The Sheraton Park Lane
Written: Nov 27 '01 (Updated Nov 28 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 5 star, wonderful position
Cons: older style, back entry
The Bottom Line: Refined luxury in the typical English tradition,very private and understated,great location
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| enoack's Full Review: Malmaison Manchester |
FIRST IMPRESSION
WE arrived at the Sheraton Park Lane after a merry go-round ride in a London cab from Paddington Station, and looking at the entry I thought we were at the wrong hotel!
Apparently in Britain a lot of the hotels have the lane way entry even though the hotel has a frontage to the main street.
ENTRY
The entry was small but typically 5 star, a walk down a few steps led into a plush lounge area where one could partake of alcohol, coffee and snacks. The breakfast room and main restaurant was out to the right.
Public toilets were down a flight of stairs and through a rabbit warren, very old but completely refurbished, my wife tells me they were some of the best toilets she had been in, but I guess since we had been in Paris for two weeks she was happy to see something like this!
A more casual restaurant was at the front of the building looking over Green Park where we had walked that afternoon to Buckingham Palace and around the other way down to Harrods where a display in all the front windows had been set up in remembrance of Diana and Dodi(it was the anniversary)
To say this hotel is well situated is an understatement and any one keen enough could just about walk to all the London attractions.
RESTAURANT
The casual dining in the front restaurant presented food well prepared and of high standard, but as usual in London everything was very expensive
THE ROOM
Our room was in a corner of the hotel looking between adjoining wings over Green Park.It was large and well furnished with a large writing desk facing the window and the furnishings were first class.
the bathroom was separated from the bedroom by an entry hallway and was of the older style complete with spa and bidet. I might mention at this stage that I am a Starwood member and probably received an upgrade from my original booking
SERVICE
Room service was prompt and our breakfast was served at the requested time, a service available via the tv as was the wake up call !
We were touring London the next day and leaving for Australia in the evening ,so I asked if we could leave our luggage at the hotel until we arrived back in the evening.
To this they obliged and the Concierge was only to happy to be as helpful and happy as possible and the service he rendered was first class.
This hotel although old was completely refurbished and offered a high standard of service and accommodation. It's position for touring was superb and it was only a short walk to the West End and there was plenty of places to eat in the vicinity.
To my surprise I wandered up a few lane ways and found Half Moon Street remember the movie....... Man on Half Moon Street and The Picture of Dorian Grey ?....pretty eerie!
I also discovered tribes of Londoners indulging themselves in hidden restaurants and pubs..unless you got off the main streets you would not see this ...it was quite an eye opener and I only wish that I had more time to explore as I did in Paris.
CONCLUSION
Anyone looking for a hotel with very private accommodation, refined ambience and fantastic location could not go wrong.
The only stumbling block to a long stay is the price....by Australian standards quite at the top range of what you would pay in Australia for 5 star luxury.... the breakfast of coffee , pastries and cereal I calculated, would set you back $100.00au...$50.00us (but it was included in the room rate)thankfully .
You could get a plush suite at the ANA in Sydney overlooking the harbour including a full hot breakfast in the room and a bottle of champagne and free valet parking for the same price !
Still, it was not the most expensive 5 star in London !
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
enoack
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Member: eric noack
Location: tenambit , nsw , australia
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I like cars, travel, wine , photography and new technology
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