If you're a bit of a boozehound, which admittedly I am, The Distillery on Portobello Road, Notting Hill is your hotel dream come true. You can drink, eat, drink some more, and sleep on the same spot. The quirky multi-level venue is the world's first-ever hotel on the site of an alcohol distillery, the libation in question being gin. Albeit, it is very small - there are only three rooms - and the night we visited, two couples had travelled from Manchester and Lincoln to check the place out. My friend Mary Lou and I checked into the hotel's corner room, which boasts beautiful views of the qu...
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If you're a fan of gin then Gintonica in Notting Hill is a MUST. The restaurant is part of a unique distillery-hotel complex, which is brimming with character and west London low-key flair. Expect a chilled atmosphere, tasty tapas and top notch drinks. We hit the upstairs eatery on a Sunday evening. The sun was streaming into the double height ceilinged room and we took a table next to one of the windows overlooking the quaint bricks of Portobello market below. The music was good, there was a nice buzz and the open-air kitchen was a visual delight, as was the corner bar with libations con...
Read more →Shepherd's Bush is a little manic for my liking, busy roads intermixed with a bizarre spread of shops where you can buy sim cards and hair extensions. But on walking into the area's new four star hotel, the Dorsett, I was transported to a much calmer world. High ceilings, polished floors and dark wood decor were easy on the eye. As was the sweet cart lurking in the corner, with bons bons, jelly beans and rhubarb balls on offer for free. We checked into a suite on the 4th floor of the giant hotel, which used to house a cinema. After weaving our way through the moodly-lit grey corridors we l...
Read more →If you go down to Shepherd's Bush today, turn right before the bridge and walk down Richmond Way road, you'll be in for a big surprise. Tucked away on this quiet residential street is K West, a former BBC recording studio, which is now a hotel, bar and spa. Although it's been open for more than ten years, I'd never been to the spot. But a friend informed me the understated haunt is a big hit with music industry crowd. 'Everyone used to record here from Bob Marley to Amy Winehouse,' I was told as I was shown around the building, which still carries a sort of office-like vibe. I'd de...
Read more →'You'll love it there!' my friend text me as I made my way to the Bingham in Richmond for the first time. I was informed that this hotel and restaurant - set within two Georgian townhouses - had been here for a number of years but I hardly ever trek too far west as I live firmly east. However, this is a somewhere I'd be sure to make the effort to return to. I was venturing to the riverside venue to test out its new monthly supper club which is set to launch soon. On walking into the place, I was bowled over by its refined yet cosy atmosphere. The gentle rattle of a cocktail shaker ...
Read more →Here at the 'Its Rude to Stare' HQ we're pretty darn bossy. I mean, we like to tell you guys where to go and when to do it, sometimes it's a polite recommendation (at least that's what we make you think) but mostly if the event is too damn good to miss - it's most definitely a 'GO and GO NOW' approach.
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