If you are visiting London, whether it is on business or for pleasure you may choose to stay in one of the top hotels in Park Lane or elsewhere in Mayfair. This places you right in the centre of London with easy access to the finest shopping in Bond Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Knightsbridge. All of London's finest stores are almost on your doorstep.
If you fancy a night at the theatre, you are ideally placed. The London Palladium, Apollo Victoria Theatre, Her Majesty's Theatre, Queens Theatre, Fairfield Hall, Victoria Palace Theatre, and Bloomsbury Theatre are all to hand.
Restaurants abound. Bellamy's Restaurant is in Bruton Place and is the only restaurant known to be visited by the Queen. Bentley's Bar & Grill is famous for its' fish and is in Swallow Street. Corrigan's in upper Grosvenor Street is the haunt of the huntin' and shootin' set and is the place to find game. At the 2015 Tatler restaurant Awards the chef at Corrigan's won Best Dish for his game pie.
Kitty Fisher's in Shepherd Market is extremely popular and it can be hard to get a table. If you are lucky enough, try the duck with rhubarb and black cabbage, or the sirloin of beef with pickled walnuts – both cooked on a wood grill. Scotts in Mount Street is famous for its' fish and for the stars that visit: Michael Caine and Kelly Hoppen are regulars. Try the caviar – some say the best in London – or you might want to go with langoustines, oysters, turbot, Dover sole, or lobster.
Jamavar Restaurant is in Mount Street and is well-known for outstanding Indian food. Chef Rohit Ghai was previously head chef at the Michelin-starred Gymkhana, and offers Malai stone-bass Tikka with mace and avocado chutney following a crispy guineafowl Malligai starter.
It goes without saying that Mayfair has its' fair share of nightlife as well. Clubs and bars include Trader Vic's in the Park Lane Hilton, The Cuckoo Club – which ironically is in Swallow Street – The Carpenter's Arms in Seymour Place, Shampers in Kingly Street, The Library Bar in Lanesborough Hotel at Hyde Park Corner, The Audley in Mount Street, The Argyll Arms in Argyll Street, and The Old Coffee House in Beak Street.
Of course, if you like to keep fit with an early morning run, Hyde Park is on your doorstep. Alternatively, you might like to hire a horse from the riding stables, or listen to people's opinions at Speaker's Corner. Other events in Hyde Park include the firing of Royal Gun Salutes on special royal occasions, and British Summer Time which is an extravaganza lasting for ten days featuring live music and comedy acts, cafes, bistros, and food halls, and an assortment of themed pubs and bars.
Certainly there is an awful lot to occupy your time in central London, but after a while a hotel becomes more like a prison if you are staying for any length of time. The alternative is to look for independent accommodation and enjoy your stay in a home away from home. If you look around you will find that there are some luxury serviced apartments London, Mayfair, available. Facilities vary, of course, from one to another, but you should be able to find one, two, three, or even more bedroom apartments in central London.
Most apartments have fully fitted kitchens and bathrooms and have a 24 hour concierge. Some will have lifts direct to the upper floors. Almost all will have the latest HDTV's with some apartments having them in every room. Spacious and tastefully furnished recreation rooms mean that you can easily invite guests into your home from home. With your own apartment you can also invite business colleagues or customers to visit and you can work in peace, which you really can't easily do in a hotel.
Of course, if you bring your own car or you want to hire one, parking in central London is nothing short of a nightmare, but some apartments have their own underground car park or have other parking space available close by. One other big advantage of renting a luxury serviced apartment is that it should cost considerably less than staying in a hotel, so you have the best of both worlds: you are in central London without the central London expense.
Martin Wynn
