A mile’s drive down a little lane by the Surrey-Sussex border lies a stunning country retreat of fairy tale magnificence.
Langshott Manor is a luxury 16th century boutique hotel surrounded by three acres of private gardens and an ancient moat. It is a grand Elizabethan building, architecturally stunning and packed with original features.
There are genuine oak beams round every corner and splendid thick oak doors welcoming you into almost every room.
As I walked into my bedroom, I was hit by the ‘wow factor’ of. A four-poster bed stood proudly in the centre of the room, boasting beautiful ornate carvings. Beyond the bed was a door to a private decked balcony, hanging over a moat. What a perfect way to start the evening, a glass of champagne while watching the resident ducks take a lazy dip in the moat. When I checked the bathroom, I was momentarily in disbelief as I noticed the four-poster bath. Yes, a four-poster bath!
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Dirty Martini is one of the most unique, enjoyable and fun cocktail bars around. The drinks were beautiful, the décor is beautiful and the people are also… well, beautiful. It is located in the heart of fashionable Mayfair, nestled between Oxford Street and Bond Street and surrounded by top end restaurants.
Open till late most evenings, Dirty Martini’s can be found in both Hanover Square and Covent Garden, although, the latter is currently under refurbishment.
The members of staff are really good value for money; their cocktail making and bar skills are mesmerising affairs and make for a nice touch. This made for quite a nice distraction from a queue at the bar.
Dirty Martini describe their décor as an “Aladdin’s cave”. I would have to agree. Small booths make pockets of comfort, where couples can cuddle up and feel alone. In other areas, the décor is dazzlingly bright and is a feast for the eyes, making for a fun and buzzing environment. In others, it is seductively dark and intriguing. There is a place for everyone, where they can feel comfortable and at ease, whatever the mood!
The drinks!
The cocktail menu is a relatively concise exploration of cocktails old and new. There offering is a satisfying blend of sweet cocktails, sharp cocktails and cocktails which have that extra punch. There is also a wide selection of wines, beers, champagnes and other delicious tipples.
I tried one of my favourites and an all-time classic - Long Island Iced Tea. You can often tell how good a cocktail bar is by who it does the classics, so I gave it a whirl. The cocktail was well balanced, kept it’s refreshing flavour and cleansed the palate after dinner. I would say that it needed a little extra oomph, but that is just me. On the whole, it was an almost perfect tonic to a hectic London day.
We also tried the New York Dandy which contained the following: elements 8 rum shaken with apricot brandy, fresh orange, lime juice and then topped with prosecco. The fresh fruit elements perfectly complemented the rum and made for a gorgeous drink. One criticism I would have is that there seemed to be a lack of prosecco, but that is probably down to me being greedy!
You may also be interested to hear that Dirty Martini hosts events and singles nights throughout the year, so there really is something for everyone. For more information click here: http://dirtymartini.uk.com/
Recently, we reported on the wonderful 4 star Runnymede on Thames hotel. The service, food, rooms and general feel of the hotel left us very impressed. But there was one thing we missed out, possibly the best luxury spa in Surrey.
The Runnymede is a hotel designed for leisure, with an emphasis on relaxing. This luxury hotel near Heathrow has an abundance of leisure activities – indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, whirlpool bath and eucalyptus steam room, to name a few.
The luxury spa itself is an oasis of calm and perfectly compliments the hotel and its ethos. Set on the left wing of the hotel, with the indoor pool and gym nearby, you could spend days in here.
The treatments offered include facials, manicures, pedicures and massages.
Heavenly massages.
My partner and I were lucky enough to have a neck back and shoulder massage side by side. My partner was full of clicks and the massage helped soothe a fairly painful back injury for me. I just stayed awake, any more and I would have been in the land of nod.
After the massage, we retreated to one of the private ‘recovery’ rooms, with comfortable furnishings, chilled music and low lights. To be honest, we needed this time to regroup – we were a little dazed.
The best luxury spa in Surrey? For me, it’s a cert.
In keeping with the family feel to the hotel, there are even teenage spa treatments available. I just love this hotel!
St Ermin’s is located in the St. James’s park area of London and is one of the most stylish and sophisticated hotels in London.
This fabulous Hotel had an extensive refurbishment in 2011, which cost a cool £30 million, and you can really see that this money has been well spent. High quality materials and fittings are drawn together under a stylish look, which really catches the eye and makes you take notice. Around every corner there are touches of class, beauty and elegance. As you may have guessed, I was really impressed by the Hotel; it is now, without doubt, one of my favourites in London.
But don’t let this modern refurbishment fool you! St Ermin’s is drenched in a mysterious and elusive historical past. The hotel has been at the heart of tales of espionage and secret diplomacy for over 80 years; during the 1930s the hotel and the next building were used by officers of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) located close by. I was also told that the Caxton Bar, the onsite bar at St Ermin’s, was used regularly by SIS, MI5 and Naval Intelligence Division case officers to meet their agents. How exciting!
This rich history and the super chic modern look make for a wonderfully exciting experience.
The hotel has 331 beautiful rooms including 41 suites, which are designed to induce the upmost feeling of calm and relaxation. The room rates begin at an extremely reasonable just £209 plus VAT, room only, and Junior Suites start at £479, plus VAT.
Our room was one of the hotel’s finest offerings; it included a surround sound bose system, two plasma TVs and the most wonderful walk in shower you could imagine. The colour scheme of the room, whites, pinks and purples, was truly stunning and made for an elegant inner city destination. There was also a spacious living area, complete with dining table and comfortable seating. In a word – perfect.
I would also recommend a cocktail in the Caxton Bar – we tried some sumptuous tasting cocktails which really topped off our stay. If you wanted to feel a bit of the hotel’s espionage past, why not ask for a martini, shaken… you know the rest. But the star of our meal was the Halibut Fish and Chips, with a light ale batter (£17). The batter was stunningly light and the fish was thick, meaty and scrumptious. I could eat that every day of the week! Additionally, the Caxton grill serves up delights for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is not to be missed.
The hotel is also offering an amazing Jubilee Celebration package. The Queen Elizabeth II package is available from 01 April – 31 August 2012 subject to availability and is priced at £999 plus VAT for two sharing a deluxe room inclusive of breakfast, a tour of Westminster Abbey, a royal afternoon QETea devised by Executive Chef Hus Vedat in the hotel’s library, a regal picnic – best taken in St James’s Park with a view of the Palace – and a welcome pack of flags, hats and royal jubilee souvenirs. Suites are available for an additional £300.
For more information please go to: www.sterminshotel.co.uk
This summer you may be looking for some top end travel accessories – if so, look no further than VAUDE’s brand new range of eco-friendly and top-end luggage.
VAUDE – Rails 60 BackPack Trolley Review – RRP £190
Firstly, Vaude’s Rails bags are all super light weight due to their aluminium frames; they are easy to fling around, put high on a rack on the train, pull up a set of stairs, or even take onto the tube. Obviously, the weight of the back is dependent on what you have inside; if you have a stack of bricks in the bag, then it may start feeling heavy. However, this bag is one of the lightest around and that’s not all…
The aluminium frame and tough wearing organic fabric make for a strong, durable and sturdy feel – which screams of quality. The bag has a handy extendable handle, which is also constructed with aluminium and further develops the long lasting feeling and high quality feel of the product. This pull-along handle is a necessary addition to any modern travel case, but one criticism I wold aim at the bag is the handle – it’s just a little too long and this can make it awkward whilst walking through busy areas.
When it comes to practicality Vaude also gets top marks. The Vaude rails range have an array of handy pockets, which come in all shapes and sizes with lots of zips, nooks and crannies. Also, this particular range comes in a selection of vibrant colours – mine was an exciting electric blue, with white accents. Sizes also range from 40L, to 60L or 80L.
But this bag is a little different… it can also be turned into a handy backpack! The stowed away straps can be brought out and become great straps to carry the bag upon your back. This is quite an interesting feature and adds another level of versatility to the Rail range.
Other products
VAUDE Sapporro
This super versatile bag is can be pulled, pushed or carried on your back! Also, it comes with an integrated laptop compartment and stowable shoulder straps. (RRP £125)
VAUDE Futuna
The Futuna is perfectly sized for business trips and even has ample storage space for your laptop. It retails at £150 and is available in orange or black.
For more information please go to: www.vaude.com
