Couple of weekends ago Me and my wife went to London for a posh weekend staying in the Egerton House Hotel and went to see Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House.
I'm too lazy to write it all up but Swan Lake was ace and the hotel was mega posh, in fact this is a photo of our room :)
To save my lazyness here is the review that Becky wrote for the local paper :)
WHEN my parents-in-law bought me tickets to see the Royal Ballet for my birthday, I vowed that this time I would do London in style.
And style is certainly a word you would use to describe the Egerton House Hotel. This five-star boutique hotel nestles unobtrusively in the heart of Knightsbridge, just a short stroll from some of the city’s most popular attractions including the Natural History Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The Egerton is a member of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, winner of the AA small hotel group of the year 2007-2008 accolade. Originally two grand townhouses, it has been sympathetically refurbished and upgraded with fine fabrics and antique Italian furnishings.
It is also home to a collection of original artworks by artists such as Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Matisse.
Slightly flustered on arrival (why anyone in London would bother owning a car, I don’t know), the hotel staff couldn’t have been more obliging. Our car was driven off to be parked, while we were shown to our room and served a welcome cup of tea.
There are 29 rooms in the Egerton, all different but all offering the same level of luxury, including hand-stitched mattresses, down pillows and duvets or 16-thread Egyptian cotton sheets, a well-stocked minibar, an iPod docking station, Wi-Fi, cable TV and air conditioning.
Lovely touches included the personalised welcome card from hotel manager Sandra Anido, fresh fruit, complimentary bottled water and some rather decadent chocolates.
Our room had a glorious four-poster bed, a huge flat-screen television and en-suite with the most inviting bathtub I have seen for some time.
After a luxurious soak, my husband and I wandered down to the intimate dining room for a pre-ballet cocktail and light meal.
Head barman Antonio Pizzuto is reputed to make the best martinis in London, served with a theatrical Italian flourish, so it seemed churlish not to indulge as we waited for our food.
I ordered the glazed goat’s cheese on a bed of sauteed vegetables with basil sauce while my husband decided on crispy calamari with homemade chilli sauce. Both were excellent.
Declining the staff’s offer to order us a taxi, we sallied off to the Royal Opera House — just a short tube ride away — dressed in all our finery for the evening’s performance of Swan Lake, a truly magical experience.
On arrival back at the hotel, we were impressed to find the bedcovers turned down, chocolates on the pillow, slippers laid out beside the bed and a candle lit beside the bathtub. There was even a card with the next day’s weather forecast for our information.
Declining Antonio’s tempting offer of another martini, we settled on a bottle of champagne in our room and reluctantly decided that ordering anything from the extensive night menu might be an overindulgence too far.
Consequently we both had a good appetite for breakfast the next morning, after perusing the Sunday papers.
Served in the delightful breakfast room, we had a choice of continental breakfast or an a la carte meal. I opted for the continental, which included cereal, fruit, yoghurt, toast and pastries, while my husband made short work of a full English breakfast with all the trimmings.
It was with real regret that we checked out of this home from home, but I sincerely hope to visit again soon.
Details: 020 7589 2412, www.egertonhousehotel.com.
Copyright Express and Echo 2008
Benny.
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