Four Seasons
999 North 2nd Street, St Louis, MO 63102
888-427-8409

Four Seasons St Louis Home Page

September 2009

Welcome to www.weloveourlife.com. This is our page dedicated to our experiences while staying at Four Seasons in St Louis, Missouri.

Accommodations

	We booked a Grand Premier Room, which was on the 14th floor (there are 15 floors). The picture shown on the website for the Grand Premier is not accurate. That shows a couple chairs and a coffee table. We did not have that. We had a king size bed and then sort of a divan and a very small table with a light on it but that was it. Yes, there was a desk and a large dresser against the wall with a flat screen TV, but for what we paid for the room, I think they could have supplied two chairs for us to sit in. We turned the divan sideways so we could both sit on it and not have to always sit on the bed.
	We did have a nice view of the pool area and the Gateway Arch. There was a minibar. Upon checking in we saw that one non-alcoholic drink was missing and of course we were charged for it when we left, which was disturbing. In looking at the pictures on their website, it is apparent we had a Premier Room and not a Grand Premier Room (but we were charged the Grand Premier Rate); we didn’t figure this out until we got home.
	The bathroom was nice and the picture of that on the website is indeed accurate. There is a deep soaking tub that was big enough for both of us. There is a separate shower with rainforest head, a separate water closet for the toilet, and a large vanity area. The coolest thing was a 13” TV actually embedded into the mirror! It’s a good thing we don’t have this at home as Lori would never come out of the bathroom!

Inn Amenities

This is a Four Seasons and they offer an outdoor swimming pool and spa, as well as a fitness room (we passed it and it was huge), and a full-service spa (which also looked huge). On the day we arrived, it was sunny and we went to the pool after we checked in. This was the first time we stayed at Four Seasons and we didn’t realize how much they emphasize their service. A woman greeted us by the pool, asked us our room number, and put thick terry cloth covers over chaise lounges and gave us additional towels. She also gave us ice water. Unfortunately, she told us there were several children in the pool and there had been an “incident” so we couldn’t use the pool – they were shocking it to try to get the chemicals back in balance. This disappointed us as it was a warm afternoon and we planned to go in the water. We could use the spa but that was too warm. There was a reflecting pool that was a foot deep and Lori sat in that. We enjoyed the service around the pool – we were offered Evian spritzer for our faces and were given free samples of fruit smoothies. On our second day the weather didn’t totally cooperate. We did consider going to the pool but were dismayed to once again see unattended children in the pool. Considering there was an “incident” the previous day we were surprised management didn’t monitor the pool area more closely. And who the heck would leave their kids unattended at a pool in a city when they were from out of town? And who the heck would take kids to the Four Seasons anyway?

Inn Food

We had two breakfasts at the Four Seasons. The first morning we went downstairs and had their buffet breakfast (it was a weekend). It only made sense as to get what we wanted off the menu would be $20, the same price as the buffet. There was plenty of good food available on the buffet.

The second morning we opted for room service, which was a nice way to end up our trip. Our food was delivered on time (we’d put out a card the night before), and there was plenty of it. The iced tea we’d had in the dining room the morning before (unsweetened, as we like it) was excellent – it appeared to have iced tea ice cubes! We ordered a pitcher of it on this morning and it was delivered as requested. The server brought in a table and positioned it in front of the TV for us. Obviously it wasn’t cheap but it was a nice indulgence. They definitely have an emphasis on service at this place.

Inn Bar/Lounge

There is a long bar at the Four Seasons and patrons can look out through a wall of windows. We had a drink there our first night before going upstairs to bed, and the second night we split a bottle of wine. There were plenty of bartenders and the service is good but like anything else at this place, it’s pricey.

Inn People/Service

The Four Seasons prides itself on its service and it was evident throughout our stay; the workers are very well-trained. This was our first experience at a Four Seasons and we would stay at one in the future.

Area/Attractions

There are plenty of attractions in Missouri. We only had two days and our goal was to visit the Gateway Arch and the blues festival at Laclede’s Landing. The great thing is this place is within two blocks of LaClede’s Landing so we could park the car and walk. There was a blues festival while we visited. Please see our Missouri travelogue page for our stay in St Louis for details.

Dining Hannegan’s Restaurant & Pub - 719 North 2nd Street, St Louis, MO 314-241-8877
Hannegan’s Restaurant & Pub Home Page
We actually ate at this place two times. We had lunch outside on the sidewalk on a beautiful Friday afternoon just before Labor Day. We each had a wheat beer and then switched to sauvignon blanc (Lori was getting a little nervous about the upcoming trip up the Gateway Arch). We each had cheeseburgers.

We went back for dinner on a Saturday evening. We had to wait a bit because the place was packed after a football game between Mizzou and University of Illinois, but not the hour we were originally told. We were inside and this place is HUGE, modeled after the US Senate Dining Room; each table or booth displays a plaque inscribed with the name of a senator who voted to repeal Prohibition. There were a lot of leftover drunken fans from the football game and the evening’s entertain for us was watching these people trying to locate the restrooms (it was pretty funny). We split a bottle of wine. Lori had a crab cake appetizer and shrimp bruschetta (which were good but were overshadowed a bit by the smoky flavor of the shrimp). Keith had the bruschetta (very good) and beef brochette (not to be confused with bruschetta – this is beef on a stick with a savory sauce). There was a guy elevated by the bar playing piano. He was a good piano player but his singing left something to be desired.

Morgan Street Brewery – 721 North 2nd Street, St Louis, MO 314-231-9970
Morgan Street Brewery Home Page
The weather was threatening (and there were plenty of football fans around) so we ate inside at a high-topped table. Lori drank Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and Keith had a pint of their Steam lager (after which he switched to wine even though he said it was good). Keith had pasta with gorgonzola sauce and Lori had one of their thin crust pizzas with pepperoni and sausage (we ended up taking a lot of the pizza back to our room).

Jake’s Steaks – 708 North 2nd Street, St Louis, MO 314-621-8184
Jake’s Steaks Home Page
We had lunch here Saturday afternoon on Labor Day Weekend – just before the big college football game. This place – like every other place in Laclede’s Landing – was packed. The hostess told us that because of the crowd anything except for appetizers would take at least an hour so we decided we could make do with appetizers. We got Jake’s Sliders – small burgers with fried onions which were really delicious, chips and salsa, and pretzels with a cheesy mustard dip. Our only complaint is that the pretzels were actually FRIED. Why fry wonderful soft pretzels? Although we noticed they seem to like to fry things in general in Missouri.

Nightlife The Big Bang Dueling Pianos - 807/809 North 2nd Street, St Louis, MO 314-241-2264
Big Bang Bar Home Page
We had a blast at this place. The last time we experienced dueling pianos was in Key West (and we enjoyed that). The energy was high – there was always someone performing on state. If both pianos weren’t going at once, the other one was playing an instrument, and at one point there were two guys playing pianos and two guys doing a back-up band thing. The stage was never empty the entire time we were there. The servers got together and did a crazy little dance on the stage. All of the servers wore shirts that said “Bang This” (yes, women too). The only thing we didn’t care for was the smoke but we were having so much fun we dealt with it. Definitely a fun thing to do!

Weather

We visited St. Louis the first week of September. The first day it was warm and sunny but we had rain on the second day. The weather cooperated nicely – the rain stopped by noon and although the sun didn’t come out, it at least stayed dry.

Tips/Suggestions

If you say near LaClede’s Landing you really don’t need to drive; just walk.