Elite Traveler HRS 2025

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi

Marunouchi. André Fu was brought in to put his stamp on the Art Deco-inspired interiors. Expect green leather booths, bronze-hued lamps and dark wooden tables. If you can wrangle the table in the private room at the end it’s worth it; the views over the twinkling skyline are remarkable. The menu is fi lled with bistro classics. Standout dishes include the enormous tub of caviar served with pillowy blinis and the restaurant’s signature fried chicken. RELAX Alongside a surprisingly spacious gym looking over downtown Tokyo, Four Seasons Marunouchi is home to a tranquil spa complete with a traditional onsen and sauna. Expert therapists are on hand to carry out an array of soothing treatments. The two-hour-long massage and rose oil facial left me feeling completely rested (and with a dewy glow). EXPLORE The hotel is ideally located for exploring Tokyo; an array of gourmet restaurants, noodle bars and high-end shopping malls are within walking distance. It’s also around 20 minutes on foot to the Imperial Palace — tours run most days at 10am and 1.30pm. As well as museum trips and city tours, Four Seasons o ff ers a range of experiences including a day trip in a luxury van to explore Mount Fuji and a journey to the seaside city of Kamakura to visit the temples and shrines. By Irenie Forshaw From $800 per night. Contact +81 352 227 222, fourseasons.com

can still hear the trains, so light sleepers may want to request a room on the side of the building that doesn’t face the station. Accommodations are decorated in soothing shades of cream and gray, with super-soft carpets and gauzy drapes. You feel a sense of calm from the moment you step through the door. Bathrooms are spacious (mine had a tub and shower) with dark tiled fl oors, and the king-size beds are extra comfy. DINE Helmed by executive chef Daniel Calvert, the hotel’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant, SÉZANNE, serves inventive French cuisine like foie gras with Madeira jellyand risdeveau (sweetbreads) with pea shoots and preserved Meyer lemon. If you’re looking for something a bit more casual, book a table at Maison

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL TOKYO AT MARUNOUCHI TOKYO

I didn’t have myself down as a trainspotter — until I checked into Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi. Tucked among the skyscrapers of the fi nancial district, the hotel is right next door to Tokyo Station, the main Shinkansen intercity hub. From my room up on the fi fth fl oor, there was something oddly hypnotic about watching the shiny white bullet trains glide into the terminal below. A quick warning: Navigating the sprawling station can be tricky. It’s well worth making the most of the hotel’s complimentary platform pickup service so you don’t get lost; just let the Four Seasons team know your platform number and they’ll be waiting to escort you directly to the hotel upon your arrival. STAY Above all, the rooms at Four Seasons Marunouchi are extremely comfortable. I stayed in a generously sized Deluxe King Room with fl oor-to-ceiling windows revealing sweeping views across the tracks at Tokyo Station (not all rooms have station views, so be sure to request one if you fancy some trainspotting). Despite being fairly close to the ground rooms are quiet thanks to triple-glazed windows. Of course, you

SÉZANNE restaurant