Location, location, location is what it's all about when it comes to the Kimpton de Witt Amsterdam. What's more, this slickly designed hotel boasts a top notch cocktail bar from the same team behind White Lyan, Cub, Dandelyan and Lyaness on the premises. I checked into the 274 room historic Dutch building on a Thursday afternoon. It's literally a hop and a skip from Amsterdam's central train station, which is the Eurostar hub from London and less than 20 minutes from Schiphol airport. From the outside the brick building doesn't look like anything special, but a garden wall and neon light...
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Flying to Amsterdam is pretty swift but the hassle of getting to the airport can turn the 45 minute flight time into a 4 hour venture, by the time you've travelled to the airport, waited in the terminal and flown to the other side. In a bid to test a less stressful method of transportation (not to mention more environmentally friendly), I recently ventured to Amsterdam from London via the Eurostar. I can testify that the journey - just under 4 hours - is pretty seamless and you feel a lot perkier not being subjected to aircraft cabin pressure! The Eurostar hub is inside the wonderful London...
Read more →Walking past the London Marriott Park Lane at the top of Oxford Street it doesn’t look like much. But if you step inside, be prepared for a very pleasant surprise, as this place serves up refined luxury from the get go. The hotel - which boasts 152 rooms - underwent a £130 million overhaul a few years ago and today it boasts an alluring twinkle. Think marble floors, a mix of contemporary arts, dark wood panelling and well-positioned down lighters. The service is also flawless, from welcoming doormen to on-the-ball reception staff guiding you through the check in process. I checked into th...
Read more →Paddington is a pretty bustling area with the grand train station attracting an influx of travellers around the clock from the Heathrow Express and beyond. But nestled away just a hop and a skip over the road is the new Pilgrm hotel, which offers a slice of calm from the madness. The boutique-styled spot boasts 73 rooms, which are well-appointed and decked out with all of the essentials from REN bathroom products to hairdryers and neat Bluetooth Marshall speakers. Catering to different types of travellers, there are three categories of room, including the ‘bunk’, ‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘larg...
Read more →Business hotels have a reputation for being drab and a bit stiff but nowadays they’re trying to join the hip crowd, making corporate workers feel a little less corporate. The Park Plaza London Waterloo - which opened in June of 2017 - is one of those spots trying to fit into this slot. Walking into the lobby it has a kind of futuristic, spaceship-like feel with snazzy light effects and a large check in desk with employees looking eager to please. There’s modern art scattered around and clean lines to match. I check in on a week day and it’s pretty bustling with a mix of languages sounding ...
Read more →They say sometimes the most obvious things are hard to spot. This is certainly the case with the Royal Lancaster London hotel, which is perched directly above Lancaster Gate tube station. I walked right, then I walked left, before realising the place required just a few paces to get there. I was reassured that this happens a lot and it wasn't just the blonde side of me surfacing. Following an £80 million facelift this 411-room, 1960s haunt - which even featured in the Italian Job - has been brought up-to-date. Not losing any of its swinging sixties character, the 18-storey tower block has...
Read more →I don't usually start a hotel write-up beginning from the bathroom. But this time around I am, after stepping into the charming world of Hazlitt's in London's Soho. On walking into our room's large and lofty bathroom I was left pretty speechless on casting my eyes on the loo. There, next to the grand free-standing tub and shower unit, was one of the quirkiest hotel toilets I'd seen in a while. A carved dark wood bench-cum-church pew stood waiting to be investigated. I went over and lifted the lid to find a toilet bowl hidden there. It was accompanied by a discreetly-placed flush handle on...
Read more →Moxy Milan is comfortable and affordable, with a bit more personality than your average airport hotel. If you’re looking for somewhere to stop off pre-flight, or if you’re city hopping around Europe and need a place to rest your head, Moxy Milan is ideal.
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