Kuiadore or eat to ruin in Osaka whose visitor stats are soaring. The city has cool coffee shops, restaurants bars and boutiques along with traditional cultural and zany treasures and the address to flaunt is the St. Regis.
Location – Osaka Castle is about a 20-minute walk and Universal Studios Japan is a thirty-minute train ride away
The St. Regis Osaka offers understated elegance in the top 16 floors of a Namba skyscraper located on Midosuji Boulevard (considered Osaka’s Champs Elysées). The Shinsaibashi-suji shopping arcade is on the doorstep of the St Regis with the neon signs and famous ‘Glico Man’ of Dotonbori at the other end of the street. Osaka Castle is about a 20-minute walk and Universal Studios Japan is a thirty-minute train ride away. The subway Honmachi station is directly under the hotel so you can’t get more convenient than that to discover the rest of Osaka.
Rooms – Magnificent Osaka city views
The first thing I notice when I walk into my room are the magnificent city views seen through the floor to ceiling windows – a true wow factor. In a country known for lack of space and capsule hotels even the standard rooms exude a wealth of space at 43 square metres. The palette is a soft neutral with silk accents blending Kawashima silk with cherry blossoms to create a backdrop to the sprawling bed with its 300 thread count sheets topped with divine throw pillows.
The bathrooms are everything you would expect lined with marble displaying Imabari towels and offering a rainwater showerhead and four body jets, a soaking bathtub and a built in LCDTV. There’s even an in-room Butler Box which your personal butler can use to place requested items in without disturbing the guest.
Electric curtains, a Nespresso coffee machine and free Wi-Fi will keep even the most particular from complaints.
Families are catered for as there is a pair of interconnecting rooms on each floor.
Dining – La Veduta, a northern Italian restaurant
St. Regis offers La Veduta, a northern Italian restaurant or the bistro Rue d’Or. Both have chefs who will happily create a vegan dish or two and suggest the perfect alcoholic accompaniment. Each St. Regis offers their own take on the Bloody Mary after Fernand Petiot perfected the recipe for a vodka and tomato juice cocktail in 1934. Osaka offers a local version the Shogun Mary which includes a zest of fresh yuzu citrus, spicy wasabi powder and soy sauce.
Breakfast is served at Rue d’Or and there are choices for vegans from the Western, Japanese and Chinese buffets. Being the St. Regis, they will cook you something you would like if there’s nothing in the buffet.
Service – All staff are friendly
Gotta love a St. Regis Butler experience. Included in your room they will pack or unpack your bag and my they do it well. They’ll make you a cup of tea and of course secure dinner reservations, sightseeing and event tickets. They’re your man about town and make travel a breeze.
All staff are friendly and offer top-notch service. As I was on my way out the concierge chatted to me and when I told them I was vegan they wrote a note for me in Japanese to share with any food outlets or restaurants. It was most useful for my entire stay.
Facilities – Spa and treatment rooms
The raked gravel rooftop garden with views of Mount Ikoma is a sanctuary in the hustle of Osaka. Up on Level 14 there’s a spa and treatment rooms and a 24/7 gym. The gym is small but well equipped with a diverse cardio setup, four resistance machines and free weights up to 20 kg.
The bar showcases a live pianist from Tuesday to Sunday and in summer the garden terrace has bottomless champagne lunches.
Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan was a guest of Jetstar Business Class, St. Regis Osaka and Kyoto City Tourism.
stregisosaka.co.jp | kyoto.travel | jetstar.com
3-6-12 Honmachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
00 81 6 6258 3333
For more personalised information tips and advice, or to book this incredible holiday contact your local TravelManagers’ personal travel manager here.
