Kyoto: 5 Places to Stay

Hidden in a slim, four-story building that at first glance looks more like a modern apartment building than a hotel, the seven rooms at the intimate Hotel Mume near Gion have all been designed around the traditional nature-inspired concept of "ka-cho-fu-getsu" (bird, butterfly, wind, moon). The Wind rooms are bright, spacious and accented with Asian motifs; Butterfly are defined by their black walls and rich red antique Chinese furnishings; Moon are based around rich golden tones and dark woods. The one constant is the blending of antique furnishings and modern design sensibilities to create an atmosphere that is very much boutique chic, even through to Hotel's the cool café-bar.

Insider Tip: Book well in advance. Design hotels are few and far between in Kyoto.

Room to Book: The 57-square-meter Flower suite comes with bath time views over the Shirakawa River and beyond to the Higashiyama mountains.

• 1. Hotel Mume
  261 Shinmonzen-dori, Umemoto-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan; 81-(0)75-525-8787 35.006219135.776934 hotelmume.com