Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London

London – Hyde Park

London, the city of the Queen, Big Ben and the true essence of Great Britain, attracts more than 17 million visitors annually. Founded over 2,000 years ago by the Romans, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

This cosmopolitan capital, home to 50 different nationalities, is a modern, dynamic and flourishing metropolis as well as an internationally important financial center.

As a capital of the arts and fashion, on the same level as Paris or New York, the city has a great many museums and galleries including the British Museum and the National Gallery, as well as numerous world famous monuments.

Knightsbridge, in the City of Westminster district, is considered to be one of London’s most luxurious quarters. It’s here that Harrod’s, the legendary temple of luxury is located. The quarter runs along the south side of the famous Hyde Park, one of the largest city parks in the world and the largest royal park in London. Stretching over 142 hectares, it contains no less than 4,000 trees and represents a huge green fresh air space in the heart of the city.

A mythical palace

On the edge of Hyde Park, just a few steps from London’s most famous shops, in the trendy Knightsbridge quarter, the Mandarin Oriental is located in a magnificent Victorian building which is a perfect reflection of the quarter.

Opened a century ago, this five star palace, originally a gentlemen’s club, has, over a long period of time, established itself as one of the most high classed addresses in London. Renovated in 2000, the Mandarin Oriental is an attractive and successful association of very British elegance, style and luxury with subtle references to the hotel group’s Asian origins.

In the immense and luxurious hall, the omnipresent marble, uniformed butlers and soft lighting create a sophisticated and filtered atmosphere.

The large and refined173 rooms and suites are furnished and decorated in the purest Victorian style. Different, depending on the category, they all have cream colored walls, thick, deep carpeting and noble materials. The sumptuous silk curtains, dark wood furniture, leather covered desks and works of art depicting scenes from daily life in England, diffuse a warm and traditional atmosphere. The lovely orchid which adorns each room reflects both the group’s oriental culture and the English passion for flowers. Some of the rooms open onto the courtyard, others onto Knightsbridge and still others over the magnificence of Hyde Park.

The Royal Suite is the most luxurious of the hotel’s 25 suites. Its cream, gold and pale blue tones, its crystal Lalique lamps and its 18 century Chinese paintings combine comfort and refinement in total harmony with the Victorian architecture. A unique partnership with the Halcyon Gallery enables the hotel to display original works of art in the suite including a Renoir and a Warhol.

The huge terrace, which runs along the entire length of the suite, is the ideal spot to relax and enjoy the magnificent panoramic view of Hyde Park.

The spa of this mythical palace is considered to be the best in the city. Guests can take advantage of the swimming pool, the hammam and the samarium, a variation of the sauna without the dry heat, or try a chromotherapy treatment.

In the area of gastronomy, the Mandarin Oriental lives up to its reputation. One of the two restaurants, the Boulud Bar, is a combination wine bar, brasserie and classic restaurant with an elegant open kitchen, arched ceilings and traditional bistro materials such as wood, leather, cork and zinc. French Chef Daniel Boulud proposes the same cuisine for which he is famous in New York. The Dinner, decorated by the celebrated designer, Adam Tihany, consists of traditional materials like wood, leather and iron used in a contemporary style. The cuisine consists of updated versions of traditional British recipes prepared in modern style by the starred Chef, Heston Blumenthal.

And for those who would rather not leave this enchanting hotel, the Mandarin bar is the ideal place to end the evening, with a cocktail in hand and in the company of all of London’s high society.

Built in 1889, the building, once a « Gentlemen’s club », received the royal family regularly. It was in the magnificently restored ballroom that Queen Elizabeth II learned to dance.