Tea at the Rubens Palace
Comments |
by Denise Eaton
ALTHOUGH I appreciate the relevance and value of guest services
guides in hotel rooms, I’m not usually one for spending precious
moments leafing attentively through them.
But I was rather distracted, and amused, by several pages of rather
nifty, and ingenious, room-based exercises in the info-laden
leather-bound tome at The Rubens.
I worked up a sweat wondering exactly how many circuits of the
exquisitely refurbished room I could muster before collapsing in
heaps of laughter on the crisp Egyptian cotton sheets.
If only I’d limited my scoffing to the literature and not
the mouth-watering choice and generous portions of food!
Afternoon tea was a real treat in a charming setting and one I
would highly recommend; it’s as if we’d returned to the days when
debutantes would gossip under the rich canopy of the stylish
turn-of-the-century grandeur.
Its elegant surroundings were complemented perfectly by the
courteous staff. And if the recession is hitting the profit margins
of plush London hotels, it has either bypassed The Rubens or
they’re very good at masking it.
There was no hint of compromise on service or standards
which so many hotels fall foul of.
Little touches which make all the difference were still in
abundance. The pianist was stationed at his keyboard, the breakfast
offering was delicious and plentiful, tasty nibbles with drinks
were in ready supply, a twice-daily maid service should you so
wish, deluxe toiletries, the list goes on and on.
The Rubens offers 143 guest rooms, eight royal rooms and 10
luxurious suites.
The four-star hotel’s enviable location – it’s sandwiched between
Buckingham Palace and Victoria station and overlooks The Royal Mews
– should be enough to encourage anyone outside but, in all honesty,
I was perfectly happy to while away hour after contented hour
relaxing in the inviting lounge.
If I needed exercise, I could always refer to the in-house
guide!
Fact file
The Rubens at the Palace, 39 Buckingham Palace Road, London
SW1W 0PS. Tel: 020 7834 6600.
Email: inforb@rchmail.com
Reservations: Bookrb@rchmail.com
Rooms from £245 per room/per night
Special packages are on offer for stays of two nights or more. See
http://www.rubenshotel.com/offers-and-gifts/details/get-more-from-your-stay3
for details of more deals and full terms and conditions.
Wednesday, September 09 2009
The KM Group does not moderate comments.
Please click here for our house rules.