The Radisson Edwardian Show-round-athon

Sometimes when I am tired (and delirious) at home I knock on doors ‘hello…housekeeping’, old habits!

The athletic legend Danno & myself are taken on a handful of hotel show-rounds (maybe they should be called hotel-rounds? Would be easier).

Soooo soooo sooo it was with fantastic delight that last week Radisson Edwardian hotels took us on a show-round-athon YES! Six hotels in one big go go, and a slap up lunch at the end of it, wooohyes, it is days like this I am glad I didn’t become a fireman.

We started at the May Fair, we were wowed by the rooms, the suites, and the amazing decor throughout the hotel. We bowled over to Leicester Square for the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire, and the Radisson Edwadian Leicester Square. There was a big debate on which was the better of the two – the big traditional hotel in the phenomenal location (overlooking Leicester Square) with fab restaurant & cosy relaxing bar, or the petite & perfectly formed boutiquey (Radisson Edwardian) Leicester Square (my vote always on the petite & cutie!).

Then we had a great stroll through Seven Dials to the Mountbatten in a cracker of a little Covent Garden street. Over further to the Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth & the Radisson Edwardian Bloomsbury Street (that are literally next door to each other). The Bloomsbury Street is particularly fabulous and is an utter delight, it has recently had a major refurbishment and is easily a jewel in Radisson Edwardian’s fine crown. The lunch we had there after the show-round-athon, was a fantastic reward, the lamb I had was exceptional, I would happily have eaten that all over again right away (but that’s just me), I was stunned Danno didn’t have a steak (I thought that’s all he had).

So, a million cheers to Radisson Edwardian – that’s definitely the way we like to see our hotels – loads in one day! brilliant guys.

This London suite cannot be beat!

This is the suite that cannot be beat! (catchy!). At the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire (bang on Leicester Square) yesterday morning, we got to see the 1^st floor suite with arguably one of the most unique views in London, you can see in the pic that the suite gives a direct view of Leicester Square, unbelievable, watching the people milling around in the square was oddly addictive, and as Dan quite rightly commented – was way better than watching tv! The overly large window is one-way only, you can see out, by no-one can see in (have a think about that for a moment!!!!!! As we did, oh the hilarity that could ensue!!).

Downstairs in the bar/lounge we literally could not get enough of the red-throne-chairs. Wow, we tried to take one home, but err, it wouldn’t fit in our bag, check out Matt on the left, he looks very at home and also actually very regal one might say.

Overall the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire is an utter gem of a hotel, a stunning, and ultimately comfy hotel, with the gloriously unique benefit of being the only hotel on Leicester Square, you literally could not get a better location than this – imagine what it must be like on a red-carpet night in the square! Brilliant, I want to stay there right now!

the good ole days in Leicester Square, squire…

I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old goat, but I often mourn the passing of the “Good Ole Days”. I hate to see beautiful historic buildings bulldozed to make way for modern monstrosities!

Change of use of a building however can often be a great idea, & here is a great example!

As a spotty self-conscious teenager I had to endure the agony of having braces fitted to my teeth at the Royal Dental Hospital in London’s Leicester Square. The hospital was on the south side of the Square and was a house of horrors to me!….. Before the braces were fitted I had to have 4 teeth pulled and had to endure many appointments, each more painful than the last, while student dentists under the tutelage of more mature sadists were shown the anomaly that was my ravaged teenage gob!!

I avoided Leicester Square (and dentists!) for many years after……

The hospital was a hangover from the Victorian era, a dark and scary place for even an adult, but for a teenager it was truly terrifying…

Here is the history of the building….

Following the demolition of the existing buildings at No.s 31-36 Leicester Square in 1897, a fabulous building of “eclectic Renaissance design, built in red brick and buff terra-cotta” was built by Messrs Trollope to the design of Architects Messrs Young and Hall at a cost of just under £50,000 in the years 1899 – 1901. In 1901 the Dental Hospital of London took up residence having outgrown their previous premises (also on Leicester Square) and were swiftly granted Royal patronage by the newly crowned King Edward VII.

The hospital was then renamed the Royal Dental Hospital of London…… and so began the misery that was to last until 1985. At this time the dental services were moved to Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital and to St George’s in Tooting and the sadists finally vacated this otherwise beautiful edifice……

Today the building houses the fabulous Radisson Edwardian Hampshire….. now a house of pleasure and no longer one of pain….. As a listed building the original features of this marvellous piece of architecture have been retained and the heritage of London is in the safest of hands. This is undoubtedly one of best located 5 star london hotels!!

So I no longer need to avoid Leicester Square……. and once a few years ago I actually sat in the square looking up at the building whilst trying to see how many fruit pastilles I could cram into my mouth…….

hidden london hotels!

Strolling through the big smoke this weekend, hotels kept catching my eye, grrrr, I know! Look I am not obsessed alright! just because I think/ live/ breathe hotels, it doesn’t mean that I know where I am in London at any one time based on the vicinity of the hotels. Ok, that is also true, look – there’s more to me than hotels ok!….

Anyway, there I was banging on through the madness that is Oxford street- seriously – even on Sunday it was packed – why? why why why, sunday is for reading the paper surely, not bumping into to everyone like there’s a sale on (well, err, actually there were loads of ’sales’ on), when I happened to look up (why I cannot say – maybe subconsciously I was giving a pickpocket an opportunity for a change – go go mate, have a snot-rag), and lo – behold – gadzooks!…. there was a hotel, the Radisson Edwardian Berkshire to be precise, it was (no wait…) it IS above a load of shops in Oxford St. Now look here. I have lived in London all my life. AND I have been to the ‘Rad Ed’ Berkshire, AND actually I do look upwards quite a lot, yet somehow I missed this… amazing.

I then thought… those cheeky monkeys at Radisson Edwardian, they’re always doing this kind of thing – did ye know sir/madam that there is a hotel ON Leicester Square for example? Yes Yes, ON Leicester Square, well, again, you’d be forgiven, I don’t know how but they’ve got an uncanny knack of putting a hotel slap bang in the middle of some of the most famous places in London and making them completely invisible! Maybe this is a strategy – maybe the guests like to be in the centre of London yet prefer… demand even, the form of discretion it is clear the Rad Ed group give their clientele. The Radisson Edwardian Hampshire is on Leicester Square literally behind the half price theatre ticket booth. The Hampshire (I know, Berkshire, Hampshire – what’s wrong with Londonesque names?!) has a suite on the first floor which literally overlooks the square, it has one-way viewing (guess which way) so to the stroller-by when looking up  – you wouldn’t be able to see into the suite (ahem).

Makes me think now where else the Rad Ed have hotels – I’ll be on the look out (I just checked behind the fridge and there wasn’t one there, phew!