20 Hours Overnight in KIX - First Class 24 Hour *A Lounge ?
May 1, 2006, 11:08 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 203
20 Hours Overnight in KIX - First Class 24 Hour *A Lounge ?
I'll be flying Thai TQ620 Business (2-cabin) from MNL, connecting through KIX, to hop on United UA886 First (3-cabin) to SFO. It's my understanding that KIX has free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal.
Where can a 1P Premier Executive sleep? Are there any airport capsules? 24 Hour Star Alliance Gold Lounges? Anyone have recommendations? What about cheap hotels nearby?
Lastly, is the airport mall bus worth 200¥? Are there any cool stores, such as a store that sells not-in-the-USA GSM phones or cool gadgets?
Where can a 1P Premier Executive sleep? Are there any airport capsules? 24 Hour Star Alliance Gold Lounges? Anyone have recommendations? What about cheap hotels nearby?
Lastly, is the airport mall bus worth 200¥? Are there any cool stores, such as a store that sells not-in-the-USA GSM phones or cool gadgets?
May 1, 2006, 11:30 pm
#3
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Your best bet would actually be going landside and going to a hotel. KIX airport is dead from midnight-6amish....
Last international flight usually get's in by 9.30pm..... about 5am for the first flight SQ from BKK
There is one TG flight that leaves at 1.30am. The TG lounge would be open till about departure. Before that an EK flight leaves around 10.30pm to Dubai. The first international departures start around 8-9am.
Last international flight usually get's in by 9.30pm..... about 5am for the first flight SQ from BKK
There is one TG flight that leaves at 1.30am. The TG lounge would be open till about departure. Before that an EK flight leaves around 10.30pm to Dubai. The first international departures start around 8-9am.
May 2, 2006, 12:38 pm
#4
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Originally Posted by fumitani
Your best bet would actually be going landside and going to a hotel. KIX airport is dead from midnight-6amish....
Last international flight usually get's in by 9.30pm..... about 5am for the first flight SQ from BKK
There is one TG flight that leaves at 1.30am. The TG lounge would be open till about departure. Before that an EK flight leaves around 10.30pm to Dubai. The first international departures start around 8-9am.
Last international flight usually get's in by 9.30pm..... about 5am for the first flight SQ from BKK
There is one TG flight that leaves at 1.30am. The TG lounge would be open till about departure. Before that an EK flight leaves around 10.30pm to Dubai. The first international departures start around 8-9am.
Both lounges are fairly mediocre, but at least I had the Olympics to watch... live.
May 2, 2006, 1:17 pm
#5
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They dont' use GSM in Japan but you could buy cool 3G and CDMA phones. Not sure at KIX though as I have only been there twice. Both times last year the airport was completely full with tourists (who came in to see the airport). But I did spend 1 night in Nagoya city (less than 12 hours) on a layover and it wasn't a big deal.
May 6, 2006, 11:37 pm
#7
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Originally Posted by christof
Well, I've booked a hotel room at the KIX Nikko. Anyone have any suggestions on things to do while in Osaka: good restaurants, great shopping (cool techy stores or luxury stores), etc.?
May 6, 2006, 11:39 pm
#8
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In fact, this thread is more apt there and also for the sake of future searching will move there.
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cblaisd
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May 7, 2006, 12:11 am
#9
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With 20 hours, perhaps you may want to get a room in central Osaka.
There are several hotels located near Osaka station (not Shin-Osaka), including the Westin, the Hilton, and the Ritz-Carlton. There is an airport train that leaves KIX into Osaka station.
Otherwise, if you want to stay at the KIX Nikko, there is a small Takashimaya located next to the hotel.
There are several hotels located near Osaka station (not Shin-Osaka), including the Westin, the Hilton, and the Ritz-Carlton. There is an airport train that leaves KIX into Osaka station.
Otherwise, if you want to stay at the KIX Nikko, there is a small Takashimaya located next to the hotel.
May 7, 2006, 12:21 am
#10
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 203
Originally Posted by francophile
With 20 hours, perhaps you may want to get a room in central Osaka.
There are several hotels located near Osaka station (not Shin-Osaka), including the Westin, the Hilton, and the Ritz-Carlton. There is an airport train that leaves KIX into Osaka station.
Otherwise, if you want to stay at the KIX Nikko, there is a small Takashimaya located next to the hotel.
There are several hotels located near Osaka station (not Shin-Osaka), including the Westin, the Hilton, and the Ritz-Carlton. There is an airport train that leaves KIX into Osaka station.
Otherwise, if you want to stay at the KIX Nikko, there is a small Takashimaya located next to the hotel.
For reference, I arrive KIX 9:20pm and depart at 3:25pm the next day. Is anything open? Or, should I remain at the Hotel Nikko Osaka Airport?
May 7, 2006, 2:10 am
#11
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OPTION 1 - Stay in central Osaka
The Osaka option will give you a very brief view of Osaka neon and a bit of shopping in the morning.
ETA 9.20pm @ KIX means you might reach central Osaka at 11pm if you are lucky. Bars and clubs will be open ... but not much else.
ETD 3.25pm from KIX means that you need to leave Osaka by 12.30pm
Electronics shops are likely to open at 11am (some might open from 10am).
The Westin Osaka has a limousine bus - but it might not be your best choice. IIRC, its a 15 minute walk from the Westin to the Umeda area (where you find the bars and shops). A better choice in the Umeda area might be the Hilton, which is directly across the road from Osaka station. And maybe it's better to stay in the Namba area (South central Osaka), which gives you a shorter trip to the airport and has nightlife and shopping nearby.
OPTION 2 - Stay at or near KIX
If you stay at the Nikko KIX (which is on the airport island) or one of the hotels just across the bridge... your options for killing time are more "sedate" - I just spent a little time in the area yesterday:
There is a bus which does a circuit between the KIX airport island and the Rinku town development which is just across the bridge on the mainland,.
(On the airport island, it stops at the terminal building and at the Aeroplaza building, which houses the hotel and some kind of exhibition space - who knows what they have in there). Price for one bus ride is 100yen: (i.e. 200yen if you take the bus there and back - as you pointed out)
(It is also possible to reach Rinku town by train from KIX.)
On the mainland side, the bus will take you to:
(1) Outlet Village - This is not Japanese in character at all. The design is supposed to look like Charleston. It has a number of "factory outlet" type stores from a variety of well known global brands (Nike / Gap / Le Creuset etc.)
(2) AEON hyper-market - This will give you a look at a very-large-scale Japanese, domestic mall. Nothing terribly exciting about that (IMHO). Good place to stock up on Japanese food products and see some retail outlets (everything from clothing to home electronics - but not a "wow" kind of experience).
(3) A park which stretches along the coast (Rinku Kaihin Park). A good location for a walk or a run, if that's your thing.
Frankly, the advertised attractions of Rinku town would disappoint me if I were looking for an experience of Japan during a short stopover.
However... I did notice a street of regular old fashioned izakaya places (drinking holes) within walking distance of the Rinku town outlet village. That might be a more interesting place to get a bite to eat and a beer on arrival at KIX. (In which case, you might prefer the hotels which are on the mainland rather than the one in the terminal - since you can enjoy a beer within walking distance of the hotel, without worrying about the last bus back to the airport island).
This would leave you a full morning to do "something" before checking in for your onward flight.
During that morning, you could visit a hot spring *(I posted one onsen near KIX on this forum a while back)
EDITED TO ADD: Here's a great looking onsen in the area (in Izumisano) Name is "inu naki onsen center":
http://www.inunaki-onsencenter.co.jp/index.htm
EDITED TO ADD: And here's a sake brewery in the area (in Izumisano), which allows visitors to tour the brewery and sample some of their sake for 500yen (but the brewing only takes place in winter)
15 minutes walk (or short taxi ride) from Hineno station (JR line from KIX) - name of the brewery is So no sato:
http://park6.wakwak.com/~shounosato/
EDITED TO ADD: And here's the onsen that I posted on another thread some time ago (doesn't look as nice as the one above actually). Name is "Minami Tei"
http://www.minamitei.com/english/annai.html
... or um... take a walk along the coast and watch the planes land at KIX.
EDITED TO ADD: ...or maybe go to Nishoku Hama beach (take the Nankai line from KIX to Nishoku Hama - 10 minutes walk) which is supposed to be a swimming beach, with showers and boats for rent and stuff. It might be a reasonable place to enjoy a couple of beers and catch some sun on a nice day but the quality of the water in this built up area is surely dubious:
http://www.walkerplus.com/sea/kansai/1003/
... or perhaps catch the train to Wakayama and see the castle... (But then you might as well go to Osaka and see the castle there).
The Osaka option will give you a very brief view of Osaka neon and a bit of shopping in the morning.
ETA 9.20pm @ KIX means you might reach central Osaka at 11pm if you are lucky. Bars and clubs will be open ... but not much else.
ETD 3.25pm from KIX means that you need to leave Osaka by 12.30pm
Electronics shops are likely to open at 11am (some might open from 10am).
The Westin Osaka has a limousine bus - but it might not be your best choice. IIRC, its a 15 minute walk from the Westin to the Umeda area (where you find the bars and shops). A better choice in the Umeda area might be the Hilton, which is directly across the road from Osaka station. And maybe it's better to stay in the Namba area (South central Osaka), which gives you a shorter trip to the airport and has nightlife and shopping nearby.
OPTION 2 - Stay at or near KIX
If you stay at the Nikko KIX (which is on the airport island) or one of the hotels just across the bridge... your options for killing time are more "sedate" - I just spent a little time in the area yesterday:
There is a bus which does a circuit between the KIX airport island and the Rinku town development which is just across the bridge on the mainland,.
(On the airport island, it stops at the terminal building and at the Aeroplaza building, which houses the hotel and some kind of exhibition space - who knows what they have in there). Price for one bus ride is 100yen: (i.e. 200yen if you take the bus there and back - as you pointed out)
(It is also possible to reach Rinku town by train from KIX.)
On the mainland side, the bus will take you to:
(1) Outlet Village - This is not Japanese in character at all. The design is supposed to look like Charleston. It has a number of "factory outlet" type stores from a variety of well known global brands (Nike / Gap / Le Creuset etc.)
(2) AEON hyper-market - This will give you a look at a very-large-scale Japanese, domestic mall. Nothing terribly exciting about that (IMHO). Good place to stock up on Japanese food products and see some retail outlets (everything from clothing to home electronics - but not a "wow" kind of experience).
(3) A park which stretches along the coast (Rinku Kaihin Park). A good location for a walk or a run, if that's your thing.
Frankly, the advertised attractions of Rinku town would disappoint me if I were looking for an experience of Japan during a short stopover.
However... I did notice a street of regular old fashioned izakaya places (drinking holes) within walking distance of the Rinku town outlet village. That might be a more interesting place to get a bite to eat and a beer on arrival at KIX. (In which case, you might prefer the hotels which are on the mainland rather than the one in the terminal - since you can enjoy a beer within walking distance of the hotel, without worrying about the last bus back to the airport island).
This would leave you a full morning to do "something" before checking in for your onward flight.
During that morning, you could visit a hot spring *(I posted one onsen near KIX on this forum a while back)
EDITED TO ADD: Here's a great looking onsen in the area (in Izumisano) Name is "inu naki onsen center":
http://www.inunaki-onsencenter.co.jp/index.htm
EDITED TO ADD: And here's a sake brewery in the area (in Izumisano), which allows visitors to tour the brewery and sample some of their sake for 500yen (but the brewing only takes place in winter)
15 minutes walk (or short taxi ride) from Hineno station (JR line from KIX) - name of the brewery is So no sato:
http://park6.wakwak.com/~shounosato/
EDITED TO ADD: And here's the onsen that I posted on another thread some time ago (doesn't look as nice as the one above actually). Name is "Minami Tei"
http://www.minamitei.com/english/annai.html
... or um... take a walk along the coast and watch the planes land at KIX.
EDITED TO ADD: ...or maybe go to Nishoku Hama beach (take the Nankai line from KIX to Nishoku Hama - 10 minutes walk) which is supposed to be a swimming beach, with showers and boats for rent and stuff. It might be a reasonable place to enjoy a couple of beers and catch some sun on a nice day but the quality of the water in this built up area is surely dubious:
http://www.walkerplus.com/sea/kansai/1003/
... or perhaps catch the train to Wakayama and see the castle... (But then you might as well go to Osaka and see the castle there).
Last edited by jib71; May 7, 2006 at 8:06 am
May 7, 2006, 2:17 am
#12
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In additon to the JR line to the Osaka/Umeda Station area, you can take the private rail Nankai line from KIX to Namba. This area has alot of nightlife and restaurants. Dotonbori is a very short walk and the electronics town Den-Den is also very close which you could visit the following morning. There are a number of hotels around the station like the Swissotel Nankai that is attached to the station to the much more affordable Nankai Namba Hotel and Hotel Il Cuore Namba just to name a few.