When the doorman greets us with a smile, it brightens the day and sets the tone for the next several steps that we are commencing. We are staying in the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, a renowned 5-star hotel in London and one of the United Kingdom's best hotels for service.
Being there, we also enjoy the culinary part of Jumeirah. It has award-winning restaurants and bars to find yourself in. High above the city on the ninth floor of Jumeirah Carlton Tower, The Club Room is a relaxing place for an informal lunch – or to unwind after a workout. Our kids also love the panorama lift to get there; no need to say the view is great. You can’t miss the Chinoiserie: on opposite of the entrance where you can enjoy a famous British afternoon tea. At night you can have a drink here. We wouldn’t call it a cosy room, but it sure is huge and distinctive and has a lot of guests from all around the world. And there’s the third restaurant: with 50 years of history the Rib Room Bar and Restaurant offers live music every Friday and Saturday evening. Here we saw a lot of other families, using breakfast, again with warm and helpful staff members.
Details in the Chinoiserie
The hotel offers 216 guest rooms including 58 suites. These include the more expensive Royal Suite, offering superb views across London, and Executive Suites also used for business travelers but probably very suitable for families, because of the space. In our room a sofa is transformed into a double bed for the kids at night. Our daughters are pleased with the kids’ bathroom supplies, including the lovely bath ducks found in our room, not to mention the large quantities of sweets. Finally it’s all in the detail: we all love the little children bathrobes and slippers, even in different sizes!
Quite modern interior of the rooms
Jumeirah Carlton Tower has one of London’s most exclusive health clubs, The Peak Health Club & Spa. After speaking to the spa manager, children under the age of 16 may have treatments as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Apart from relaxing with a treatment, there’s an excellent gym. For kids: one of the staff members suggested us to ask for the special key to access the private gardens in front of the hotel, a lovely, typical British, park and huge place for the kids to lose their energy.
Although our daughters preferred the 20 meter indoor pool. The steel above the pool has an interesting contrast with the buildings around. After enjoying the water, we discover an indoor golf simulator to practice your swing as long as you need (and want). And we were told that there is also access to two outdoor tennis courts, and you can reserve bikes to explore London if you feel like it.
Jump!
Jumeirah Hotel is located on a very central spot, in the heart of Knightsbridge. It's close to Hyde Park, an amazing park for kids with surprisingly many activities and a beautiful playground. The hotel is also particularly close to an array of stylish shops, such as the Harrods with a huge toy department. An easy 5-minutes walk from the hotel, that was happily done by our kids.
There are over 300 museums and galleries in London, many of which are free to visit. Some of London's most popular include the British Museam, Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Limited by time, we chose the Natural History Museum. It's a splendid place for kids as well, with a rink for ice skating at the time of our visit and a carousel in front of it. Inside they love the dinosaurs section, but are also pleased to see their pizza being made at the restaurant.
Also we didn't have time to explore the "thrilling treasure trail", exploring the local area of Knightsbridge and Belgravia by foot. If you go: ask for more information at the concierge team.
WOW
# One of the United Kingdom’s best hotel for service, also when you have kids. Without asking, several staff members offered suggestions for our stay with kids.
# The (sporting) facilities are great, such as the gym and spa. And we have not often seen such a big pool in the heart of a city.
# Especially interesting if you are in for a cultural getaway, with its international guests and located on a very central spot, ideal for shopping or visiting museums.
