There are many reasons for visiting the Capital and staying in one of the the top luxury hotels in London – the world-class shows, theatre, opera and ballet; the unrivalled opportunities to truly shop ‘till you drop, even at London prices; the museums and art galleries, many of which are now free to enter, and the legendary gourmet dining. There are at least 5570 restaurants in London, according to the Yellow Pages, and many more pubs and coffee houses, snack bars and take-aways so you should be able to dine somewhere different every night for the next 27 years without having to repeat yourself.
However, in reality, we are creatures of habit, and having found somewhere good to dine out, we would rather return there than risk disappointment elsewhere. Many of London’s finest restaurants are an integral part of the luxury hotels in London which are found in Capital’s most prestigious areas. With expensive taxi fares and impossible parking, it makes sense to dine where you are staying. Here are some of London’s very best restaurants, complete with adjoining luxury hotel accommodation.
One of the city’s best restaurants is tucked inside the five star Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. Although you may feel out of place without a jacket and tie, Hélène Darroze, one of France’s most distinguished chefs has brought her Michelin-star cuisine to London for a gastronomic experience to savor. The more informal Espelette restaurant also offers signature dishes by Hélène, along with delectable afternoon teas.
Equally Michelin star-studded is the Foliage restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental. Nestled in one of the top luxury hotels in London, the restaurant enjoys a Royal Park on either side hotel and al fresco dining on the terrace in the warm summer evenings is an unrivalled experience. Attention to detail includes the waiting staff collecting leaves from Hyde Park and placing them beneath the bespoke glass plates to truly set the scene for an amazing experience.
The five star luxury Berkeley Hotel in London boasts possibly the finest dining with not one but two award-winning restaurants. Gordon Ramsay takes on New York’s café scene with his Boxwood Café whilst Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley presents a total food euphoria.
Finally, be prepared to be dazzled by an exciting international restaurant set in one of the premier luxury hotels in London. Nobu offers a delectable Peruvian-Japanese menu in the Metropolitan Hotel. Founded by world-renowned chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and presided over by Executive Chef Mark Edwards, this specialty cuisine cannot fail to impress. Coupled with the legendary service and contemporary interior design, this luxury hotel in London’s Park Lane makes a truly refreshing place to dine and to stay.
by Luxique - A Unique Collection of Luxury Hotels in London
London is a fabulous place to visit for a weekend, a week or a month. There is so much to see and do, and the key to a great London experience is to stay right in the heart of the action. Ideally you want everything to be just a stone’s throw from your door. Here are a few suggestions for luxury hotels in London which are perfectly located to enhance your visit, whatever you want to do.
Durley House, Knightsbridge
This chic boutique hotel is the perfect pick for Shopaholics. Smack-bang in the middle of Knightsbridge, it is just steps from Sloane Square, the mecca for all fashionistas. Harvey Nich’s and Harrod’s are just along the road, so you don’t have to carry those bags too far.
Covent Garden Hotel, Soho
Interior designer types will adore any of Kit Kemp’s stylish makeovers. Covent Garden Hotel is just one of her superb creations in London. The rooms all have the trademarks of this designer legend; English country fabrics and four-poster beds enhance the richly decorated rooms. Antiques mix with contemporary artwork and look wonderful whilst breaking all the rules. Request one of the rooms with oversized windows and views over the rooftops – a great sight to wake up to.
One Aldwych, Covent Garden
Perfectly located for West End theatres, entertainment and nightlife, this Condé Nast Gold List star is within easy staggering distance of all the major theatres, the Royal Opera House and the National Gallery. One of the most exciting contemporary luxury hotels in London, One Aldwych is more than just a bed for the night.
Dukes, Westminster
This fine boutique hotel makes you a close neighbour of HRH at Buckingham Palace, which is just around the corner. Whitehall, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye are all nearby making this a great choice for sightseeing guests. This ‘Leading Small Hotels of the World’ member is a thoroughly British institution from the clubby bar to the garden conservatory.
Threadneedles Hotel, City
Appropriately located in a former bank building, Threadneedles Hotel is right on the edge of the City, mixing business beautifully with pleasure. This unique luxury hotel is considered by Condé Nast to be one of the top 50 luxury hotels in the world, with its the refined atmosphere and fabulous stained glass dome in the former banking hall. The Penthouse has fabulous views of the City and St Paul’s Cathedral from the fifty-foot long terrace.
by Luxique Luxury Travel
Cash-conscious tourists in the UK have flocked to visitor attractions with free entry, according to figures just released.
Britons staying at home for their vacations, and overseas tourists attracted by the weak pound helped Britain’s leading attractions welcome 10.9 per cent more visitors in 2009 than the previous year.
The British Museum topped the list with 5.57 million visits, followed by the National Gallery (4.78 million) and Tate Modern (4.74 million). All these have free entrance except for major exhibitions.
Of the attractions charging, Blenheim Palace enjoyed a surge in visitors, welcoming more than half a million – 43.6 per cent more than in 2008. Blenheim, where Winston Churchill was born, is a unique example of English baroque architecture, set in 2,000 acres of Oxfordshire parkland landscaped by Capability Brown.
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions has said there’s a feeling of optimism in the tourism industry about the immediate future, but it’s called for more government funding to promote Britain to potential tourists abroad.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re coming to the UK this year, Luxique can guide you to the perfect accommodation, with a wide selection of luxury hotels in London. We can also help you book luxury hotels in many other parts of the UK, including the university city of Oxford, close to Blenheim Palace.
The up-market area of St John’s Wood in north-west London has been a magnet for many tourists because of its association with The Beatles.
The band recorded many of their songs at the Abbey Road studios there and the cover of the 1969 album Abbey Road features them walking across a zebra crossing close to the studios (although many tourists have photographs of themselves at the wrong one!)
There’s been speculation over the past week that the studios – a former 19 century townhouse – might be put up for sale by their struggling owners, EMI.
One of the two surviving Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney, said he had so many memories of the place and he’d heard of plans to try to rescue the building. “There are a few people who have been associated with the studio for a long time who were talking about mounting some bid to save it,” said Sir Paul. “I sympathise with them. I hope they can do something, it would be great.”
EMI clarified its position this week by saying that it wasn’t intending to sell the loss-making studios, but was looking for investors to help it finance what it called a ‘revitalisation’.
One of those who might put his hand in his pocket is the composer and theatrical impresario Lord (Andrew) Lloyd Webber, who has used the studios on a regular basis.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re visiting the UK in 2010, be sure to take a look at Luxique’s selection of 52 luxury hotels in London and our Top Destination guide to getting around.
The enduring popularity of Abba is reflected in London’s newest tourist attraction – a museum/indoor theme park called ABBAWORLD.
The colourful Swedish quartet that gave the world Dancing Queen and other hit songs has sold 400 million records since its 1970s heyday and spawned the hugely successful stage and film musical, Mamma Mia.
The band’s story is told in 25 rooms spread over 30,000 square feet. Glass cases contain costumes in silk, satin and spandex. Visitors can see re-creations of Polar Studios, where the band recorded, and the seaside cabin near Stockholm where Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson composed the hits.
Ulvaeus and fellow Abba member Anni-Frid Lyngstad performed the opening ceremony at the venue at Earl’s Court.
“The ABBAWORLD experience is fantastic for us as well as for the fans,” said Ulvaeus. “We’ve been reunited tonight with a lot of great people who worked with us and supported Abba in the past.”
Lyngstad was misty-eyed:
“Going through ABBAWORLD brought back so many great memories. Seeing myself dancing as a 3D hologram and all the amazing stage clothes we wore, it’s just fantastic. It was a magical time and ABBAWORLD lets the magic live on.”
by Andy Moreton
Tickets are available online at www.abbaworld.com, and don’t forget that Luxique has an unbeatable selection of luxury hotels in London.
A hotel with rooms as small as 50 sq ft. (15 sq m) is to be built as part of the redevelopment of a famous London tourist spot.
Plans have been approved for the 495–room hotel at the Trocadero in Piccadilly Circus. It will take its inspiration from Japanese ‘pod’ hotels, which have capsules for rooms to make use of space in crowded cities.
The Trocadero, originally built as a restaurant, is an entertainment space with shops and a cinema. The hotel will be located over seven floors behind its Grade II listed facade. Corridors will run round the building and rooms grouped around internal courtyards. Rates are expected to be £20–40 ($32–65) a night.
Wan Yau, director of architects Dexter Moren Associates, said:
“The lighting, temperature and even TV channels can be pre-programmed, enabling every guest to have a personalised ‘pod’ experience. We wanted to create an oasis away from the bustling activity [of London].”
When work starts on the site later this year, two neighbouring theatres – the Apollo and the Lyric – have asked for extra soundproofing so their productions aren’t ruined. It’s hoped to have the Trocadero Hotel ready in time for the London 2012 Olympics.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique has a hand-picked selection of the finest luxury London hotels – some large and traditional, some small and chic (but not that small!)
The Spanish capital, Madrid, is one of a number of destinations to which the train is expected become a viable alternative to the plane within Western Europe during the next decade.
It’s thought a high-speed Paris–Madrid train link will be in place within the next two years, bringing the journey time between the two cities to 5½ hours.
Although a flight would take less than half that time, you have to add several hours for checking-in, airport security and travel to and from the city centres. The rail industry is hoping to attract passengers who are becoming disenchanted with this ‘airport hassle factor’.
The German train operator, Deutsche Bahn, is in talks with Eurotunnel about a direct train route to and from London through the tunnel, while Eurostar – which currently runs services from London St. Pancras direct to Paris and Brussels – has also made no secret of its interest in taking trains farther afield.
There would certainly be no lack of support from the respective governments as trains are seen to be more environmentally friendly than planes in short-haul travel.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique offers a wide choice of luxury hotels in Madrid, from the traditional Westin Palace to the quirky and fun Room Mate Mario.
I wrote last week about some of the items that are lifted from hotel rooms (Nickers Down Under).
As far as the former US Ambassador in London, Raymond Seitz, is concerned, there’s only one souvenir he looks for – the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. He’s now amassed a collection of 500, he told February’s Condé Nast Traveller magazine.
“I think I’m attracted to these signs because their message so perfectly captures my personal philosophy. I would be happy if I could go through my life with one of them hanging around my neck,” he said.
He’s not alone in his passion – I discover there are a number of collectors around the world and at least one website dedicated to this peculiar pastime, set up by someone who’s got a staggering 6,000 of the things (http://www.freewebs.com/dndcollector/).
Mr Seitz is apparently not a fan of the trend of some hotels to re-word the simple message in favour of such modernisms as ZZZZ, I am re-energising, or I’m catching a cat nap.
by Andy Moreton
The tourist authority VisitBritain didn’t waste any time when it found out that Guy Ritchie was to direct a new version of Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law.
It got on the phone to Warner Brothers, and the result is a partnership between them to promote the film, its locations and the UK in general. The campaign invites tourists to discover Holmes’s Britain, past and present.
Conan Doyle’s story is fictional, of course, but the locations are real, including 221B Baker Street in London, where Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson were said to have lived. It’s now home to the Sherlock Holmes museum – just look for the Victorian-era policeman on guard outside.
Other London landmarks in the film include St Paul’s Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament and the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. One of the locations outside the capital is the historic Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham in Kent.
VisitBritain’s Marketing Director, Laurence Bresh, said: “Sherlock Holmes is known around the world as one of Britain’s most iconic characters. Our partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures is a great way of helping people discover the secrets of our destinations and entice them into having a fantastic adventure here.”
Sherlock Holmes is now on general release.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re planning a visit, finding a luxury hotel in London (and many other parts of the UK) is elementary: just browse Luxique’s superb selection.
The route of the annual New Year’s Day parade through London is being reversed to satisfy American TV broadcasters.
The organisers are anxious that American audiences (i.e. potential tourists) wake up to see such iconic landmarks as Nelson’s Column and Big Ben in all their glory.
So, after a goodwill message from the Queen has been read out, the parade will now start at noon London time at the Ritz Hotel in Park Lane and make its way to Parliament Square.
The annual event is apparently already hugely popular in the United States. Last year, nearly 4,000 Americans from 24 different marching bands took part and even more are expected to be involved this year.
With an estimated US television audience of up to 100 million viewers, organisers say the parade is a fantastic shop window for the capital’s tourism and they want London looking its best. The parade’s executive director, Bob Bone, said:
“The Christmas and New Year period is vital for tourism, when millions decide where they will visit in the summer. This year, of all years, it is vital that we attract every last one of them.”
by Andy Moreton
It’s a great city to explore at any time of the year, so take a look at Luxique’s comprehensive selection of luxury hotels in London.
