Category: St. Regis

St. Regis New York

City Hotels, Hotels, New York, St. Regis

Living the Legacy on Fifth Avenue for a Night

Introduction

Dreaming of a luxurious escape steeped in history and holiday magic? Look no further than the iconic St. Regis New York. This Beaux-Arts masterpiece played host to literary giants, daring explorers, and Hollywood royalty, and its timeless elegance continues to captivate guests a century later. Our recent one-night stay right before Christmas was nothing short of enchanting, offering a glimpse into the old world New York experience.

Property

St. Regis Lobby at Christmas
King Cole Bar


The St. Regis exudes a palpable sense of grandeur and place. Stepping into the opulent marble lobby is like entering a bygone era, with its soaring ceilings, polished brass, and attentive staff. Since we were there just before Christmas, the holiday decorations throughout the lobby added to the magic, with a Christmas tree display above the iconic check in desk, and garland throughout the first floor.


You can take in some of the property’s history in the lower lobby, including artifacts from the property, highlights of well known guests, and historical photographs. We really enjoyed reading old menus, seeing the photos of Dali in the hotel, and seeing little things like toiletries from the 1920s. Be sure to stroll around to see the King Cole bar and its famous mural as well, it’s easier to enjoy when the bar is closed since it’s unobstructed and viewable through the large glass doors to the bar.

Rate

Rates at the St. Regis vary heavily depending on the season, room type, and any ongoing promotions. While it’s certainly a splurge, the experience and unique location can justify the price tag for a special occasion. We were able to utilize our 85,000 point free night award from the Marriott Bonvoy Amex card, with a 15,000 point top up, to stay a night for 100,000 points just a few days before Christmas. The rates can exceed 110,000 points a night at times, so be sure to keep an eye out for deals and packages, especially around holidays, to make the most of your stay. 

Room


We were lucky enough to snag a surprise upgrade to a suite, with a large living room, sizable bedroom, and with a view up 5th ave to Central Park. Considering we’re in New York City, and some people’s apartments are half the size of our suite, we were more than happy. The room itself was spacious and held all of its original old world charm, with plush furnishings, marble bathrooms, and all of the original design, much of which we recognized from Dali’s photos downstairs. At the same time the property kept up to date where it helped, with high-tech amenities like Dyson hair dryers and smart lights. Old-world charm met modern convenience quite seamlessly and effortlessly, though it could certainly stand for a refresh without giving up any of the charm.

The bathroom in our suite was fairly luxurious, with amenities we don’t normally find even in a St. Regis property, like a scrub brush, a full toiletry set, and very strong water pressure in the shower. They even had one of what we’ve come to believe is a marker of a truly well-run St. Regis property: a stationary kit.

We were also provided with a $75 laundry and dry cleaning credit, but given that we were staying one night and weren’t aware of the credit, we weren’t able to use it. We were able to enjoy tea and pastries in our room thanks to what the St. Regis New York calls a Daily Pastry, which we were provided as Marriott Ambassador members. This service includes complementary tea or coffee and a pastry, tea cookie, or scone. Every other St. Regis property we’ve been to that offers this calls it Tea Service, so we were interested to find what other quirks were unique to this property during our stay.

The unexpected offer of 25,000 Marriott points for a 12pm checkout was a delightful surprise as well, since our wonderful check-in agent Trang added a 4pm late checkout as a courtesy without us needing to ask, and we were happy to vacate the room by 12pm. These little touches of generosity truly set the St. Regis apart.

Dining


No St. Regis stay is complete without indulging in afternoon tea at the Astor Court. We truly enjoy tea, and in the past we’ve had somewhat mixed experiences with the Astor Court’s tea compared to other tea services in the city. Not this time though. We really enjoyed our tea, everything was fresh and tasty, the portions were so large we needed a to-go box, and the service was excellent. We’ll be returning for tea without a reservation soon. We were also able to utilize a $75 food and beverage credit that we were provided as a Marriott Ambassador member on our tea service to bring the bill down a bit.

In the morning, the Astor Court transforms into a breakfast haven, offering delicious a la carte options. We were warned that they may be full, but we were able to work with the staff to secure a table in the morning. If you can make a reservation for breakfast that will avoid any issues, since they allow outside bookings for breakfast as well.


The iconic King Cole Bar is another must-visit, where the original Bloody Mary was famously concocted. There’s often a line waiting for a table, but a good trick to know is that if you’re in a rush or don’t care to sit, you can walk right up to the bar for standing service. The cocktails are fantastic here, and they even feature Bloody Mary recipes from St. Regis properties around the world.

For a Michelin-starred fine dining experience, step around the block to Caviar Russe for exquisite caviar and Russian delicacies. We enjoyed their shrimp cocktail, Osetra caviar, delicious cocktails and wine, and live jazz.

Location

The St. Regis’ prime location on Fifth Avenue and 55th Street puts you at the doorstep of world-class Fifth Avenue shopping, Rockefeller Center, and Central Park. During our stay, we enjoyed strolling down the festive Fifth Avenue Open Street, marveling at the Saks light show and window displays. Central Park is just a short walk away, offering a welcome escape from the urban buzz, and the subway is just a few blocks away as well.

Salon

While we didn’t have time to indulge in the salon during our short stay, we were able to take advantage of a $50 credit we were provided as Ambassador members to the Salon, and walked away with a Candle!

Overall

Our stay at the St. Regis New York was a luxurious escape into a world of timeless elegance and impeccable service. From the awe-inspiring Astor Court tea to the historical King Cole Bar and the stunning suite upgrade, every detail resonated with the hotel’s rich legacy. The perfect blend of old-world charm and modern comfort, coupled with its unbeatable location, makes the St. Regis an ideal choice for a truly unforgettable New York experience.

Would I Recommend it?

Absolutely! If you’re seeking an unforgettable New York experience steeped in history and unparalleled luxury, the St. Regis New York should be at the top of your list. It’s the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, indulge in holiday magic, or simply enjoy the finer things in life. We really enjoyed the one night staycation experience around the holidays, and felt like tourists in our own city, enjoying things we might otherwise ignore. The credits we got also made the stay feel like a great value, including $75 F&B, $75 Laundry, and $50 in the Salon!

St. Regis, Bora Bora

French Polynesia, Hotels, St. Regis
View of Bora Bora from the St. Regis yacht

The next time that you’re cooped up for 16 months in an apartment in the heart of NYC, the serene screensavers on your television featuring far flung destinations may take on a new importance for your mental health. For us, it provided new inspiration for our travel goals. If you also have an LG television you may also recognize the mountain above (and if you don’t, change your input and await your small world tour).

After some Googling and reverse image searching we discovered that that photo was taken from the beach of the Le Méridien Bora Bora. Bora Bora happened to be one of the locations we had considered for our honeymoon, as well as the alliterative alternative of Bali, with our third choice and the winner, the Maldives, where we stayed at the St. Regis Maldives (review coming soon!). In the cold winter days of 2020 we quickly built a strong snowy pact to get to Bora Bora, which looked like a haven of warmth, warm waters, and open air. We found ourselves right at home in the St. Regis Bora Bora, and we’ve recommended it to several friends. We’re sure you’ll love it too.

Location & Travel

Bora Bora is a stunning island and one of the most popular tourist destinations in in the island archipelago of French Polynesia, alongside Tahiti. Bora Bora is a small, mountainous island measuring 12 square miles with amazing views of the ocean. There are many activities to enjoy in Bora Bora, such as water sports (swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating), hiking, and relaxing. There are also several luxury resorts and hotels to stay in on the island, including the St. Regis, Four Seasons, and Conrad. The Le Meridien was also on the island, but was closed for renovations when we visited.

French Polynesia and Bora Bora are located in the Pacific, over 4,200 miles almost directly south of Hawaii. Getting to French Polynesia is similar to getting to Hawaii, but a little trickier.

The best way to get to Bora Bora is by plane from California. There are several airlines that fly to Bora Bora from the United States, including Air Tahiti Nui, United Airlines, and Air France. The flight time from the west coast of the US to Bora Bora is about 13 hours. For us, we need to travel from the east coast to the west coast before going on the Bora Bora, which we used as an opportunity to visit Los Angeles, where we stayed at Le Merigot Santa Monica (review coming soon!), drove up the coast, ate In-N-Out, and checked out Disneyland. You could also fly through San Francisco for a city trip or wine country stop.

From Tahiti you’ll need to take another short flight with Air Tahiti (not to be confused with Air Tahiti Nui!) to Bora Bora airport. These can be direct from Tahiti to Bora Bora, or may stop at other islands along the way, adding 15-20 minutes per stop.

Once you land in Bora Bora you’ll walk across the tarmac to the small, open air (yes, literally) Bora Bora Airport you will walk the 20 feet or so to the hotel greeting desks. We weren’t sure about finding these before we arrived, but you cannot miss them in such a small airport. Your hotel will greet you, take your bags, and let you know if you need to wait for others or not. The St. Regis has multiple boats that take this trip, and you may be lucky enough to get a private boat to take you, or you may make friends on the St. Regis’s yacht. Either way, you’ll be quickly whisked across the Lagoon to the St. Regis property.

Booking & Rate

We were lucky enough to book this trip using Marriott points at a rate of 60,000 points per night. We also took advantage of Marriott’s Stay for 5, Pay for 4 promotion. This property seems to be one of the best Marriott point redemptions in the system, alongside other resorts we’ve enjoyed like the St. Regis Maldives, and city properties like the Prince De Galles, Paris (reviews coming soon!). Not only is the property and location fantastic, but the amenities and freebies that are included (use of the Spa facilities, free water sports equipment, etc) are outstanding. At the Member rate, this property would be over $2,000 USD per night.

We also watch the room rates for our trips closely leading up to our trip, and when we’re able to rebook at a lower cost with the same or better room type we jump on the opportunity! That’s exactly what happened this trip. We had a total of 6 nights booked in two bookings, one with 5 nights on points, taking advantage of Marriott’s Stay for 5, Pay for 4 policy, and one additional night on points separately. The points rate for the extra night went down before our stay, which allowed us to rebook that night in a very special overwater villa…

Rooms

Tour of Overwater Premier Otemanu Villa #106
Tour of Beachside Villa #404

Beachside Villa

We were booked into Beachside Villa #404, and had no trouble finding our room across from the Lagoonarium. We were offered an upgrade to an Overwater Deluxe Villa for that time, but turned it down considering it’s advantages over an overwater villa. These included a full private pool, which a Overwater Deluxe Villa lacks, your own stretch of beach access with a hammock strung between palm trees, and more space. As you can see from the video above, the room is spacious and beautiful, with a large bathroom and wonderful views of the lagoon. The private pool is an awesome feature to be able to take a dip morning, noon, or night with a book or glass of wine. There’s nothing quite like enjoying tea service first thing in the morning while strolling your piece of beach.

One thing to watch out for in these rooms is leaving any windows or doors open. We accidentally left the slats on one window shutter open, and our bathroom was swarming with flies by the time we came back to the room. Of course, one call to the housekeeping staff and the flies had vanished by the time we finished dinner.

Overwater Premier Otemanu Villa

For our last night we switched to the Overwater Premier Otemanu Villa #106. Upon arriving to the villa we were surprised to recognize it as the very Villa that Vince Vaughn is given in Couples Retreat, which we had probably seen a few times through, in bits and pieces as it played on loop on a channel in the hotel! We really appreciated the upgrade as it was probably one of the best oriented villas there is to see the mountain.

The villa had a plunge pool, which was notably smaller than our Beachside Villa’s, and smaller than a jacuzzi, but still big enough for my wife and I to sit in together and enjoy the view. Like the Beachside Villa we also had a gazebo with a table and chairs, and two lounge chairs. The living room was large and spacious, with great views out to the Lagoon, and the bathroom and bedroom layout what almost identical to the Beachside Villa, which we liked.

Of course, what the Overwater Villa does offer is the ability to watch fish swimming in the Lagoon, and go swimming. You can watch fish either through the windows in the floor in both the living room (under the beautiful glass coffee table), and in the bathroom, or off your deck. There are lights under the Villa that you can turn on to better see and attract fish. There’s also the ability to jump right into the Lagoon to swim or snorkel. We saw stingrays, small sharks, and all manner of fish while we were there – it’s like you have your own personal aquarium!

Dining

If there is one thing you should take away from this blog, it’s that you absolutely must visit La Villa Mahana for a dinner while you’re in Bora Bora. It’s an 8 table, one seating per night, multi-course culinary experience headed up by the incredible French Chef Damien Rinaldi-Dovio. Reservations go extremely quickly, so you should ask the hotel to make a reservation for you at least 1-2 months in advance. It’s also hosted some extremely prominent guests, and that started to make perfect sense as the night went on. This is literally one of the best meals my wife and I have ever eaten anywhere in the world. Every single thing we ate was incredible. Our meal included fillet minon with gnocchi, seafood risotto, shrimp salad, Foie Gras, and an incredible chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. Truly an extraordinary meal.

Meals at the hotel were excellent as well. Breakfast had a large set of options to choose from, one of the most complete we’ve found outside of Asia proper (nothing can compete with the St. Regis Bali’s breakfasts). They definitely load you up with food if you so desire, and sometimes we decided to skip lunch after a big meal. Note that sometimes things were a bit slow or forgotten, but if you politely remind people they’ll jump on it.

The Lagoon restaurant at the hotel property was absolutely fantastic as well, which is no surprise given that it’s a Jean Georges restaurant. It’s fine dining, but we really enjoyed getting a drink on the Lagoon Terrace, and going for desert even after getting dinner elsewhere. The bar also offers a selection of fine cigars to enjoy with your drink.

We also enjoyed lunch on the beach and drinks at the poolside bar, and you can even order crowd pleasers like pizza right to your chair or cabana on the beach. Now that’s a vacation.

Overall

We really enjoyed our time at the St. Regis Bora Bora, so much so that we convinced a friend of ours to go on a recent anniversary trip (and to bring us back some Vanilla)! Even though it’s a bit of a trip from the east coast of the US, requiring a stop in California, we are ready to go back. We’ve already booked ourselves for another stay, and we can’t wait to enjoy the property, relax, and return to Villa Mohana!