If you seek perfection, The Connaught hotel is your best choice in London

The Connaught hotel

London is full of great hotels. The choices are endless. However there are “amazing” hotels and there are “AMAZING” hotels! Guess to which category The Connaught hotel belongs to? Yes, you guessed it right, “AMAZING” hotels category. What I personally love and what sets it apart from other amazing hotels like Claridges or The Lanesborough or The Dorchester is mainly the size and the overall feeling. Starting with the entrance and reception size, everything feels more personal. You almost feel like you are in someone’s house (someone’s very very rich house).

The design is very opulent but old-school luxurious and traditional with massive wooden staircase as a main feature of the reception area. Oil paintings on the staircase make you feel like you are in a place with a history. The overall design is quite dark but calming. The hotel has two section. The traditional, main section and the contemporary one to which you get through a short corridor. The spa and the gym is also there. So if you like to go to the spa in your bathrobe, I recommend you to ask for a room in this modern section.

Location

The hotel is set in the heart of Mayfair on Carlos place. One of the most luxurious neighbourhoods in London. The best restaurants are within few minutes walk. Kai, Scots, 34, Sexy Fish, Hakkasan or Nobu just to name the few. If you like shopping, Bond street is around 10 min walk, Selfridges 5 min walk and Regent Street about 15 min walk. There are also some of the most amazing shops just around the corner of the main entrance (Mount street), like Loro Piana, Gianvito Rossi, Celine or Balenciaga.

Service

Impeccable service is consistent across all areas of the hotel and the level of politeness is so high, it is almost intimidating.

Dinning

There are two main restaurants, Hélène Darroze and Jean Georges. The latter was opened about a month ago after few weeks or refurbishment. They have now created contemporary restaurant with simple but delicious food (try the truffle pizza, it’s awesome). Since the opening this place is always buzzing and in the evening the atmosphere changes into very cool place (with music) to have an informal dinner with your friends.

Hélène Darroze on the other hand is quite the opposite. Very formal, two Michelin star restaurant where you experience the most exquisite food (probably the best I have ever eaten). The only option is a tasting menu of either 5 or 7 courses. It is not set menu though, as you get a board with little balls, each of them representing one course. You simply eliminate those, you don’t like. You could also enjoy private rooms dining, however I think these two restaurants are the place to be.

Bars

The Connaught hotel is famous for its 2 bars. The Coburg bar is more traditional looking, with big armchairs and a fireplace. You can have a light bite if you want to including breakfast, or just a drink. Whenever I arrive to the hotel before my husband does, I tend to have a coffee there. It is amazingly relaxing and it quickly calm you down from stressful travelling.

The second bar is the Connaught bar, which has many awards over the past years, including “The world’s best cocktail bar” or “Best international hotel bar”. If you like Martini, make sure you have it there, as their Martini trolley is legendary. The design is modern and luxurious with silver walls and mirror tables. They don’t take reservations and the busiest time is between 6-8pm. If you want to get a table there, come early (at 6pm) or after your dinner.

There is a third bar called Champagne bar as well. It is quite tiny, so ideal if you want to host drinks with friends or just have a quieter time while enjoying your chilled glass of champagne.

Spa

When you hear that in the hotel is a Aman spa, you know it will be a good one. My favourite was a treatment called full body experience, where we were in the same room with my husband. The treatment includes full body scrub, mud wrap (you can choose the type of the mud), facial and full body massage. The whole procedure takes 2 hours and you feel like a new person after that.

If you are not much into spa, maybe you like to use the gym (quite small one though) or simply relax by the pool.

Rooms

The rooms in each sections of The Connaught hotel are slightly different, so you can choose if you prefer more traditional style or more modern style. I personally prefer a little bit more the contemporary section rooms, as they feel slightly bigger, but both are beautiful. Just recently they also changed the hairdryer brand (to my delight) which is now Dyson.