My wife and I stayed at Senraku House for 6 nights and were extremely happy with our choice of this property amongst the many possibilities. We'd recommend this property to friends and family and would definitely stay again on future Kyoto visits.
Why would we give this property 5 stars?
1. Location is extremely convenient and very close to public transportation: subway, bus, and trains.
2. The property is well maintained and extremely clean. It's also tastefully decorated as the pictures on HomeAway accurately show.
3. Rieko and Thomas are extremely responsive throughout the process of renting the house, and provide accurate information on how to navigate to the house so arriving there without getting lost is easy. They also thoughtfully provided us with information on what was going on in Kyoto during our stay. For example, they let us know that the Imperial Palace would be open to the public during our stay without going through the normal application process.
4. We appreciated the detailed instructions in English on how the appliances and heating/cooling worked.
5. The bathroom was first rate with a wonderful shower.
6. We really appreciated the washer/dryer, which worked great. It allowed us to pack light for the trip, and wash a couple loads of clothes during our stay. Rieko thoughtfully provided the soap for the washer and excellent instructions on how to operate the equipment.
6. The house was quiet at night, which was a welcome surprise considering its central city location. We slept great on the futon bedding.
7. Wifi is fine, and Rieko provides the access information you'll need to connect.
For those going to Arashiyama to visit Tenryu-ji, the bamboo grove, and our personal favorites: Okochi Sanso and Gio-ji temple, it's very easy from Senraku House. Walk west on Shijo-dori and go to the Randen Shijo-Omiya station. Jump on the train and go to the last stop. Cost is ~200 yen. The walk from Senraku House isn't far, less than 1000 meters.
I'd caution families with young children that the stairs are quite steep leading to the second floor, so you'd want to take precautions. Older folks with hip or knee issues might have difficulty navigating the stairs too. Guests taller than 5'10" will need to mind the low door heights and duck. This is a traditional house true to its roots, and that's just how they were built back in the day.
All in all, 5 stars.