The Plant Wall Hotel; Athenaeum Hotel London

The hotel's a wall is covered with plants. Really a beautiful sight...

Lone of thе not manу free five-star hotels ın the heаd, The grand foyеr, broad аpаrtments and ѕerene rooms are decorated ın a accustomed and eminently Brіtіsh fashіon well-suіted to the рulling Mayfair spot. There are also аwe ınspiring viewѕ acroѕѕ Grassy commonѕ frоm ѕome of the highеr floors.

London Shopping

London Shopping

As befits one of the great trading capitals of the world, London's shops have been known to boast, "You name it, we sell it." Finding and buying "it" can be a delight (the private fitting rooms at couturier Vivienne Westwood) or a trial (mobbed Oxford Street on a Saturday morning). No matter where you head in this city, you'll find you can melt as much plastic as your wallet can stand. You can shop like royalty at Her Majesty's glove maker, run down a leather-bound copy of Wuthering Heights at a Charing Cross bookseller, or find flea-market goodies on Portobello Road. Whether out for fun—there's nothing like those amazing street markets to stimulate the acquisitive juices—or for fashion, London can be the most rewarding of huntin

London Nightlife

London Nightlife
There isn't a London nightlife scene—there are lots of them. As long as there are crowds for obscure teenage rock bands, Dickensian-style pubs, comedy cabarets, and "bodysonic" dance nights, someone will create clubs and venues for them in London. The result? London has become a veritable utopia for excitement junkies, culture fiends, and those who—simply put—like to party. Nearly everyone who visits London these days will be mesmerized by the city's energy, which reveals itself in layers. Whether you prefer rhythm and blues with fine French food, the gritty guitar riffs of East London, a pint and gourmet pizza at a local gastropub, or swanky cocktails and sushi at London's sexiest lair, the U.K. capital is sure to feed your fancy.


Nightlife
As is true of nearly all cosmopolitan centers, the pace with which bars and clubs go in and out of fashion in London is mind-boggling. The dreaded velvet rope has been usurped by the doorbell-ringing mystique of members-only drinking clubs and the understated glamour of North London's Primrose Hill, which makes movie stars feel so at ease, might be considered dull by the über-trendy club goers of London's East End. In addition, the price of a pint in Chelsea would be dubbed blasphemous by the musicians and poets of racially diverse Brixton. Meanwhile, some of the city's most talked-about nightlife spots are turning out to be those attached to some of its best restaurants and hotels—no wonder, when you consider the increased popularity of London cuisine in international circles. Moreover, the gay scene in London continues to flourish.


Whatever your pleasure, however your whim turns come evening, chances are you'll find what you're looking for in London's ever-changing arena of activity and invention.


BARS
Today the London bar scene is known for its bizarre blends, its pioneering panache, and its highly stylish regulars. Time was, bars in London were just a stopover in an evening full of fun—perhaps the pub first, then a bar, and then it's off to boogie the night away at the nearest dance club. These days, however, bars have become less pit stops and more all-night and all-day destinations in themselves. With the addition of dinner menus, DJs, dance floors, and the still-new later opening hours, people now stay into the wee small hours of the morning at many of London's most fashionable bars. From exotic spaces designed to look like African villages to classic Art Deco creations to cavernous structures housed in old railway stations, London's bar culture is as diverse as it is delicious.


COMEDY AND CABARET
From renowned comedians such as Eddie Izzard to amateurs who try their luck on stage, there are plenty of comedy and cabaret acts to keep you entertained all night long.


DANCE CLUBS
The city that practically invented raves is always on the verge of creating something new, and on any given night there's a club playing the latest in dance music. Because London is so ethnically diverse, the tunes that emanate from the DJ box are equally varied—an amalgamation of sounds infusing drum 'n' bass, hip-hop, deep house, Latin house, breakbeat, indie, and R&B.


The club scene here ranges from mammoth-size playgrounds like Fabric and Cargo to more intimate venues where you can actually hear your friends talk. Check the daily listings in Time Out for "club nights," which are theme nights that take place the same night every week, sometimes at the same clubs but often shifting locations. Another good way to learn about club nights is by picking up flyers in your favorite bar.


ECLECTIC MUSIC
The eclectic music scene in London is constantly becoming more mishmashed—the electro scene has evolved into the "nu rave" scene, and the constant arrival of new bands adds to the capital's already diverse music scene.


JAZZ AND BLUES
Jazz in London is highly eclectic. You can expect anything from danceable, smooth tunes played at a supper club to groovy New Orleans-style blues to exotic world-beat rhythms, which can be heard at some of the less central venues throughout the capital. London hosts the London Jazz Festival (www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk) in November, which showcases top and emerging artists in experimental jazz. The Ealing Jazz Festival (www.ealing.gov.uk), at the end of July, claims to be the biggest free jazz event in Europe.


ROCK
Ever since the Beatles hit the world stage in the early 1960s, London has been at the epicenter of rock and roll. The city is a given stop on any burgeoning or established band's international tour. These days, since rock clubs have been granted later licenses, many shows now go past 11 pm. Fans here are both loyal and enthusiastic. It is, therefore, a good idea to buy show tickets ahead of time. The "Gigs and Tickets" section on www.nme.com is a comprehensive search engine where you can easily book tickets online; Time Out is another good source for upcoming shows.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Review

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Review
Built in 1880, the Mandarin Oriental is one of London's most elegant hotels, with miles of marble in the grand entrance, restaurants run by culinary superstars, and Victorian bedrooms filled with hidden high-tech gadgets and luxurious touches like Frette linen duvets, fresh orchids, and delicate chocolates. Bar Boulud is a French brasserie from New York-based Daniel Boulud and Dinner is the first London restaurant from the insanely talented British chef, Heston Blumenthal (of the Fat Duck fame). The service here is legendary; there's a butler on every floor, should you, for example, need a bit of help with the pillow menu. For the 99% of us who can't afford to stay here, a visit to the Mandarin Bar for cocktails is a glamorous (and surprisingly relaxed) peek into the world of London high society.


Contact Information


Address: 66 Knightsbridge, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7LA | Map It
Phone: 020/7201--3773; 800/2828--3838
Website: www.mandarinoriental.com/london
Tube: Knightsbridge.
Location: Knightsbridge
Hotel Amenities


177 rooms, 23 suites.
Restaurants, bar, gym, spa, parking.
Rooms have: a/c, safe, Wi-Fi.
Credit 

London Hotel Reviews

London Hotel Reviews
Staying at one of London's grande-dame hotels is the next best thing to being invited to the royal palace—some say it's even better, but see for yourself. Happily, you'll discover that this town also has plenty of atmospheric places to stay, without paying a king's ransom.


You'll find many things in London hotels: luxury, extraordinary service, incredible views, plus a whole array of cozy and comfortable mid-range to low-range accommodations. At the high end, royally resplendent decors abound and armies of extra-solicitous staff are stuck in the pampering mode—the Windsors should have it so good at such fabled landmarks as Claridge's, the Goring, and the Dorchester. In addition, you'd never know the recession struck, what with all the immaculately designed, frill-free contemporary hotels that have opened in the past year, such as the Corinthia Hotel, 45 Park Lane, and W London - Leicester Square.


Further down the price scale? The city's midrange hotel scene has at long last gotten its act together, and there is now a choice range of reasonably priced, high-quality hotels that regularly offer good deals and bargain rates. Leaders in this field are places like the Hoxton—which even makes a handful of rooms available for £1 per night, if you're lucky enough to snatch one. The swanky Dean Street Townhouse also offers one of its rooms at a permanently low £95-a-night rate. There's also a clutch of new budget boutique hotels that are a real step forward for the city—places like Stylotel and the Church Street Hotel, which have both been making heads turn for their small-is-beautiful approach, eye for stylish detail, and down-at-home comforts. The downside is that these places tend to be a little out of the way, but that's often a price worth paying.


A newly attractive alternative are hotels in the Premier and Millennium chains, which offer sleek, modern rooms, lots of modern conveniences, and sales that frequently bring room prices well below £100 a night.


At the budget level, small bed-and-breakfasts still dominate, offering tea makers and Queen Mum pastel wallpapers. An alternative to that is the easyHotel chain, with its tiny, bright orange "pod" rooms. There's also the more sophisticated (and more expensive) base2stay, which falls somewhere between budget and moderate.

London Restaurant Reviews

London Restaurant Reviews
London rivals Tokyo, New York, and Paris as one of the best places to eat in the world right now. The sheer diversity of restaurants here is unparalleled. Among the city's 6,700 restaurants are see-and-be-seen hot spots, casual ethnic eateries, innovative gastropubs, and hotel-based temples to haute cuisine.


To measure London's spectacular culinary rise, note that it was once a common dictum that the British ate to live, whereas the French lived to eat. The best of British food—local, seasonal, wild, and regional—is now all the rage and appears on more menus by the day. Waste not, want not "nose-to-tail" eating—where every scrap of meat is deemed fair game for the plate—has made a spectacular comeback at St. John in Clerkenwell, and fits perfectly with the age of austerity. Meanwhile, the haute cuisine scene powers serenely on. Clare Smyth sets the highest bar as head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay; Marcus Wareing wows at the Berkeley; Brett Graham is cooking on gas at the Ledbury; and Hélène Darroze does it for the girls at the Connaught.

For cheap eats, don't miss the city's unofficial dish, the ubiquitous Indian curry. The quality of other international cuisines also has grown in recent years, with London becoming known for its Thai, Malaysian, Spanish, Turkish, and North African restaurants. With all of the choices, traditional British food, when you track it down, appears as just one more exotic cuisine in the pantheon.


Whatever eating experience you seek, London can likely deliver. From dirt-cheap street food to posh multicourse meals, the city has become a destination for gustatory adventurers. In this chapter, we've uncovered the best of the best. Dig in, and enjoy!

London Sights

London Sights


Golden Hinde Review
Famed Elizabethan explorer Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in a little galleon just like this one. Launched in 1973, this exact replica made two round-the-world voyages and called in at ports—many along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States—to do duty as a maritime museum. Now berthed at the St. Mary Overie Dock, the ship continues its educational purpose, complete with "crew" in period costumes and five decks of artifacts. Call for information on guided tours.

Buckingham Palace Review
It's rare to get a chance to see how the other half—well, other minute fraction—lives and works. But when the Queen heads off to Scotland on her annual summer holiday (you can tell because the Union Jack flies above the palace instead of the Royal Standard), the palace's 19 State Rooms open up to visitors (although the north wing's private apartments remain behind closed doors). With fabulous gilt moldings and walls adorned with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, and other old masters, the State Rooms are the grandest of the palace's 775 rooms.

British Museum Review

With a facade like a great temple, this celebrated treasure house, filled with plunder of incalculable value and beauty from around the globe, occupies an immense Greco-Victorian building that makes a suitably grand impression. Inside are some of the greatest relics of humankind: the Parthenon Sculptures (Elgin Marbles), the Rosetta Stone, the Sutton Hoo Treasure—almost everything, it seems, but the Ark of the Covenant. The three rooms that comprise the Sainsbury African Galleries are a must-see in the Lower Gallery—together they present 200,000 objects, highlighting such ancient kingdoms as the Benin and Asante. The museum's focal point is the Great Court, a brilliant modern design with a vast glass roof that reveals the museum's covered courtyard. The revered Reading Room has a blue-and-gold dome and hosts temporary exhibitions. If you want to navigate the highlights of the almost 100 galleries, join the free eyeOpener 30- to 40-minute tours by museum guides (details at the information desk).


Bank of England Review
The country's top vault has been central to the British economy since 1694. Known for the past couple of centuries as "the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street," after the name appeared in a caption to a political cartoon (which can be seen in the museum), the bank manages the national debt and the foreign exchange reserves, issues banknotes, sets interest rates, looks after England's gold, and regulates the country's banking system. Sir John Soane designed the neoclassical hulk in 1788, wrapping it in windowless walls, which are all that survives of his original building. The bank's history is traced in the Bank of England Museum (entrance is around the corner on Bartholomew Lane), where interactive exhibits chart the bank's more recent history and offer the chance to try your hand at controlling inflation. But most visitors still make a beeline for the solid-gold bar that can be stroked and held in the central trading hall (but before you get any ideas, there's security everywhere).

London Overview

London Overview

If London contained only its landmarks—Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London—it would still rank as one of the world's top destinations. But England's capital is much more. It is a bevy of British bobbies, an ocean of black umbrellas, and an unconquered continuance of more than 2,000 years of history. A city that loves to be explored, London beckons with great museums, royal pageantry, and 1,001 historic delights. A jumbo time capsule, London also has a future-forward outlook that keeps it forever young.