Billed as an urban resort, Ritz-Carlton’s fourth Japanese property is a welcome addition to a city that is big on cultural heritage but short on international five-star hotels. Occupying a discreet, low-rise building on the Kamogawa River, the 136-room Ritz-Carlton Kyoto (81-75/746-5555; doubles from US$700) lays claim to the biggest guest rooms in town, all done up in light woods and textured wallpaper. La Locanda, the hotel’s Italian restaurant, features a private dining room that was once part of the home of Denzaburo Fujita, an industrialist who rose to prominence —and a baronetcy—after the Meiji Revolution. –David Tse 

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2014 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Riverside Retreat”)