It’s not often you receive a welcome gift from a hotel that includes an emblem of your favorite football team – but that’s what happened to me during a recent stay at The Montague On The Gardens in London.
Hearing I was a fan of West Ham United since childhood, Neil Anderson, deputy general manager of this elegant, 4-star hotel, who happens to support the same team, planned this delightful surprise.
It’s such attention to detail that often sets one hotel above another and Neil turned out to be the perfect gentleman during my entire stay, making sure my every need was catered for.
Like other members of the family-owned Red Carnation Hotels group worldwide, from Botswana’s Xigera Safari Lodge to Ireland’s Ashford Castle, The Montague On The Gardens is the epitome of elegance. Traditionally English and nestled within the heart of leafy Bloomsbury, it extends across a series of connecting 19th century townhouses.
Step under its stylish outdoor awning into its carpeted reception room with its impressive marble fireplace and you’ve stepped into a world of sheer luxury. The lounge area next to it features not one but two sets of gleaming chandeliers, decorated with red lanterns, an intricately-carved white marble fireplace, designer sofas and armchairs, moulded white ceiling with wainscoting panels and oval paintings with a floral motif adorning the walls.
Beyond that on the ground floor lies one of the hotel’s restaurants, The Blue Door Bistro, with mahogany panelled walls, where I dined with a friend on panfried scallops, Dover sole delicately deboned table-side and succulent ribeye steak, preceded by a house cocktail, ‘Manhattan on Fire.’
Sheer refinement extended to my extensive suite, 105, designed on two levels, with separate bedroom and bathroom on the upper level and a cosy sitting-room a few carpeted steps below.
Such is the breadth and diversity of decor, I counted thirteen framed paintings in my bedroom alone, including a large one above my bedstead entitled ‘The Marriage Contract’ by Arthur Langley Vernon who lived between 1872 and 1922. Stylish furnishings also included glittering chandeliers, red Murano no less, thick plush carpets, brass bedside lamps, heavy floor-to-window drapes, an etched vanity mirror, wall TV, and an abundance of cupboard space.
My bathroom comprised a double sink on a marble top with a fronting mirror and a spacious shower. Toiletries were by Floris in London.
Down three carpeted steps beside a gleaming brass balustrade is the sitting-room, tastefully furnished with a soft green sofa, marble-topped coffee table, two plush armchairs, a writing desk and chair, five framed paintings and another eight designed as a group above the steps with various images of Nature including flowers and wild mushrooms. An intricately beautiful engraved mirror and two ornate ceramic elephants complete the decor. The room also offered views over the hotel’s tranquil garden.
Aside from The Blue Door Bistro, guests can also dine at the more informal Leopard Bar with menus designed in leopard print. After a 13km walk to and from two Tate Galleries I was more than ready for a refreshing pint of London ale and this proved to be the perfect place to indulge in such liquid refreshment. The bar also hosts live music performances several times a week. A talented saxophonist was playing the week I was there.
Yet another relaxing option for guests is the hotel’s well-decorated Beach Bar located outside beside the garden. With real sand, a beach-hut style thatched roof, tropical palm trees, and a beautiful beach backdrop, you’ll feel like you’re basking in an exotic location, right in the heart of London. The Great Russell Suite is where guests can dance the night away with DJ, built-in dance floor and private bar.
Hotel management is keen to offer as many enjoyable activities as possible for guests with a veritable menu of events over the coming summer months, especially as it has exclusive access to the Montague Street Gardens, in partnership with The Bedford Estates. Once home to stables and carriage houses, today it’s a peaceful retreat with formal lawns, herbaceous borders, and striking specimen trees.
Later this month, the hotel will host some special events including an outdoor jazz evening and theatrical performance featuring an outdoor retelling of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ performed by touring group, The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
To celebrate the Wimbledon tennis tournament this summer, it is organising a special Championship Afternoon Tea, complete with a champagne Lanson upgrade.
The Montague On The Gardens also possesses a range of function rooms for both weddings, other personal celebratory events and business meetings, with its Great Russell Suite accommodating over 100 people.
Location for any hotel is key and The Montague occupies an enviable position just across the street from the British Museum, with Oxford Street, Covent Garden and the West End theatre and shopping district within easy reach.
