Hotels & Places to Stay

The Vintage Magazine sent our Media consultant, Charlotte Holme, and her husband, Marc to London for the weekend to sample the delights of The Draycott Hotel in the middle of Chelsea.  This is a traditional old style hotel formed by the joining together or 3 traditional London townhouses.and only two minutes from Sloane Square, centre of the known universe, and the ultimate venue for a weekend in London, with easy access  to so many stunning shops, restaurants, bars and gastro pubs.

 

Here is her report.

The hotel staff were very welcoming and helpful and showed us all the elements of the hotel on arrival.  Each room is named after a famous author or actor – ours being the Ashcroft room (presumably after Dame Peggy Ashcroft). One of the rooms was named after Agatha Christie and indeed the hotel had the feel of a house from the golden era of Agatha Christie murder mysteries.

 

Draycott Hotel Gardens in each of the seasons

The Draycott’s gardens in the middle of Chelsea

in all their splendour throughout the seasons

We were shown to our room on the first floor, overlooking the garden square at the back of the hotel.  If you come to stay it is worth trying to secure a room on this side of the hotel as he garden is surrounded by the wonderful red and white brick architecture of the houses of the square, typical for this part of London, with a collection of beautiful cherry trees that were about to blossom when we stayed.

Draycott Hotel Deluxe  Rooms

Three of The Draycott’s Deluxe Double Rooms

The centrepiece of the room was a very sizeable four poster bed, which incidentally was hugely comfortable; something that is not often the case in hotel rooms in our experience!

The room had a grand fireplace and the gas fire had been lit and was burning away cheerfully ready for our arrival – a perfect antidote to the cold and drizzle outside.  There was a sofa to sink into in front of the fire and a good selection of the latest magazines on the coffee table.  The room also contained a varied selection of books and all needs had been catered for with DVD player, CD player and radio, ipod dock and a well-stocked bar.

Draycott Hotel Suites

Two of The Draycott’s Suites

 

\draycott Hotel Drawing Room

The Drawing Room

A very nice touch, adding to that Edwardian era luxury feel is the serving in the drawing room of tea at 4.30pm, champagne between 6-7pm and to set you up for a good night’s sleep, hot chocolate is served at 9.30pm – all complimentary.

We partook of the champagne on offer and enjoyed it along with our fellow hotel guests in front of the fire, before heading out to dinner for an epic meal at Bibendum.  It made one feel you should ‘dress for dinner’ and I half expected to see Hercule Poirot hove into view from behind the curtains!

 

Draycott Hotel Library Room

The Draycott’s Cosy Library

The hotel does not have a restaurant or bar – there is an honesty bar in the main lounge where you can mix yourself a vodka and tonic or whatever takes your fancy – but the area is well served by excellent restaurants and night spots.  But if you do not wish to venture out and would rather enjoy the comfort of the hotel, there is an excellent sounding room service dinner menu served between 6-9pm.

Breakfast was taken down in the basement of the hotel. The breakfast room, whilst light and airy, lacked the same decadent yet cosy feel of the rest of the hotel, but it was a good spread with the largest pot of tea for two I have seen, with all the usual cereals, fruits and continental fayre on offer as well as a full range of cooked breakfasts.

All in all it was a great stay and an excellent base from which to head out onto the busy London streets.  One of the things I love about London is that you can be yards away from some great thoroughfare, thronging with people and traffic, but just a street away all is quiet and you would never know you were in a great sprawling metropolis.

  • Singles – £192.00
  • Doubles – £260.00
  • Deluxe Double – £390.00
  • Suites – £468.00

(Rates includes VAT and subject to availability. Weekend and Promotional Rates available upon request)

 

Where to find the Draycott Hotel:-

26 Cadogan Gardens, London SW3 2RP

W: www.draycotthotel.com

T: + (0) 20 7730 6466

E: reservations@draycotthotel.com

 

Charlotte Holme Media Consultant by Charlotte Holme, Media Consultant for The Vintage Magazine

Saturday, January 18th, 2014