T+L’s Lodge Assessment of Patina Osaka in Japan

I checked in Patina Osaka two days earlier than its glass doorways formally slid open to friends on Might 1, a bit sleep disadvantaged after a red-eye flight with my 15-month-old daughter. The swish but stimulating design comprised layered exterior partitions that mimic rammed earth, considerable heat wooden, a mesmerizing commissioned video wall projection by Takashi Makino, and tactile supplies resembling ethereal washi paper and grounded granite and ceramic.

After being whisked 14 flooring as much as our nook suite on the fringes of downtown, the curtains opened to disclose Osaka Citadel dealing with me sq. on, with its surrounding lush park as a halo—one which, simply weeks in the past, I used to be instructed, had erupted in cherry blossoms. I immediately felt at peace. That verdant vista of a chunk of historical, intricate structure centered me in storied Osaka and proved a delightfully constant by way of line for my keep.

I gazed on the fortress constructed in 1583 by samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi (and later rebuilt by a unique shogun) by way of the 20-story resort’s floor-to-ceiling glass home windows whereas consuming breakfasts of regionally crafted Japanese cheeses, juicy regionally grown fruits, just-baked pastries with house-made preserves, and flavorful Basque stew with savory sausage at Iñaki. I glanced at it throughout swims within the elegant lap pool and whereas soaking within the onsen-like scorching tub. I admired it over afternoon tea at Nijiri, the shoji-walled tea lounge whose identify references the reverential act of kneeling or crouching to enter a tea home.

It was intriguing to see how Capella Lodge Group bonded this primary city Patina resort with its tropical island resort within the Maldives, referred to as a extremely linked social hub with experiential artwork, activations, and elevated takes on sustainability. Right here, regardless of the encompassing metropolis, the rhythms of nature are felt by way of design, delicacies, and what’s possible Osaka’s first edible backyard at an city resort, already rising 20 completely different herbs—chervil, chamomile, wild strawberries, borage flowers, and 6 various kinds of mint. This contributed to stunning surprises, moments of repose, and daring flavors on every day of my go to.

Osaka, Japan, has seen an inflow of new motels within the final 12 months—together with the Waldorf Astoria Osaka and the 4 Seasons Lodge Osaka. Patina Osaka is the most recent luxurious keep within the burgeoning metropolis—this is my full evaluation.

The Rooms

Patina Osaka has 221 rooms and suites, and whereas they differ in view and measurement, all characteristic design hallmarks that embody a way of place. The 3D washi paper headboards behind cognac-hued leather-based and wooden beds—wearing silky Frette bedding in a fragile granite shade made customized for the resort—had been molded from a piece of the fortress’s granite stone wall, historical imperfections and all. The elegant, minimalist gentle pendants really feel very Japanese, as do the big tatami mat–slash–window seats and ceramic wall hangings repaired with gold à la kintsugi. The toilet, with a rain bathe, copper fixtures, a big soaking tub, and a mosaic of pure grey stone, felt luxurious and fashionable. I adored carrying the fluffy Garnier Thiebaut bathrobe and super-soft Japanese pajamas in jade inexperienced that matched the fortress roof. The in-room yoga mat and ceramic cups for tea from the well-stocked minibar adopted the identical shade inspiration.

My Junior Suite, at 807 sq. ft, was pleasantly spacious with plentiful comfortable locations to recline, sit, and work, or play with my toddler—or let her nap within the bed room with the beautiful washi-covered doorways slid shut whereas I took a quiet tub or frolicked in the lounge. Maybe the very best perk of the suite was the big balcony with ample plump seating and an atmospheric ground lamp, an excellent extension of the indoor house for prime fortress viewing.

After I walked by way of the usual 538-square-foot Deluxe Room, it felt completely sized, particularly for a pair or solo traveler, nonetheless with a beneficiant rest room together with a bath and a tatami daybed with a legless Japanese zaisu chair atop it. The resort’s penthouse-type lodging is the castle-facing Patina Suite, geared up with its personal turntable and sound system plus a minimalist Japanese-style meditation room.

Meals and Drink

“It’s my child,” Antony Scholtmeyer, the resort’s culinary director, instructed me, wanting ecstatic as he fastidiously pulled up the very first fennel from the sun-drenched edible backyard exterior P72, the restaurant, which he conceived after spending seven years at Capella Bangkok.

The bottom-floor restaurant’s identify references the 72 micro seasons acknowledged in Japan, known as shichijūni-kō, and interprets to a brand new tasting menu each few days, relying on what the natural farm on close by Awaji Island sends of their weekly 44-pound omakase veg field. For our lunch, he cleaned and divided the fennel into elements to poach and serve with sea bream and risotto of house-fermented lemon koji rice and backyard peas. The concept behind the lunch- and afternoon tea–solely restaurant is to waste as little as attainable. As a substitute of letting the lemon tree’s leaves fall and wither, the culinary group makes oils to make use of in Scholtmeyer’s imaginative cooking. Onion pores and skin is cooked, pureed, and dehydrated with a number of different easy elements right into a wafer; oysters are wrapped in fermented cherry blossom leaves. “With fermenting and pickling, you may reuse a number of stuff you’d waste,” he instructed me of the acutely aware outlet’s ethos, which is designed with native diners in thoughts.

The highest flooring, 19 and 20, are devoted to 4 extra eating ideas. There, the resort’s overarching theme of kisetsukan, which means seasonal consciousness, is felt most evidently at Iñaki. The Basque all-day eating restaurant options bountiful installations of preserved flowers and flora hanging from the wood-coffered ceiling to characterize the 4 seasons. It’s the place we devoured breakfast with a facet of Osaka Citadel views, and dined on wood-fired octopus with black ink sauce, tender Iberico pork, and seawater ice cream with olive oil and almond foam that I can’t cease desirous about. My toddler’s spaghetti and meatballs had been so scrumptious, I couldn’t assist however steal bites.

Barin is the resort’s high-end teppanyaki restaurant, seating 10 folks on the counter and as much as 16 in cubicles lining a protracted mural hand-drawn on gold leaf depicting Osaka’s historical past. There, the 2 well-pedigreed cooks ready melt-in-my-mouth Kuroge wagyu on the teppan—which originated in Kobe, not too removed from Osaka—in-season spiny lobster, in addition to a kind of onion so candy and scrumptious it blew me away.

Past the Setouchi granite Stone Backyard and Nijiri Tea Lounge, the hanging spiral staircase clad in indigo dip-dyed washi paper and main upstairs to Sonata Bar & Lounge was considered one of my private favourite design moments. Up within the dynamic, moodily lit music-themed house, bartenders combined libations impressed by Osaka’s 1970 world’s honest utilizing Japanese elements (one described my Tiger Baby cocktail—Roku gin, dry vermouth, and mirin rice wine—as a “Japanese tradition martini”). The bar additionally hosts weekly vinyl collector gatherings round a protracted communal desk and a DJ sales space turntable on which friends are welcome to pop on their very own choice from the 6,000-strong report assortment. Sonata’s personal room is essentially the most atmospheric of all, with a jigsaw puzzle wall of 15,000 kilos of Japanese-made classic analog audio system behind a protracted, cozy couch.

It’s price mentioning that each one eating retailers went out of their technique to accommodate my buddy’s gluten and dairy allergic reactions, even guaranteeing she had her personal brown sugar scones and fairly savories and sweets throughout our afternoon tea at Nijiri.

Actions and Experiences

The resort’s attractive indoor swimming pool and jetted scorching pool, together with the spa and wellness amenities, present loads of methods to spend a day, however there’s far more to select from in relation to planning your time.

There are two Perpetual Journeys per day, meant to ask reflection or marvel; they’re complimentary for friends and alter each couple of months. For the second, these embody guided fortress park jogs, breathwork, stretching, and aqua strolling as Patina Rise actions within the mornings. The Listening Room by OJAS, with its world-class speaker system and vinyl choice curated by sound sculptor Devon Turnbull, is the location of morning soundscape periods.

There are fermentation workshops and hands-on Soba to Ōmugi lunches taking place recurrently in P72, plus a weekly immersive design tour led by common supervisor Ellen Franke. At a cost, friends may additionally e-book a cute Patina Osaka wagon, filled with chairs, cuddly blankets, bites, and drinks for a bucolic picnic within the park.

The Spa

Patina Wellness sprawls throughout a full ground for a 15,000-square-foot glass-wrapped wellbeing oasis. The spa is effectively rounded not solely from an indulgent and restorative therapy perspective, however in the best way it weaves superior well being expertise into the experiences. I attempted two packages that paired each throughout my keep. First was an anti-aging and beauty-focused therapy that mixed 20 minutes in a relaxingly heat purple gentle mattress with a Japanese Microbiome and Fermented Enzyme Facial. It featured skincare made equally to sake, with aged fermented rice bran, and the really divine textures made the hydrating therapy much more sensorial. One other day, after a tranquil stint within the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, I sank into bliss throughout a signature physique therapy with gentle dry brushing and soft-tissue therapeutic massage utilizing rose hip-scented coconut oil.

Whereas they really feel pampering, the remedies are all fairly intentional of their function, together with choices just like the infrared sauna, cryotherapy, and compression remedy. Friends can e-book floating stand-up paddle board yoga on the pool or private coaching within the Technogym-equipped health middle. I selected to swim sluggish laps within the 65-foot pool, having fun with the sight of the rippling water as heat copper gentle cascaded from the outsized wood-slat coffers within the hovering ceiling.

Household-friendly Choices

Touring with my toddler, we skilled firsthand how little ones are handled, and it concerned striped teepees, sustainable picket toys, preemptively baby-proofed furnishings corners, a diaper pail and child tub, and a white chocolate “{photograph}” of the 2 of us as a poignant welcome amenity in our suite.

On opening day, I used to be pleasantly shocked by the variety of households and multigenerational teams that checked in. I used to be instructed the forthcoming children’ programming right here might embody origami periods. Within the meantime, eating places had been all geared up with excessive chairs, a children’ menu, and particular creations arrived for my daughter on cute picket bear plates.

For our fortress picnic, the workers packed milk and customised a meals field together with her favourite fruits (i.e. tons of blueberries and sliced banana). What really made me really feel she was genuinely welcomed was the tremendous variety workers, who clearly relished partaking with not solely my youngster, whom they affectionately known as Mira-chan (-chan being an endearing Japanese suffix usually used for youths), however different little ones, too.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Accessibility appeared to me a precedence of the resort, which has three ADA rooms and options accessible elevators, wheelchair-friendly halls and restaurant entries, and a handicap carry for the pool.

Native manufacturing and sourcing, upcycling, zero single-use plastic, and artistic reuse are on the coronary heart of Patina Osaka’s considerate sustainability efforts. I used to be impressed with how effectively the designers behind it made use of scraps, whether or not in P72’s undulating 170-foot ceiling set up impressed by plant roots and made with wooden bits reclaimed from an Osaka manufacturing facility, the turndown satchel of aromatic hinoki wooden shavings to help in pre-sleep leisure, or paintings by Osakan ceramist Toru Hatta comprised of development waste. A large portray by Wataru Hatano in Sonata Bar & Lounge dubbed “Mud” options filth unearthed from the resort’s development website.

And considered one of my private favorites, a fiery summary piece in Iñaki’s personal eating room, was original from curlicue cones of vibrant recycled paper. Even the resort’s inexperienced ink pens are recycled—and recyclable—cardboard. Drinks are bottled solely in glass or steel, and bogs are stocked with giant bottles of toiletries by B Corp–licensed Bamford.

Location

Osaka Citadel and its surrounding park—heaving with cherry timber and Japanese maples for vibrant shows in spring and fall—couldn’t be nearer to the resort and is a significant attraction of the foodie metropolis. Some rooms and eating places face Naniwa-no-Miya-Ato Park, which has an expansive inexperienced garden and low outlets. Although it feels on the sting of Osaka’s concrete jungle, Patina Osaka is barely about 10 minutes by taxi from luxurious designer boutiques, the hilariously outsized 3D, kinetic signage and markets of Dotonbori, and the cool shopping-centric Tachibana Avenue (nicknamed Orange Avenue) within the relaxed, pleasant, and open-minded vacation spot.

Uber is on the market, and there’s Lupe for e-bike and scooter leases. Friends can borrow, for no cost, considered one of 4 Mate e-bikes for spins across the park or past, say to Tanimachi close by for native neighborhood vibes together with charming izakayas, gyoza outlets, and glorious, one-woman eating places resembling Tachiaoi. The resort provides a shuttle 3 times a day to and from the closest practice stations, which may take you to Kyoto in simply 20-Half-hour or to the Osaka World Expo 2025, operating by way of October 13, 2025.

Easy methods to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

Patina Osaka is a part of Patina Lodges & Resorts’ Uncovery loyalty program, permitting members to earn rewards on purchases and stays.

Nightly charges at Patina Osaka begin from $875.

Each T+L resort evaluation is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed on the property, and every resort chosen aligns with our core values.