The 110-year-old Strand Palace as undergone a multi-million pound transformation and the results are pretty incredible. The 786-room hotel has been brought up to the 21st century, with some art deco touches adding to the charm. I checked in on a Friday night, with a friendly man greeting us on the door. The lobby had a cool contemporary feel with polished floors and wood-pannelled walls. There was also modern art dotted around the place, keeping my eyes distracted. Check in was swift and we were directed to a newly-refurbished superior king on the 8th floor. Despite it being a king, the...
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Sat in Le Pont de la Tour on a Friday night, I was suddenly drifting to a memory of dining at the River Cafe in New York. From the classic sophisticated decor, to the classic style of service and polished menu, this place reminds lots of the revered Manhattan spot. We’d settled into a window seat looking out on to the Thames, with the place embalmed in the warm glow of candle light. Topping off the convivial atmosphere was the gentle chatter of happy diners and jazz music tootling away. 'We could be a Woody Allen movie,' I thought. From start to finish, the service was on point, with th...
Read more →Venturing to Lidl for some swashbuckling fun might sound random but stay with me on this one.... Experimental maestros Bompas and Parr have come up with a new venture to keep you on your toes - or certainly within grasp of your poncho. The creative geniuses have teamed up with Captain Morgan rum to take Londoners on a nautical adventure to an underground paradise: the Lost Lagoon, which is now revealed to be deep in the earth in Shepherd’s Bush. Without revealing too much, we ventured down to their immersive experience on a Thursday evening and were left in a state of bewilderment. It was ...
Read more →Department stores generally have an old fashioned dusty connotation but London's Selfridges offers so much more than your bog-standard shopping emporium as one of its newest ventures - courtesy of Richard Caring's Caprice Holdings - proves. On walking into the Brasserie of Light on the first floor you're transported away from the bright lights of the shop floor to an enchanting world of flying bejewelled horses (Damien Hirst's 24-foot jewel-encrusted creation dominates the main dining space) and cool club beats. Think a shiny chocolate box crossed with a fairground carousel ride, with a scat...
Read more →With the cold weather drawing in, what better than a punchy cocktail to warm the cockles. On a recent trip to Polpo in Notting Hill I was transported to the dreamy haze of Italy as a sipped on one of the eatery's Venetian-inspired libations. The great thing about all of the Polpo venues around town (six so far), is that they're warm and inviting, with a buzzing atmosphere to boot. 'I didn't even know there was a bar here,' my friend exclaimed as we perused the drinks menu. That's one of my favourite things to do at Polpo - stop by for a drink. You don't necessarily have to be booked int...
Read more →This September, Jumeirah Carlton Tower’s bar and restaurant, The Rib Room, has created a bespoke cocktail menu based on several locations in the Jumeirah Group portfolio. From Dubai to Frankfurt, the eclectic menu perfectly pairs well-known Jumeirah destinations to fresh ingredients associated to each hotel. For example, the ‘English Country Garden’ cocktail is inspired by the private gardens opposite Jumeirah Carlton Tower to which guests have exclusive residents access. Similarly, the ‘Honey Bee’ cocktail is an ode to Jumeirah Frankfurt’s ‘Skyline Honey’ initiative whereby the hotel’s 28t...
Read more →World-famous orange liqueur brand Cointreau and South Place Hotel have collaborated to bring a slice of Acapulco and its vibrant atmosphere to the Secret Garden at South Place Hotel, from June 29th until the end of August, with a truly tropical Margarita Loves Cointreau pop-up. Nestled on the first floor of South Place Hotel in East London, the Secret Garden, a veritable oasis of waterfalls and palm trees sets the scene for our celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the original Margarita cocktail. Taking inspiration from Acapulco where 'Margarita' Sames, famously said of her instantly icon...
Read more →Gin lovers rejoice!! London and Manchester will host a series of urban tours, each offering an escape to the Mediterranean through a journey of the best cocktail bars, restaurants and terraces each city has to offer. Gin Mare Med Transfers in partnership with Gin Journey, will see a selection of spectacular locations host guests as they are transported to the Mediterranean, without any need to leave the UK. Commencing on June 26, Med Transfers will offer lucky ticket-holders a truly immersive experience of the Med, where cocktails and gastronomy travel hand-in-hand at specially selected par...
Read more →From the team behind the sell-out BYOB bar concept, Alcotraz, comes Moonshine Saloon, a one-of- a-kind immersive cocktail bar experience which is set to transport guests from the streets of West London to the streets of the Wild West. Moonshine Saloon is now open for bookings for a limited four month run. Located on the King’s Road, Moonshine Saloon is the centre of an undercover moonshine empire, a mysterious underworld where everyone looks out for themselves and nothing is quite as it seems. Inspired by the captivating tales of the WildWest and its covert operations, Moonshine Saloon invite...
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