Traveling with the Jones — Sharing Travel Discoveries

A Photo Tour of Room #4723 at the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel

by Janis on November 2, 2017

The Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel occupies from 38th to 57th floors in Japan’s tallest building, the 60 story “Abeno Harukas” building.

While visiting Osaka, Japan in early October, we spent six nights at the Osaka Marriott Miyako, using Marriott Reward points.

Here’s a look inside room #4723, a corner room on the hotel’s 47th floor.

This was the first view as we walked into room #4723, Marriott Osaka Miyako.

All of the hotel’s 360 guest rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Osaka city.

We redeemed additional Marriott points to book a corner room, and we loved the views of Osaka.

The king bed was comfortable, and the closet was spacious in room #4723 at Marriott Osaka Miyako hotel.

The bathroom offered a stand-alone shower plus a deep soaking tub with a view.

The bathroom vanity was well-organized.

The little drawer contained a wide selection of toiletries. (The tooth brush box showcases a profile of the hotel’s building.)

We got used to the heated seat of the Toto toilet.

Back in the main living area of room #4723, we appreciated the work table near a bank of plugs and USB charging ports.

The refreshment center was another nice feature of room # 4723. The left side of the cabinet hid a mini-bar/frig, and had room to add your own bottle of wine or water for chilling. We loved the capsule espresso maker on top.

The cabinet on the right side opened to reveal two rows of pull-out drawers. One provided a secure storage place for wine and champagne glasses, as well as other glassware. A second pull-out shelf housed a ice bucket, a teapot and coffee and tea cups. It was all very Marie Kondo-like (the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing bestselling book.)

Best of all the views

Our favorite feature of room #4723 at the Marriott Osaka Miyako hotel was the view.

This was the daytime of Osaka from room #4723.

Room #4723 was also a special place to watch the sunset over the Port of Osaka. (While the port is a way in the distance, this photo was taken from the window with an iPhone.)

And the night time view from Room #4723. The tower that reminded us of a pepper grinder (in the upper right corner of the photo above) is the Tsutenkaku Tower.

Our Bottom LineWe loved our stay in room #4723 at the Marriott Osaka Miyako Hotel during our early October trip to Japan.

See Mr. Jones’ complete review of the hotel here.

Have you visited Osaka, Japan? Do you have a favorite hotel room to share?

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Hotel Review – Marriott Osaka Miyako in Osaka, Japan

by Jeff on October 31, 2017

During our early-October visit to Japan, we spent six nights at the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel using Marriott Rewards points. (The hotel, similar to every retail establishment in Osaka it seemed, was promoting Halloween.)

The Abeno Harukas — in Osaka, Japan. Photo by Oilstreet.

Located in the Tennoji /Abeno area of Osaka, this hotel is easy to spot from the distance as it is located on the 38th to 57th floors of the “Abena Harukas” — the tallest high-rise building complex in all of Japan.

Getting to the Hotel

We took the Kansai Airport Express HARUKA train from the Osaka Kansai Airport (KIX) directly to with Tennoji Station.

The ride took about 35 minutes and the Marriott Osaka Miyako hotel was right across the street from where we exited the train station.

Even though it’s close by, it was confusing trying finding the hotel from the Tennoji JR station. A local helped us and we followed the signs. The key is finding the bank of small elevators (near the entrance to the Harukas department store) that transport you up to the 19th floor reception.

Most of these elevators are used for access to the Harukas 300 observation deck which may have a long line. The first two elevators, however, are dedicated to the Marriott hotel.

Check-in

Checking in on the 19th floor at the Marriott Osaka Miyako hotel was fast and almost overwhelming (in a good way). We were greeted at the elevator and our bags politely taken. We could have gone to the concierge lounge to check-in but the front desk had no line so we just headed there.

Check-in was painless, with the longest portion of the process being dedicated to reviewing everything in the welcome kit — Kintetsu store discounts, observation deck tickets, etc.

We chose the beers and the cheese/cracker snack as our Platinum-status welcome gift.

This was delivered to our room shortly after our arrival. (It was unseasonably hot in Osaka during our visit, so a couple of ice cold Asahi “Dry” beers really hit the spot).

Hotel Room

We were assigned Room #4723, a corner room. (We used extra Marriott Rewards points to book a corner room, and we were very happy with our decision.)

The room was one of the nicest non-suite rooms we have experienced at a Marriott. Room #4723 features a large living /working area, a terrific bath/shower/toilet, and floor-to-ceiling windows for incredible views day or night. Take our photo tour of Room #4723 here for an in-depth view.

Concierge Lounge

The Executive Club Lounge — located on the 38th floor — was a highlight of our stay at the Marriott Osaka Miyaka hotel.

The high-ceiling lounge is a beautiful space. By the second day the staff called us by name.

The Executive Club Lounge was open from 6 am to 12 midnight, and served breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cocktails with food, following by bar service with complimentary beer, wine and cocktails until 9:30 pm each evening.

The breakfast selection was diverse with western and Japanese options. I learned to appreciate my normal “over easy” eggs served with a side of soy sauce.

During the 5:30 to 7:30 pm evening cocktail time, the lounge offered a carving station and a considerable selection of dishes as well as complimentary cocktails. We found it a perfect stop before heading out for dinner each night.

The staff were always friendly and helpful. On the flight home we discussed the highlights of our Osaka trip and the amazing level of hospitality of the Concierge staff topped out list.

Overall Impressions

The Marriott Osaka Miyako Hotel exceeded our high expectations and we would return here without hesitation.

We found the hotel staff offered gracious and polished hospitality. The Executive Club Lounge was a relaxing, welcoming space with a stellar staff. Our corner room offered fantastic views and terrific amenities.

Finally, we found the hotel’s location ideal for exploring Osaka as well as for making day trips to Nara and Kyoto. We had easy access to the subway, the JR trains, and the express train to Kansai International Airport.

Have you been to Osaka? Where did you stay?

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Eating, Drinking and Having Fun with the Locals in Osaka, Japan

by Janis on October 26, 2017

When we visit a new destination, we like to get away from the tourist areas and explore the places where the locals eat, drink and have fun. Generally, this works best when you have local guide to show you around.

While researching for our visit to Osaka, Japan, Mr. Jones found the Osaka Local Evening Tour led by guide Yuki Fujisawa of Inside Osaka walking tours.

We scheduled our tour for the evening of our first full day in Osaka. It was a busy Friday night when we met Yuki at the Temma train station, which is right next to the longest shopping street in Japan.

The Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street extends for more than 1.6 miles. The covered street is lined with continuous shops and places to eat.

As we walked with Yuri, we learned local insights, such as why this man is so popular, and why locals have to reserve their “bucket” of Kentucky Fried Chicken well in advance for Christmas Day.

While you can find takoyaki (octopus-filled snack balls) everywhere in Osaka, Yuki took us to a takoyaki stand which has been loved by locals for more than four generations.

Takoyaki are made from wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. The batter contains diced octopus, tempura bits, pickled ginger, and green onion.

At this shop, the takoyaki are made slowly, with multiple layers of batter added as each ball is frequently turned.

The result is worth the wait. These takoyaki were light and delicious.

Next, Yuri took us to a crowded Izakaya (a Japanese-style standing pub) where we bonded with several locals while enjoying beer and sake.

This Izakaya is one of the oldest in Osaka, Japan, and is famous for its dashi broth (generally made with water, dried kelp and bonito fish flakes.)

We tried daikon radish and tofu that were long-simmered in the pub’s famous dashi broth. We had the most fun, however, conserving with the locals.

For our final stop, Yuki took us to one more dining establishment. We sampled a number of local foods like the skewers and omelet pictured above.

If you are visiting Osaka, Japan and want to try to have a more local, non-touristy experience, we highly recommend the Osaka Local Evening Tour with Yuki.

Have you been to Japan? What is your favorite local food?

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A Look Inside the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel

by Janis on October 21, 2017

Prior to a late-September cruise to Canada and New England, we stayed 1-night at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel.

This hotel is connected directly to Boston Logan Airport Terminals A and E via pedestrian walkways, so we walked from the Southwest baggage claim to the hotel following the airport signs.

If you arrive into a different airport terminal, or do not want to make the longish walk, the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel also offers 24-hour courtesy bus service to and from all airport terminals. The hotel’s shuttle will also deliver guests to the Rental Car Center, subway, and even the Boston water taxi.

The hotel offers self-parking for $42 per night or valet for $49 per night.

This is the view as we walked into our hotel room.

We used Hilton Honors Awards points to book a king bed room. Currently, the Boston Logan Airport Hotel requires 54,000 Hilton Honors award points for a 1-night stay.

The Boston Logan Airport hotel has fairly standard rooms. The guest rooms feature soundproofed windows which is key for an airport hotel.

Also important to know: this hotel is 100% non-smoking including all guest rooms and public areas. This is a Boston ordinance and cannot be modified.

Smokers have to go outside the hotel in order to smoke.

The bathrooms are standard size for a Hilton hotel.

Outside, there are several walking paths around the hotel.

Hotel guests can walk across the street to visit the 9/11 Memorial at Boston Logan Airport.

The memorial is focused on a glass cube structure called The Place of Remembrance and was designed by Moskow Linn Architects of Boston.

Our bottom line on the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel:

The hotel has a terrific location for travelers arriving into Boston Logan airport late in the evening or for those spending the night before departing on an early morning flight. From the airport baggage claim area in terminals A and E, you can walk to the hotel via an enclosed walkway by following signs to the Hilton hotel. There is also complimentary airport shuttle service to and from the hotel that runs 24 hours a day.
The hotel has a beautiful, open lobby. The hotel rooms are standard, but have good sound-proofing.
We found the service to be uneven at the hotel’s restaurant called Connolly’s Publik House. The evening service missed the marked, and the pub-style food and drinks were over-priced. At breakfast in the same restaurant, however, we found excellent service even among a big crowd of guests.

Have you stayed at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel? How would you rate it?