I stayed at One Aldwych
What it’s like inside London’s luxe Covent Garden getaway
There are not many independently-owned five-star hotels left in London, but One Aldwych is one of them, and it shows. In its central location, in Covent Garden, the lovely hotel sit in a triangular heritage building, which once housed The Morning Post newspaper, close to theatres and overlooking Waterloo Bridge.
I remember when it opened in 1998 – it was all minimal and gleaming-white, like an art gallery, but 25 years later, it has gone through a major refurbishment and is now all about understated elegance, reflecting the art nouveaux heritage and British design. The huge art collection is still there though, including the enormous The Boatman with Oars, by Andre Wallace, which now sits behind the bar.
The rooms
There are 101 rooms, of which 16 are suites, painted in a super-pretty palette of coral, green, blue and lavender, which I’m sure every visitor immediately plans to colour-match at B&Q when they get home. Everything is very thoughtful and made by British designers, such as Scottish handwoven blankets from Skye and the Mitchell & Peach bathroom products. I also loved how everything in the mini-bar – drinks and snacks – is included.
I stayed in The Waterloo Bridge Signature Suite – a one-bed apartment with walk-in dressing room, bathroom with underfloor heating and spacious sitting room, in a corner of the building, with views over the bridge. The curved sitting room, decorated in baby pink, was divine.
The restaurant and bar
Indigo restaurant overlooks the bar and is run by executive chef Dominic Teague. It’s British food done well, with lots of British wine on the list, I was pleased to see. The Lobby Bar is a gorgeous space and there’s a large second dining area underground, with a separate entrance, which houses One Aldwych’s stand-out Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea, which I’ve written about, before, here. I can’t recommend this experience more highly. There’s also a Guest Library, which is a quieter space for coffee or drinks and even a cinema.
The spa
There’s an underground spa with 24-hour gym, treatment rooms and 18-metre chlorine-free pool, steam rooms and sauna.
I was a guest of One Aldwych
The Travel List
The verdict: “Just lovely”, is the conclusion I came to, after my stay. It’s super-comfortable, very thoughtful and if I had to stay in London regularly, this would be my choice. 9/10
Rooms from £620 per night
For more, visit onealdwych.com