Best Luxury Hotels Review: The Rosewood London
Recently, I got to explore the amazing city of London on a quick but incredible trip (more on that later). During our trip, the place where I called home for 4 nights was the world-renowned Rosewood London.
Here is a comprehensive review of my stay at one of the best hotels in Europe.
THE LOCATION
Located in the heart of London, the Rosewood is a 5-star hotel that truly blends in an authentic feeling of British heritage with the sophistication of modern touches throughout.
It took me about an hour (with all the crazy London traffic) to get from Heathrow to the hotel. However, on my way I got to pass through the sites and sounds of what we've seen only in films and television shows. From the classic pubs to Piccadilly and even the few blocks of Chinatown, I truly got the feeling that I was indeed in London. When the pedicab driver told me we had arrived, I saw us pulling in through this beautiful archway and into this courtyard that could only be described as incredibly... English (in the best way possible).
CHECK IN
Immediately upon arrival, the Porter took my luggage and welcomed me to the Rosewood. I headed straight into the hotel and took a second to gaze at the elegantly designed and decorated lobby. Check in was quick, easy, and standard. I apparently got an upgraded room (always nice to hear). The person who checked me in was very nice and asked me about my trip and offered to answer any questions I may have. After she got my room cards ready, she informed me that the porters would deliver my luggage up to my room and gave me a quick tour and a personal escort to my accommodation.
Before you enter the room, the doors to each room has an elegant touch with this knob in the center of the door that's used to hang any signs (versus hanging them on the door handle), but I digress. The room they upgraded me to was... a slight disappointment. It had 2 queen-sized beds (versus the single king-sized bed that I had originally requested. Also, the view that they gave me featured big windows but looked out to the side of another building. I spent a few minutes in the room and realized that I had just flown about 10,000 miles and handpicked this hotel so I kindly asked the front desk representative to if there was any possibility to change to a room with a single king-sized bed, even if it was considered a downgrade. Luckily, the hotel representative said she'd see what she could do and about five minutes later, she called the room to let me know that they had found a new room for me (and apparently it would still be an upgrade). They said they would send a porter up to the room to give me the room card and take my luggage to the new room. Great news! Unfortunately, I waited about twenty minutes and still no one showed up. I had to call the front desk again and about another ten minutes went by before the porters actually arrived. When they finally did though, they were very nice and led me to another side of the building into the final room I'd be staying. The service wasn't perfect 100% of the time but the interactions with everyone was absolutely fantastic.
THE ROOM
They put me in the Grand Executive King Room, and I have to say, it was pretty amazing. It wasn't the biggest hotel room I've ever been in, BUT you always have to keep in mind the city you're in. London is one of the oldest cities in the world with very little real estate. It's not fair to compare the size of a room here to Los Angeles or even New York. It was definitely bigger than the first room I was in though with very high ceilings and looked out into the Rosewood's beautiful courtyard. Equipped with free wifi, two bottles of water, and the standard tea, coffee, mini-bar, it had everything you would expect. The room was appeared to be clean. There was ample space as well as areas for me to work (beautiful circular table and chair in the room in addition to a small but sleek desk). Above all of that, for me, there are always two things about a hotel room that are the most important factors to me - the bed and the bathroom.
The bed was simply delightful. First off, it looked very clean. I checked the bed for bed bugs (traveler's rule: always check the bed for bed bugs), and it totally passed that test. Secondly, it knocked me out. So comfortable that I could literally lay on there and fall fast asleep (while offering enough back support). The pillows were also great because they were firm and plush at the same time. I was sold. The bathroom? It had this really vintage type design from the sink to the mirrors and everything in between. Personally, I'm usually a fan of more modern designs, but this one I didn't mind mainly because it indeed felt incredibly British (plus, the tub... awesome - just be careful when you step out of it).
(Oh and one very cool feature... speakers in the bathroom that are synced to the in-room entertainment!)
THE ROOM SERVICE
Since I was in town for business, most of my meetings ran late (and usually lacked food), so I had a chance to try out the in-room dining aka room service. The Rosewood London features a pretty great selection on their menu (which you can find here) with prices that are what you'd expect for a high-end hotel in one of the most-popular cities in the world. That being said - everything that I had during my stay here was simply - delicious.
First of all, let me get this out of the way - of all the hotels I've ever stayed at and ordered room service from, the Rosewood London had by far the QUICKEST order-to-arrival time of the food by far. It blew my mind. I think it maybe at most took 25 minutes (and sometimes I ordered quite a bit of food) from when I ordered the food to when it arrived. At other hotels, it may take an hour or more for situations like this, and I'm sure you can imagine that when you're hungry... this matters... quite a bit. The service of the porters was impeccable, and I really can't say enough about this one note. Anyway, onto the food!
The absolute first thing I wanted to eat since this was my first time in London was Fish and Chips, and as fate would have it (and because I was in London), it was on the menu. The fish was crispy on the outside and hot, tender, and flakey on the inside. Flavor was good. The chips were good but not crunchy enough for my liking. The mushy peas were nice - just the right amount of mush. I really did enjoy their tartare sauce though (and can't forget the half lemon on the side). Overall, it wasn't the best Fish and Chips I had during my trip (I ate Fish and Chips at different places each day), but it was incredibly good.
Of everything I'd eaten, my absolute favorite meal from this trip was the Fritto Misto. For those of you who don't know (because I did not), a fritto misto is basically a bunch of mixed fried foods. In this case, it was mixed fried seafood. I'm salivating a bit just thinking about it. Seriously, I loved it so much I got it TWICE during my stay. The batter was perfectly flavored. Each piece of seafood had its own unique flavor that was complimented by that batter, perfectly fried. Amazing.
Image Courtesy of clark & chloe
Featured above is the Pint of Prawns with Marie Rose sauce that was an appetizer I had one of my last nights there. Literally, it was cooked prawns served in a pint glass. Good but not worth the £19 in my opinion. Along with the prawns, I realized that I had barely eaten anything green since I had arrived (and the mushy peas does not count). I ordered the classic Caesar Salad, which had of course, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, anchovies, croutons, parmesan, a hardboiled egg, and Caesar dressing. Normally, I'm not big fan of anchovies, but I didn't mind it much in this salad. The vegetables were fresh and the plate was big. No complaints.
Image Courtesy of clark & chloe
My main course my final night in London was the Murgh Makhani, Butter Chicken. It was an old Delhi style Chicken Curry with Tomatoes and Fenugreek Served with white Rice & Paratha bread. During the trip, I'd heard much about the great Indian food in London but unfortunately didn't get an opportunity to venture out to try it. Rosewood came to the rescue. Butter Chicken is one of my favorite dishes, and their version was very good. It came in a small stone-like pot and had great flavor. I enjoyed it very much.
THE PRICE
The Rosewood London is definitely one of the more high-end hotels you'll find in London. And I was very fortunate that this whole trip was paid for by the organizers of my trip due to my business obligations. That being said, I will speak to it as if it was my own money being spent. Let's first break down the overall average price of a room. Coming from the U.S., the Pound is currently stronger than the US Dollar. At the the current time this review is being written, £1 = $1.34. While prices do fluctuate, their rooms range in price from £449-£3,150 depending on the type of room and the date of the stay. For the room I stayed in, the average nightly rate for that room is about £650 ( before tax). That's almost $868 per night (with tax, that's close to $1,000 per night).
CONCLUSION
Was the service great? Overall, yes. Was the food good? Delicious. Is it really worth almost $1,000 a night?
Depends.
Here's the thing... everyone experiences their first time in a city differently. Some people care more about the food, others the architecture, and for me, the accommodations are an integral part. Because even when my day is done whether it's interacting with the locals or wandering the streets and visiting the well-known landmarks, I want to come back to a place that both makes me feel at piece a place that feels exactly like the city I'm in - through looks, sounds, tastes, and tone. For me, the Rosewood London did exactly that.
It may be a bit on the expensive side and for an average individual, spending that much for a hotel room may not be the top of their priority list, but I guarantee if you get the opportunity to stay the Rosewood London, you won't be disappointed. There will be some factor that will absolutely enchant you. Plus the hotel itself allows for great scenery and opportunities for you to get some great photos.
My schedule was jam-packed on this particular trip, so there was much at the hotel I did not get a chance to try. This included the Holborn Dining Room, The Terrace, the Mirror Room, the Scarfes Bar, the Sense Spa, and the Fitness Suite. That's just at the hotel! (Don't even get me started on what I still need to explore within London itself.) That being said, there's still much of this city and this hotel that I have left to discover. (And another Fritto Misto, please!)
Thank you to the Rosewood London for helping me get started on this incredible adventure. I hope to be back soon.
Image Courtesy of clark & chloe