The Peninsula London hotel is 10/10

Located in the centre of London, this luxury hotel has everything you need and more. 

An underground cinema, a 25m pool with underwater speakers and fine dining at your fingertips... it's all just the tip of the iceberg at The London Peninsula.

The lowdown

London’s “first billion-pound hotel”, The Peninsula London is the crown jewel of the famous hotel group. After a 35-year search for the perfect site, they found it – in Belgravia, opposite Hyde Park Corner, overlooking the back of Buckingham Palace. The 190-room hotel is the last word in luxury – all cream and marble interiors, with a huge spa, double-Michelin-starred restaurant and signature fleet of Rolls-Royce and Bentley limos.

The vibe

The newly-built hotel is very stealth-wealth, with extremely tasteful neutral-toned interiors, bespoke murals and colonnades, by architect and interior designer, Peter Marino. It is like staying in a billionaire’s house; a home-from-home for its loyal international clientele, including many Australians. No detail has been overlooked – during lockdown a model of every room of the hotel was constructed so the Feng Shui master could oversee it, remotely. The service is, as you’d imagine, impeccable. Pillbox-hatted bell boys carry your designer shopping bags to your room and staff are on-call via WhatsApp.

London luxury at its finest.

The rooms

I stayed in a Grand Premier Park Room, overlooking Wellington Arch, which is probably the best hotel view in London. Rooms are very spacious, all including a large dressing room and bathroom. A huge bath sits in the centre, with a control pad, which includes a “spa mode” which dims the lights and plays classical music. The Japanese toilet thrillingly lifts its lid automatically and warms the seat in preparation. Like the rest of the hotel, the décor is understated glamour, with dark wood, marble and cream interiors and super-thoughtful touches, like cable-free charging points in convenient locations, Dyson hair dryer, nail dryer and even a printer in each room. Unsurprisingly, the bed, with its heavenly billowy-soft pillows, provides a perfect night’s sleep.

The spacious Grand Premier Park Room, overlooking Wellington Arch.

Food & drink

Restaurants include the Lobby, which serves breakfast, the famous Peninsula afternoon tea (£85/$A160) and all-day dining, plus there’s a boutique and café, for visitors. The Cantonese restaurant, Canton Blue, is beautifully-designed to feel like the interior of a 19th century junk. But the hotel’s centrepiece, is Brooklands By Claude Bosi, named after the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation. A classic car is on loan in its downstairs lobby and the nose of Concorde hangs from the lobby roof. You ascend to the rooftop restaurant in “hot air balloon” lifts and then take in the stunning bar, with its across-London views. 

All-day dining at The Lobby is a win in my books and the grand piano above is a bonus.

The restaurant, headed by Bosi, has a model of Concorde on its ceiling, which is appropriate, because the chef recently scaled new heights by heading one of the fastest-ever restaurants to go straight to two Michelin stars, from opening.

It’s deserved, as the a la carte menu is fabulous (three courses for £145/A$270), blending British ingredients with French culinary precision, such as Cornish squid with artichoke and edible flowers and a clever “Best of British apples” dessert. The wine-pairing was a stand-out - the best I have ever experienced.

Brookland's Terrace overlooks London's skyline.

Wellness

Over two floors, the vast spa and wellness centre has a 25-metre pool with underwater speakers, soaring ceiling and hydrotherapy pool. Despite the hotel being full, I was the only person in the pool. There is a large fitness area and seven wood-panelled treatment rooms, using Margy’s Monte Carlo and Subtle Energies products and offering treatments like a 24 Karat Gold Mask, for £380 ($A720).

A dip in the pool never looked so good.

The extras

There’s a designer shopping arcade, cinema and underground ballroom so enormous, I’m told it has already comfortably held a Ferris wheel, for a child’s birthday party. The hotel also contains 200 pieces of original artwork, commissioned from King Charles’ The Royal Drawing School and grows much of its vegetable supply in an underground zero carbon farm in Clapham. 

The hotel contains 200 pieces of original artwork, commissioned from King Charles’ The Royal Drawing School - including in the reception.

What’s hot

Special mention goes to the incredibly chic uniforms. Staff wear dresses and trouser suits by royal favourite Jenny Packham and the Princess of Wales-style satin frocks are so stylish, it makes me tempted to apply for a part-time job.

What’s not

It may be churlish to complain, in such an impeccably-thought out hotel, but while it’s undeniably high-tech to have all room controls on a central iPad, I still can’t work out how to open and close the curtains. 

The verdict: 10/10

If Succession’s Logan Roy were to stay in a hotel, it would be here. Understated, uber-luxurious, it’s the best of the best, from interiors, to food, amenities and absolutely flawless service. Is it worth a £1000 a night? I’d have to say, yes. 

Rooms start from £935 (about $A1775) a night.

This writer was a guest of Peninsula London. 

Originally published as The Peninsula London hotel is 10/10