As many of you will know from my Instagram posts, one of my favourite spots in London is Hotel Cafe Royal in Piccadilly and I have featured the hotel and its dining options which are available for non-guests a few times now on the blog, including their incredible afternoon tea experience in the spectacular Oscar Wilde Room. So I was thrilled to learn that they had launched a new Sunday brunch menu at the end of last year.
With the wet and windy weekends we have been experiencing in the UK not to mention the doom and gloom following Brexit, what could be better than to seek refuge in an interior design dream with delicious food and drink and in the company of good friends. Designed by Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni with hues of brown, grey and bronze, Laurent Restaurant is on the first floor of Hotel Café Royal. The main dining room and bar overlooks the elegant sweep of Regent Street, with additional seating around the sensational Murano glass chandelier which takes centre stage in the hotel’s grand lobby.
Executive Chef Laurent Tourondel has brought New York to London with a fantastic brunch menu featuring dishes such as his incredible Truffle Popovers Benedict which are a twist on the classic Eggs Benedict using a truffle hollandaise sauce and lots of cheese. It is supremely rich in flavour, but worth visiting the restaurant just to try this dish as was absolutely exquisite.
Also on the menu, you will find classics such as avocado and salmon as well as country style pancakes. And of course there is the option to choose the bottomless brunch menu with includes one main dish with either unlimited Bloody Marys (£45), or VeuveClicquot (£65). To note the bottomless option is for two hours only, but that is plenty of time to enjoy the live jazz music and escape hectic city life for a few hours of much needed relaxation or catch up with friends.
The hotel describes itself as a ‘London luxury address like no other’, and this in my opinion is no overstatement. For over 150 years, Hotel Café Royal has been the ‘vibrant living room of London, the place to convene, converse and celebrate’ for famous visitors like Oscar Wilde, Muhammad Ali, Winston Churchill and David Bowie (indeed several of the spaces in the hotel are now named after these illustrious folks). The new Sunday brunch menu has further enhanced the hotel’s offering, and am even more of an ardent fan of this very special spot in London. I am looking forward to my next visit already!
I absolutely love discovering new hotels, and was recently invited to a corporate breakfast seminar at L’oscar hotel near Holborn tube in London. Now I admit it wasn’t a hotel which had passed across my radar, and hotel conference rooms in the past have not really blown me away, but as soon as I walked into the lavish reception area at l’oscar I was impressed.
Our seminar was set in the splendid Library, and afterwards I was kindly given a tour by the Head Concierge and was fascinated to hear the story of how a previously dilapidated English heritage building had been lovingly restored in all its Baroque glory into this gorgeous 39 bedroom boutique hotel with exquisite and unique spaces for private dining as well as business meetings and seminars.
Built more than a hundred years ago, the building was the former London headquarters of the Baptist Church. Architect Arthur Keen mixed ‘Wrenaissance’ style with Arts & Crafts influences, working with some of the best artists and craftsmen of the time to create much of the exterior and interior design: ornately plastered ceilings, carved fireplaces, oak panelling, and finely worked plaques.
Sadly, the building’s fifth floor was damaged by a bomb in World War II and over the years the church’s congregation dwindled. It closed in the 1960s as a place of worship and was taken over by London Transport until 2012 when it was bought by the Triangle Hotel Group and under the creative direction of L’oscar CEO Duncan Shakeshaft its revival began with many of its features beautifully restored by master craftsman from across the world.
With lavish interiors created by French designer Jacques Garcia, of Hotel Costes in Paris and La Mamounia in Marrakech fame, there is a real sense of decadence and luxury, but also heritage and culture. Respecting the Grade II historical building, partitions in bedrooms cannot touch the ceilings and many of the original features have been lovingly restored.
All rooms and suites are decorated with commissioned arts & crafts period artwork, but of course provide access to modern technology such as flat screen TV and complimentary non-alcoholic mini bar and daily newspaper.
Attention to detail is breathtaking with Lalique style birds used as light fittings, Roja Dove perfume providing a L’oscar signature smell and stunning hollow stem crystal champagne coups made in Poland. However I was also impressed to learn that there were many elements which had been recycled including the doors leading into the bar which CEO Mr Shakeshaft had found in a metal scrapyard in France, the restaurant napkins rings which were bought at Kempton Park antiques market and former church collection trays refurbished to be used to present clients with their bills.
Dining options are just as beautiful with the main restaurant, sparkling L’oscar, an all-day brasserie next to the main lobby, inspired by the famous Venetian Café Florian, lined with with mirrors and gilded panels. There is also a private events space for sit down and standing receptions set under the resplendent original church dome with an intimate bar, The Baptist Bar, open to the public and with live entertainment on Thursdays and Fridays, set on the level below.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I can’t think of a more romantic setting to have dinner or escape for a mini-break. And for those of us who are still dealing with the sadness, that we are no longer part of Europe, L’oscar provides a little bit of Parisian chic in the capital.
I launched this blog to share wonderful venues and inspiration of places to to visit, however have often been faced with a dilemma, what do I do when I come across something so special that I want to keep it to myself. Grecotel Corfu Imperial, on the idyllic island of Corfu, is one such venue, which is is so sought after that it is always booked up well in advance, that I have hesitated in sharing my secret Greek paradise more widely, but that is the purpose of this blog so here you go!
Set on its own private peninsula, it used to be the vacation getaway for Greek nobility, and you still get that sense of exclusivity and privacy. With a fabulous selection of room types from the stunning guest bedrooms and suites in the main building to beachfront villas and extensive villas, it caters for a wide variety of holiday makers, and does it all with style and panache.
One of the flagship luxury hotels in the Grecotel collection which states that all 32 of its hotels are “a paradise of opulent amenities, gourmet restaurants and luxurious, well thought-of details, all embodying the essence of the genuine Greek hospitality.” I hope to visit more hotels in the Grecotel collection one day, but I can wholly agree that Grecotel Corfu Imperial totally embodies all of these qualities and more.
I have stayed at this exquisite hotel twice now. First in October 2016, then again in September 2017 (both times booking with Tui) and am hoping to return later this year. There is something so magical about the setting, which overlooks the Ionian sea and the calmness of the cove, not to mention breathtaking sunsets that require no Instagram filters, and a general feeling of creativity in the air where you can’t help but paint, write and rejoice in the beauty of nature.
For me, Grecotel Corfu Imperial offers a retreat where you can totally rest and and recharge in the most breathtaking surroundings, and with a small nature trail to explore, gorgeous private beaches and coves plus 15 restaurants overlooking the Ionian Sea, you don’t even need to leave the hotel.
And what’s more, even though I have only been twice, you really feel like they understand the concept of guest experience, as many of the staff have been working at the hotel for many years, you are welcomed back as part of the family and the warm atmosphere and adherence to excellence is led from the top by the amazing General Manager Mr Efstathios Savvidis and his incredible management team.
Grecotel Corfu Imperial really stole my heart. I hope to return again and again ….
Love Sangeeta
Photo credits (except final image) courtesy of Grecotel Hotels.
After the months (maybe even years) of planning your wedding, the honeymoon is time for the bride and groom to finally relax and celebrate their union and new life together. Mini-moons have been really popular in the last few years and I loved featuring three fantastic London hotels which would each be a wonderful way to start married life together, but what about the much anticipated honeymoon?
Over the next few weeks, I would like to share with you three hotels which I have personally visited, and the reasons why I think each would make for the perfect romantic honeymoon destination without breaking the bank.
First up the uber stylish Miramar in Barcelona, Spain (short-haul)
Then next, is the one where you get a luxe Caribbean beach feel without the long flight and at a fraction of the price, the fabulous Club Jandia Princess in the Canary Islands (mid-haul)
And finally, the grande dame, a personal long-time favourite The Residence in Mauritius (long-haul) where personal butlers come as standard!
The White Diaries
