Take your tastebuds on a trip to the south of France courtesy of one of the city's top boutique hotels Blakes London. Nestled in the heart of Kensington and tucked away on a quiet street, this spot has entertained everyone from Kate Moss to Gwyneth Paltrow over the past four decades. It boasts low-key theatrical flair courtesy of interior designer Anouska Hempel, with lashings of black and gold to seduce you into staying for one more martini than you should. The hotel's latest offering - a food menu and overnight package inspired by a taste of Provence - is another reason to pop on by. I...
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Cirque du Soleil just seems to get bigger and better. The latest show to hit London, Totem, features some jaw-dropping set design, with moveable stages and dazzling lighting effects. The costumes are another highlight, with intricate ensembles spinning on to the stage, leaving you spellbound. For instance, the Crystal Man's leotard is encrusted with more than 4,000 mirror fragments! There’s even electric use of UV paint on some of the outfits, with the glow in the dark patterns creating mind-binding optical illusions. As with all of the Cirque du Soleil shows, there is an overarching theme...
Read more →If you love a bit of classical music and delicious food, then tune into The Ivy Kensington Brassiere for its latest offering. The perfectly appointed restaurant has crafted a special menu around this year’s BBC Proms. We checked into the eatery on a Sunday evening at 6pm before an 8pm concert at the Royal Albert Hall. With it being a warm evening, we decided to take a table in the tucked-away terrace area. To kick things off, we decided to try the two musical inspired cocktails. The Strawberry Symphony features a delicious mix of Chase vodka, strawberry syrup, lemon juice, watermelon cube...
Read more →Pizza slices, popcorn, Jammie Dodgers and hot chocolate were our go-to accoutrements for sleepover when we were 12. But more than a decade later, my childhood friend Stephanie and I had decided to do a PJ party all grown up. Now both based in London and no longer in the Nottinghamshire wilds where we attended ballet school, we decided to check out the newly-revamped Blakes hotel in the Kensington area of town. Tucked away on a quiet residential street where houses go for a handsome sum, this place is a treasure box to explore. Over the years this secluded spot has welcomed a host of A-liste...
Read more →Sipping on a negroni with an olive to hand and the soft sun on my skin, I felt like I could have been in Venice where I'd been just the week before. It was only when I spotted a red London bus peeping over the top of the manicured garden hedgerow that my Italian mind trip suddenly veered off track. I'd stopped by at the 5-star Baglioni hotel's recently renovated restaurant, renamed Osteria 60. Nestled in the heart of Kensington, it's just a hop, skip and a jump away from Hyde Park and the Royal Palace - or for the shoppers, Harrods and Harvey Nichols are also within close proximity. A...
Read more →We recently enjoyed the official opening of K Bar, the hotel’s main bar area. In a relaxed, sophisticated environment, guests and visitors can unwind, socialize and enjoy an expertly crafted cocktail, from late afternoon into the evening, in one of the comfortable corners of the bar.
Read more →The Ivy Brasserie not long ago opened its doors in Kensington, extending it’s elegant and classical dining experiences into the top-end West London area. The Ivy had long resisted expansion, keeping it’s exclusive Covent Garden location as the one and only place to enjoy their contemporary, unfussy food in the green and gold gilded restaurant, which was famed for attracting a celeb-heavy crowd.
Read more →A new bar, restaurant and late night venue has opened on High Street Kensington, offering amazing cocktails, a delicious food menu and a stylish space in which to drink and socialize late into the night.
Read more →The Core Collective in Kensington has just launched a new Power Yoga class, adding to its schedule of interval-training, spinning and TRX classes. Having explored many of the yoga and fitness studios around London, I went along to try it out.
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