the further you stepped inside. The second half of the room featured tatami mats and a red lacquered low table, which looked onto a private, small courtyard garden.

Being on the ground floor, this also featured a traditional Onsen hot spring bath, which was kept continually heated, meaning dipping into the hot spring water was an option throughout the day, albeit after the lengthy walks around Kyoto, our recommendation is to leave this till after your champagne hour overlooking the impressive foothills and Hozu river and just before heading out for a sumptuous feast in a local restaurant.

Or if your weary temple trodden feet can’t muster their way to another restaurant, you could look no further than Kyo-Suiran, the hotel’s own restaurant which looks on to the beautiful manicured Japanese garden within the property.

The restaurant feels like it should be an untouchable room in a museum, yet somehow, it’s a living breathing part of the hotel. The restaurant also offers private Teppanyaki seating for an exclusive dining experience. For breakfast we were given the opportunity to either try a Western or Japanese meal which I’d highly recommend for an authentic experience that mirrors the main reason to visit such an iconic destination.

Even guests who aren’t staying in the hotel can visit the property’s Café Hassui, which hosts the complimentary champagne happy (two) hour(s). During the day you are able to soak in the 100-year-old building that was initially erected for 19^th-century poets, whose original collection of calligraphic poems composed here still remain today, and after spending just a short time in this building, you might be inclined to start inking your own prose inspired by the beauty of such a property that is Suiran.

Shisui Nara

The newer of the two sister properties, and another member of The Luxury Collection by Marriott, Shisui is a hidden-away masterpiece, woven into the fabric of Nara’s incredible history. The hotel offers a gateway to some of the world’s most exciting historical sites in Nara, literally just a samurai’s throw from iconic temples and sites including the Kofukuji and Todaiji temples along with the Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

The hotel itself embodies both old and new with a split property marked by a narrow street that divides the residential and communal areas of the hotel. If it wasn’t for google maps, it would have been easy to miss the hidden entrance to the hotel that is so unassuming most tourists walking by think it’s a part of the historical complex it sits in.

And for many reasons they’d be right. The main building used to be Nara’s Governor’s House and played a crucial part in the signing of the treaty between the USA and Japan after the war. In fact, on entering the property we were greeted by the very Goninsho-no-ma room, which has been left untouched since the Showa Emperor sat to sign the important documents himself.

The newer building which houses the guestrooms is designed by Kengo Kuma (yes, the same architect that designed ANA’s new signature 777 aircraft). This two block wing acts as a modern counterpart to the traditional buildings across the street featuring sensitive and subtle design cues to traditional interiors, while embodying them with clever natural motifs that reflect the surrounding Nara Park.

Our bedroom featured two large twin beds, and an indoor Onsen, which was situated by the windows to the room, allowing for a wet room including shower and Onsen bathtub that was continually heated to 40 degrees. There was a large vanity decorated with all the Byredo Le Chemin amenities you could ask for. Our room actually had a view of the Namdaimon Gate of Todai-ji, it was that close to the historic heart of Nara.

The room was simple but luxurious, but for you to fully appreciate this property its important to embrace Japanese culture and with that, a paired back approach to design.

The real hidden gem is found when the main doors are closed to the property’s teahouse from the public, and its rear door which is opened at 5pm, allowing hotel guests to meander along a lantern-lit path through the walled Japanese garden to the teahouse. Inside, the warm embrace of the staff transports you back again to an era of decadence and tradition where you are encouraged to drink as much champagne as you like for their happy hour and recall the encounters with the bowing deer, incredible architecture, and magical memories that both these incredible hotels provide.

Nara and Kyoto aren’t always on people’s bucket list when they travel to Japan, but with easy connections from Osaka, Nagoya or even just two hours from Tokyo on Shinkansen, if you are going to travel to Japan, make sure these two properties are firmly on your list of places to stay.

Shisui and Suiran are both bookable on Marriott’s websites. TheDesignAir stayed as guests of the hotels, but the views expressed here are our own.

The Big Picture