I never imagined I could seek a night of rest and relaxation a train ride away from Zone 2 to Zone 1. Lucky for me and well, you, it is in fact possible at the five-star boutique London Marriott Hotel Park Lane. Yes, it’s two steps away from Marble Arch station and a short walk from Bond Street but the grade II listed building offers the perfect elevated escape you couldn’t even imagine.
The hotel
The hotel boasts 152 furnished rooms – these include spacious suites to luxurious rooms with a modern yet timeless touch. Offering the finest amenities, the hotel has its very own restaurant, intimate health club, spa, gym and a stunning heated 12.5 metre indoor swimming pool at The Club at Park Lane. While the hotel stretches along Park Lane opposite green space Hyde Park – it is actually remarkable how you can hear absolutely none of the ongoing traffic once you enter the property.
And while all of that sounds welcoming enough to enjoy my night of unwinding – what really set the tone from the moment I walked in was the fact the receptionist knew my name and caught me off guard before I could even take a seat and check in.
That was easy enough to impress me from the get go and think, that’s service.
The room
Next, the bathroom. And yes, it deserves it’s own little section. Think marble floors, walls – marble everything, a large bathtub, stunning rain shower, lighted make up mirror and last but not the least, a heated Japanese smart toilet. With tons of buttons to adjust temperature, jet and spray buttons, even play music if you’re you know, shy. In addition to Penhaligon’s toiletries for added luxury, you can probably tell, we were quite excited.
To top it all off, the beds are king-sized as expected and it’s got the right amount of sink to feel snug enough between deeply soft duvet and a mountain of pillows. The bedroom has a TV too for those who enjoy some late-night screen time. It was the best sleep we’d had in a long time and with great difficulty we tore ourselves out of bed the next morning but for good reason, more on that in a second.
The food
The hotel’s restaurant – Lanes of London, offers a stunning menu of contemporary British dishes and an extensive wine list. Recently taken on by Head Chef Franky Fernandes, the menu plays incredible homage to seasonal produce and local businesses. Lanes of London is both a lounge bar and restaurant – so you can enjoy both in a relaxed low-lit environment with comfortable armchairs or booths.
To start with, we had the confit duck rilletes with panko fried egg, figs, blood orange, crumbled feta and herb aioli and the pan seared scallop with crab cannelloni, watermelon and caviar. It was the perfect portion – packed with an incredible emulsion of flavours and got us excited for more. For mains, we had the pan seared stone bass with pea puree, crushed potatoes, asparagus and mango salsa and the crab linguine with dill fennel and chilli oil. And my goodness – it was absolutely divine. For dessert, we had the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice-cream (of course) and the burnt basque cheesecake.
We sat by the window (best seat in the restaurant) watching big red buses go by with full bellies and a glass of wine in hand – well taken care of and happy to be there.
The star of the show: bed, breakfast and bubbles
Just when we thought our stay couldn’t get any better, it did. Remember when I said we reluctantly got out of bed the next morning but it was totally worth it? Well, Marriott’s new Bed, Breakfast and Bubbles package was to thank for that. One of life’s simple pleasures is breakfast in bed but to feast like absolute royals with incredible decadent plates and unlimited English sparkling wine? Now that’s something else.
At 9am on the dot, the doorbell went off and room service ever so kindly delivered our feast.
For ‘appetisers,’ we had the truffled scrambled eggs with Scottish smoked salmon, truffle cream cheese and avruga caviar, gold leaf which made me rethink all the scrambled eggs I’ve ever had in my whole lifetime (I say this with no exaggeration). My partner had the grilled steak with eggs, asparagus, truffle sautéed potatoes, baked mushroom with ricotta to which he shortly sighed with ‘imagine if I had steak for breakfast every day.’ I had the baked shakshuka with kasha served with pitta bread. We also had the soufflé pancakes with crème fraîche and seasonal berries, maple syrup which to be honest sent us right back to bed for a nap.
Alongside our three-course breakfast we had a beautiful array of baked goods including a Pecan pistachio Danish, Cinnamon custard Croissant and Banana and pecan maple cake. Served with a rise and shine power juice which included carrots, apple, turmeric, ginger, lemon. Frankly, it was a lot to get through and definitely required a second visit post nap number one.
It was unlike anything we had experienced before and elevated our luxurious stay unbelievably more.
Whether it was the impeccable service, friendly staff, delicious food – I highly recommend London Marriott Hotel Park Lane if you’re looking to book a special night away or a night with your loved one. Turns out, you don’t have to leave London to find a night of rest and relaxation away from the city’s hustle and bustle. If you’re looking for something truly and quietly extravagant – look no further.
You can find more information on rates and reservations here.