My husband had a business meeting to attend so I thought I would tag along and explore St. Louis, Missouri and since we had never been, decided to make it a little mini-vacation. We booked our room at the Hotel Lumiere. We arrived early and our room was not ready, so we ended up moving to the nearby luxury Four Seasons for $49 more a night. The difference in price was well worth it. Our room was heavenly. I would bet that the view from the Four Seasons lobby floor/bar area was the greatest view of St. Louis.

Ahhhh…the Beautiful Four Seasons Hotel

The Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis was a gem nestled in a not-so-safe part of town, Laclede’s Landing. The lobby was on the 8th floor and that is where the hotel’s main restaurant and sleek bar, Cielo is. Cielo offers al fresco dining, weather permitting, on the rooftop which gives you a great view of the lovely swimming pool, water fountain, and a view of the Gateway Arch in the background. The food was delicious and the service slow, but thorough.

The hotel connects to the casino, Lumiere Place, which was sprawling. Lumiere Place  had hundreds of slot machines. We were surprised that you had to be registered and show an ID card to enter the gambling areas. A positive was that while gambling, patrons redeem points which can be redeemed for food, hotel rooms, and apparel. The casino was incredibly clean and contemporary in feel. Eddie and I enjoyed lunch at The Kitchen, which was tasty and affordable.

Our Four Seasons Hotel room was amazing! Some of the favored amenities were the plush down duvet, ipod docking station, huge Italian marble bathroom, and terry bathrobes. The hotel also had an ample taxi available, something that the Hotel Lumiere was in need of.

What We Did in St. Louis

Eddie and I did some shopping at the Plaza Frontenac and St. Louis Galleria malls. They are spread out from the Laclede’s Landing so we had to take a cab to get there. Fare was around $35. For noteworthy meals, our favorite was Al’s Restaurant near the hotel. This 83 year old restaurant is a gem featured mouthwatering steaks, lobster, fresh seafood, chops, and pasta dishes. They do not use a printed menu, but instead, the impressive servers rattle off the 60 or so vegetable/side dishes. They then show you the choices for cuts of meat.

St. Louis offered some memorable events such as actually riding up the 630 feet inside the Gateway Arch in a little 5 seater tram. At the top, you can exit the pod and walk around to take pictures. This offers a wonderful aerial view of St. Louis and the historic Old Courthouse. The Museum of Westward Expansion was located on the premises and  had an impressive Lewis & Clark exhibit.

The Delightful St. Louis Zoo

The best part of our trip was my visit to the St. Louis Zoo. I found their zoo to be extremely clean, with a wide variety of animals, and easy to navigate grounds. The hippo exhibit was so exciting. They are my favorite animal in the world so I was super excited to spend some time watching the five of them graze and just look cute.  Also, do not miss the penguins and polar bears. 

St. Louis is a great city to explore. I did not have nearly enough time to do everything I wanted so hopefully a return trip will be on the horizon.

St. Louis Photo Gallery:

(Several people have asked me if I have ever written for anything prior to blogging. The answer is yes. I had submitted several travel articles to the Charleston Sunday Gazette-WV which were published. This is a modified version of one of those articles.)