For those who feel that London’s top hotels don’t quite cut it in the luxury department, Flemings Hotel and luxury apartments must be a godsend.
For those who feel that London’s top hotels don’t quite cut it in the luxury department, Flemings Hotel and luxury apartments must be a godsend. Nestled in the heart of Mayfair on Half Moon Street – which is remarkably quiet given it leads onto the tourist-strewn chaos of Piccadilly – Flemings offers guests a bewildering array of ultra high-end accommodation: 119 rooms in the hotel, ten fully serviced executive apartments in a separate Georgian building and the Townhouse, a seven bedroom private residence. I agreed to take one for the team and stay in the Diamond Suite – a fully serviced, two bedroom garden apartment overlooking Half Moon Street – on Monday evening.
First impressions lived up to expectations: after an extremely friendly welcome in the mercifully air-conditioned foyer (it was a hot and humid evening), I was dispatched, with concierge, next door to the elegant Georgian townhouse that houses the ten apartments. Something about just walking to a different building to one’s own apartment made this visit feel different from a typical hotel stay straight away.
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At Flemings Hotel you could almost forget that you are moments away from bustling Piccadilly </p>
High expectations continued to be met once inside the Diamond Suite. Again, it was air-conditioned – if anything a little too well, as one of my first moves was to try and get the room temperature up. A spacious, open-plan living and dining room, containing a six-seater dining table, gave onto to a small kitchen that did not seem to have seen much cooking. Though with a plethora of excellent restaurants within strolling distance and a superb in-house catering service at reasonable prices, this is not surprising. For those who do want to cook, though, all the necessary paraphernalia is there: pots, pans, cooker (though no microwave, bizarrely), cutlery and plates.
Some kitchen staples were provided although, given the opulence of my surroundings, I must admit that I had been expecting a few little luxury treats in the fridge. Not that I was, but if you’re paying at least £1,300 per night for a place to stay in London, that is surely not unreasonable? Awaiting me was a loaf of Kingsmill, a small carton of milk and lots of little bottles of still and sparkling water. Useful rather than decadent, but a thoughtful touch.
The two bedrooms – one twin, one double – were kitted out to the highest standard, as were the bathrooms. If I were female, I doubtless would have paid more attention to all the products provided, but I’m not, so I didn’t. All I can say is that there were lots of little bottles in the bathrooms, which is surely a good thing.
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The real star of the show, though, was the garden terrace, with its outside bar, six seater table, sofa and BBQ. This is where my guest and I spent the majority of the evening, enjoying the warm night and a couple of bottles of wine. The whitewashed surrounding walls give the terrace an almost Mediterranean feel, and although slightly overlooked by some of the other apartments, it felt private and secluded. Sitting in that little haven we totally forgot that Central London was a thirty second walk away – and that is a mighty achievement by Flemings.
An enjoyable breakfast of kippers, good black coffee and fresh orange juice rounded off our stay. After checking out, and a farewell as friendly as the welcome, emerging onto the bustle of Piccadilly, and the heat and sun, was a shock. It was back into the London that Flemings, with its all-enveloping luxury and serenity, completely takes you out of for a while.
Read more by Mark Nayler
