A few weeks ago, The Gentleman’s Journal had the unparalleled luxury of staying in a hotel in its home city of London. There’s nothing quite like staying in a hotel in the city where you live: it’s so ludicrously, wonderfully extravagant. Waking up to a familiar sky line from a different angle is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Particularly when the hotel is so near to your office you can roll out of bed fifteen minutes before you’re due there and still make it on time….
The Halkin, in Belgravia, is without a doubt one of the grandest, loveliest hotels in the city. Situated on Halkin Street, it’s in a quiet neighbourhood and from the rooms you can see tree-tops, and not hear any traffic. But it’s also remarkably close to many of London’s top sights – a five-minute walk from Hyde Park corner or Harvey Nichols, or ten minutes to Sloane Square in the other direction. Buckingham Palace is just up the road, and Mayfair is a strollable distance.
Not only is it in a great location, but it’s also a fabulous hotel. The bed at the Halkin gave The Gentleman’s Journal one of the best night’s sleeps it’s ever had. Spring mattress, properly soft pillows, divinely light duvet. It was almost impossible to wrench ourselves out of bed to explore the rest of the suite – a huge corner-bath with delicious COMO Shambhala products did the trick.
Post-bathe it was time to wend our way back downstairs to the fabulous Amesta restaurant. The head chef here is Elena Arzak, who has been voted Veuve Cliquot’s World’s Best Female Chef. It’s easy to see why: the Basque-inspired food is sensational – all the freshest produce, bursting with flavour. The word ‘amesta’ means dream in Spanish and we can’t think of a better way to describe the food here: every mouthful is a delight. The room which houses the restaurant is a feast for the senses, too – designed by Richard Rogers’ son Ab’s design company, it’s light, bright and buzzy.
Then, happy and full, it was time to go back to that fabulous bed. The Halkin is a perfect treat: discreet, stylish and a hub of fine dining. The perfect base for out-of-towners, and a wonderful hide-away for Londoners who need a break from it all. Five stars.
For more information, or to book a room at The Halkin, visit comohotels.com
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