Anniversary presents are always tricky. Trying to figure out the perfect gift can be a struggle resulting in a good few weeks of planning. Jack just so happens to have his birthday and our anniversary a few days apart. This year, I thought I’d pull out all the stops and combine the two into one big gift. In true Girl on the Move form, I decided to take him away to London for the weekend to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre. This was chosen as we both love the theatre and because our first trip away was to see the Lion King on the same weekend a year earlier. A perfect weekend requires a perfect hotel, and I found just the one; the Ecclestone Square Hotel in Belgravia.
Checking into to the Ecclestone Square Hotel
We arrived at Paddington nice and early, and from there got a short taxi ride to the hotel. Along the way, we saw loads of different places. There was the dreamy and perfectly pink Peggy Porschen Bakery, as well as a drive through Hyde Park.
We eventually pulled up to the Ecclestone Square Hotel, and were instantly impressed. The exterior had a classical West London look. It is a tall cream building decorated with pillars and small, stylish hedgerows. As we approached the large black door that opened into the lobby, it automatically opened. Behind it, we were greeted by our exceptionally friendly concierge.
We checked in, and found that we had generously been upgraded. Whilst we waited for the room to be ready, we decided to take a closer look at the bar. As you would expect, it was classically modern and stylish. I then treated myself to one of the most lovely looking (and tasting) coffees I’ve ever had. The experience was made even better by the comfort of the chairs, and the hospitality of the waiter. After we had enjoyed our drinks, we were taken up to our room.
The Room
As we got into the lift that took us to our floor, I instantly realised that it had mini-televisions in it. This was a first and each displayed their own news station. I thought that this was a nice and quirky touch. Exiting the lift on the first floor we found our room straight away. Both of us were excited and eager to venture inside to see what was awaiting us.
When we opened the door, we saw a long, marble corridor. The marble was a beautiful, and led for about 8 metres into the main bedroom.
In the heart of the bedroom was a king-sized bed. This was not just any king-sized bed though, this was a Hastens Massage bed. This not only massages you to whatever setting you fancied, but can also tilt. This became particularly important when we made full-use of the 46-inch 3D television that was directly opposite.
The room also came equipped with lots of accessories, such as the classic fluffy robes and coffee-making kit. However, some unique features included an umbrella, and a selection of mini-cakes. After we had checked out the room (and eaten most of the cakes), we took a look at the bathroom.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was all marble, and made it look clean and fresh, as well as exceptionally pretty. The highlight for this however was the shower block, where you had a choice of three different showers. There was the classic shower head, a power-shower, or a gigantic rainfall shower. All of them essentially turned the block into a sauna. It was incredible
Wicked
After we had unpacked, it was time to go to the performance of Wicked. The hotel was only a short walk away, and it took us just ten minutes to reach the theatre. The Ecclestone Road Hotel is in a perfect location for the West End.
However, once we got there, people seemed to have forgotten the British art of queuing, which lead to a very chaotic entrance. We eventually took our seats, and watched a truly magical and unforgettable performance. I would highly recommend going to watch this, and Jack seemed to love every second of it.
After the performance, we followed the not-so-yellow-brick road of London back to the hotel. The walk made us very peckish indeed. One key thing about the Ecclestone Square Hotel is its excellent use of technology. Our room not only came equipped with an iPad, where we could order food, DVD’s and other things, but also came equipped with a mobile phone which made free calls abroad and could be used outside of the hotel to navigate through London. I thought this was a really nice touch, and certainly made the hotel very unique.
Room Service
As soon as we got back to the room, we got the iPad, and ordered a deluxe burger each. We also decided to test out the 3D television with surround sound, where we opted to go for a Marvel Movie Marathon (something that Jack has been trying to get me into). Once the burgers arrived, we tilted the bed into a sitting position, and indulged in some wonderful food whilst watching an action-packed film.
The burger was really special, with a generous amount of filling and a pile of fries. The hotel uses an external restaurant to deliver this on demand, and I am pleased to say you would not be able to tell it had to travel. It also arrived half an hour earlier than expected, which is an added bonus in itself.
After getting through 2 Marvel films, and getting very confused at how Captain America survived for that long in the ice, we decided to get some sleep. The bed was super comfortable, and I got one of the best night sleeps I’ve had in a long time.
Breakfast in Bed
When we woke up the following morning, we decided to order breakfast in bed. This is not something I do very often, but as it was a special occasion we spoiled ourselves with the luxury! I opted for some delicious French Toast, served with a selection of fresh berries and slices of banana, served with a generous pot of maple syrup. Jack on the other hand opted for a classic Eggs Royale with hollandaise sauce. Both of us were particularly impressed by this, and again were impressed at how quickly the food arrived, and the standard it was presented.
Around London
We sadly had to check-out of the hotel at midday, and as the sun was shining and there was no rush to get home, we decided to stretch our legs and explore the surrounding area. Our first stop was Harrods, where we looked at furniture that two teachers could only dream of buying, and were severely saddened when we learned the pets section had closed down. Once we had checked out the Christmas wonderland we bee-lined for the exquisite food-court, where we couldn’t help but salivate at the (overly-expensive) produce!
Leaving Harrods behind and making our way back in the direction of our hotel to pick up our bags, we decided to go to Peggy Porschen Bakery, one of my favourite London bakeries, and buy a cupcake each. We both opted for a salted-caramel one, which was delightful, and truly ended our weekend on yet another high.
Final Thoughts
I can thoroughly recommend the Ecclestone Square Hotel. It is not only very modern and lovely, but the calibre of which it all is delivered is of an exceptional standard. It also has character, and a lot of it, which always is a big plus when I stay somewhere. It’s not just Jack and I who seem to have been impressed with our stay in Belgravia, but the Sunday Times recently featured the hotel as one of their top 100 hotels. It definitely made our anniversary trip special, and I loved every moment of it.
This post was *not* sponsored and all opinions of the hotel are my own. However if you are looking for somewhere to stay in London and fancy somewhere offering a little bit of modern luxury, I would recommend you check out the Ecclestone Square Hotel – it has some fab offers running at the moment over on its website!
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Other posts that may help you:
- What to do in London at Christmas Time
- Staying at the Waldorf Hilton, London
- Days Out in Southern England
What did you think of my Waldorf Hilton and Homage review? Have you recently enjoyed a stay there yourself, or would you consider it for an upcoming trip to London? If you want to know anything else about the hotel or if you enjoyed this post, please leave me a comment in the box below and let me know!
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Happy exploring,
Love Victoria X
1 comment
what a great London weekend:)