Bulgari Hotel London
Best for: Families, or anyone after a taste of off-the-charts luxury
Imagine you’re in: An upscale hotel in Milan
The hotel
Oozing with moody masculinity and restrained elegance, the Bulgari hotel, from the Italian high-end jewellery brand, muscled its way into the high-rolling Knightsbridge hotel scene – literally, as an entirely new building – in 2012. It’s a quick sashay from Harrods and Harvey Nichols (guests are given a personalised Bulgari business card to drop off, for ease of in-room delivery), and you can count the supercars picking guests up from the door.
Read the full Bulgari Hotel London review.
Bulgari Hotel London: a masterclass in elegance
The staycation
The new-for-2020 collection of deals includes options for various staycationers. There’s B.Family, which gives up to two adults and two children run of the hotel’s 47-seat cinema and yoga studio. B.Private, meanwhile, is for those who want to isolate in the most stylish way possible, with in-suite hair and personal shopping appointments, and B.Beautiful is for anyone feeling less than glamorous post-lockdown (raise your hand), showering you in full-body spa and beauty treatments. The latter will have you primed and ready for B.Festive, a two-night stay from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day including all the relevant feasts.
Whichever you go for, they’re all extremely tailored – when we arrived, everyone on the reception desk greeted our one-year-old son by name, the chef crafted him his own off-menu dishes each day, he had a personal children’s entertainer sing him his favourite songs (they’d asked us what they were before we arrived) and Sette restaurant even played his namesake track as we ate one night (as to whether that was a lucky coincidence or not – we’re allowing the benefit of the doubt). The attention to detail really is quite remarkable.
The holiday vibe
The extreme pampering here should stir a post-trip glow. The combination of friendly, on-it staff, creative one-off experiences (a fine-dining picnic in Hyde Park, your choice of film in the cinema), treatments at the slick, subterranean spa and the lavish suites themselves all together instil a sense that your soul has had a total break from reality.
Inside-track tip
Spend as much time as you can by the pool – it’s potentially the most stunning in London, and you probably won’t ever see another quite like it. The vitality pool, in particular, is almost so sumptuous it’s obscene: entirely covered in glittering gold-leaf glass tiles that shimmer like a mermaid’s tail, its full-body massage jets look as painfully stylish as they are luxuriant. (Also, don’t miss the unique-blend herbal teas left in your room each afternoon, to encourage various states of calm or confidence, served with home-made cookies and cakes.)
Social distancing
Each of the staycations has been created with social distancing front of mind, with itineraries revolving around in-suite or private activities. Pool appointments must be booked ahead, hand sanitiser (that happily smells just like good tequila) is stationed immediately in front of the entrance and in useful locations throughout the hotel, and your allocated team member will only enter your room with your permission and while wearing a mask. And frankly, it would be possible to socially distance yourself from your own family, the suites here are so spacious.
How long is it available?
Thursday 3 December 2020 to Monday 31 May 2021.
Address: Bulgari Hotel London, 171 Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DW
Telephone: +44 20 7151 1010
Price: B.Family is priced from £1,170 per night for a two-night minimum stay for two adults and two children, in a Deluxe Room. Ten per cent of the proceeds from each Bulgari London Staycation goes to the hotel’s Virus Free Fund, a new initiative to support Oxford University’s work in developing vaccines
Website: bulgarihotels.com
The Prince Akatoki
Best for: Anyone who wants to sleep more deeply than they ever have in their life
Imagine you’re in: The remote Japanese countryside
The hotel
Under the guise of a Georgian townhouse, soothing, minimalist hideout The Prince Akatoki is London’s only five-star Japanese hotel.
Read the full The Prince Akatoki review
The Prince Akatoki hotel: Japanese minimalism in Marylebone
The staycation
Designed to propel you as far from 2020’s locked-down life as possible, A Taste of Japan, as its name suggests, taps into the world of Japanese hospitality and culture. Sample traditional matcha cakes and sweet sushi rolls as part of a welcome platter in your room, head to the fire-lit, wood-panelled Malt Lounge to sip on sake-based cocktails, and take part in a sushi masterclass run by the hotel chef. You’re also given an Ikebana flower arrangement to take home.
The holiday vibe
The experience starts as soon as you enter the hotel. The coolness of the minimalist decor (jute rugs, cream-coloured stone walls, light-wood furnishings) is offset by a roaring fire and a warm welcome. Those seeking a seriously peaceful night’s sleep should book into one of the Sunset or Sunrise suites. Set in the hotel’s lower-ground floor, the rooms drown out all the sights and sounds of central London. The Japanese touches continue with a traditional glazed-stone tea set and lavender and ylang-ylang bath minerals (and even an alarmingly powerful Japanese-style toilet). Prepare for bedtime with a soak in the deep-set bathtub – the mirror on the wall turns into a television – before slipping into the neatly folded yukata gown and collapsing into the giant king-size bed.
Inside-track tip
Ask the waiter for tips on how many omakase dishes to order – without advice, we would have ended up with way too much sushi. Definitely go for the Wagyu beef, which arrives sizzling on a hot stone for you to eat once it’s cooked to your liking, and is served with spicy ponzu and a Japanese mustard mayo.
Social distancing
Guests are asked to wear masks in all public areas, and temperatures are taken as you enter the hotel. In the restaurant, there are screens between each table, customers are spaced out and menus are downloadable via barcode.
How long is it available?
The package is currently ongoing.
Address: The Prince Akatoki, 50 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7FD
Telephone: +44 20 7724 4700
Price: The package is £550 per night including breakfast, regular room rates are from £229
Website: theprinceakatokilondon.com
The Lanesborough
Best for: Wellness seekers
Imagine you’re in: A stately countryside pile
The hotel
This Hyde Park Corner grande dame reopened in 2015 after an extensive, multimillion-pound makeover. The gilded Regency manor has become known in the years since for its Michelin-starred restaurant Céleste – dominated by Wedgwood friezes and an elegant glass dome – as well as its discreet Library Bar and excellent spa.
Read the full Lanesborough review.
The Lanesborough review: First In
The staycation
With more of us staying closer to home than ever in 2020, The Lanesborough is tempting would-be staycationers with a new package that squeezes the most from a night here. Choose between a foodie experience, which includes a three-course dinner with Champagne in Céleste, or a wellness stay, complete with a 60-minute massage and run of one of the spas. Late checkout is a given the following day: book a stint in the soothing hydro pool followed by a lazy breakfast in the room.
The holiday vibe
This is a hotel that leans into its inherent grandeur – all chandeliers and marble and 18th-century art. But a stay here is surprisingly relaxed. Staff are hyper-attentive, yes, but funny and personable too, and reassuringly old-school throughout. Staff are on hand 24 hours at the tap of a button in all of the rooms, offering coffee or guiding you through the maze of panelled, plush corridors. Rooms are dominated by canopy beds swathed in intricate drapes. And the opulent spa is one of the best in London – even in the country – where experienced therapists pad around giving guests transformative deep-tissue massages and invigorating facials.
Inside-track tip
Céleste is one of the finest places to take afternoon tea in London. The powder-blue, light-filled dining room seems made for such a ceremonial undertaking. The expert kitchen team has paired up with favourite Chelsea bakery Peggy Porschen, the founder of which cut her teeth at the Lanesborough, to create a menu of dainty finger sandwiches and exquisite pastel pastries.
Social distancing
Masks are used throughout all the public spaces, including by The Lanesborough team, who have specially monogrammed face coverings. Disposable masks and bottles of hand sanitiser are left by the beds in rooms, so you need never be without the pandemic prerequisites. And the hotel is anything but lacking in space, which makes keeping your distance from other guests second nature.
How long is it available?
Until the end of March 2021.
Address: The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, London SW1X 7TA
Telephone: +44 20 7259 5599
Price: From £735 a night
Website: oetkercollection.com
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"Существует право, по которому мы можем отнять у человека жизнь, но нет права, по которому мы могли бы отнять у него смерть. Фридрих Ницше"