London Marriott Hotel Park Lane

One of our (ahem, @aushellbell's) biggest stresses when planning a trip is deciding where to stay. This was no exception. We researched & researched and read blogs & reviews until we were blue in the face. We ended up selecting the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane. GUYS. Let us do you a favor. Stop your research - STAY HERE! It more than exceeded our expectations for many reasons.

• Location - It's right across the street from Hyde Park
• Transportation - There is a tube station literally outside the door
• Safety - We always felt safe in the area (important for two female travelers!)
• Comfort - the rooms, the beds, the amenities were all top notch
• Customer Service - the staff was second to none

When you walk into the lobby, you are greeted with a sitting area with steps leading up to "check-in". Everything is crisp and clean. At the top of the stairs, there are two desks where you you sit and meet with the staff to check-in for your stay. The concierge is right around the corner.

We had chosen a double room. Every detail is thought of. When we walked into our room, this was our first view:

The beds were to the left. They were so COMFORTABLE. The rooms were very large and very quiet. We never heard a peep from another guest from within the room. We did not have any real view to speak of but did read there are some rooms that have a view of Hyde Park which would be very neat! There was plenty of room to store your luggage.

The bathroom could be a post in itself. Look at this oasis. Plenty of room for all of our toiletries. There are also shelves to the right where you can store additional things. A new amenity for us was that the toilet was HEATED. We had never experienced that luxury, and we're already researching how to get one installed at home. ;-) There were also speakers in the bathroom, so you can relax or catch up on the world news as  you are getting ready!

As Marriott rewards members, we were allowed access to the lounge for breakfast and other food and snacks throughout the day. The breakfast was amazing. It was a huge variety and the perfect way to fuel up before your day of adventure or business.

You could come in during the afternoon and get a drink, snack or a sweet treat! Every time we came back from an adventure, we at least stopped in for some water. It was so convenient. 

 

The hotel's fitness area is called The Club at Park Lane. It has a gym, steam room, AND a swimming pool! Not many hotels we had looked at included a pool on-site. You can also use their services to book a massage. That's one ideal way to help you with jet lag!

There is also a restaurant on site, Lanes of London. We never had a chance to eat there, but it looked very nice. They have all-day dining as well as an afternoon tea.

There were always fresh flowers to greet us, and a smile on everyone's face. Aren't these flowers so pretty?!

It's true, if you are in London for leisure, you won't spend that much time in your room; but the time you do spend needs to give you the rest you need to relax and be ready for another day of fun! 

We both said this is one of the nicest most customer-friendly hotels we have had the pleasure to stay in. Every person we met went beyond their way to make sure we were having a pleasant stay. Thanks to the bellmen, who always opened the door for us, the front desk staff who greeted us with a smile every day, and the housekeeping staff who made our stay so special. 

Thanks, London Marriott Hotel Park Lane. You added to the delight of our week in London. Can't wait to come back!

XO, 

Fortnum & Mason tea, Westminster Abbey and a Meat Pie

Cheerio! We've made it to our last day in London Town. WE. LOVED. LONDON. It was very clean.  You had the mix of old history, royalty & new, and (if you speak English) you didn't have to struggle with any language barriers. We would go back in a heartbeat!

For our last day in the city, we knew we wanted to do another tea. This is an event in itself, and we had heard rave reviews about Fortnum & Mason's tea in the Diamond Jubliee tea salon! Fortnum & Mason is an upscale department store in the Picadilly area of London famous for the market goods and hampers.

The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon was named after Queen Elizabeth's reign of 60 years. We had made reservations pretty far in advance, so I recommend doing the same if you have a certain day/time you want to attend. Especially if your visit falls on  the weekend.

Isn't the menu so pretty? Their theme color is the turquoise blue so everything had that tint! 

 

They have a few different menus to choose from. Take note! Your party does not have to choose the same one. We chose the Savoury Afternoon Tea and then the Vegetarian Tea. That gave us the opportunity to sample different sandwiches and treats. Make sure and do this so you can have a variety! 

At this tea service, all of the "courses" come out at the same time. Here you are also able to get "seconds" of the finger sandwiches. Everything was DELISH.  

 

We left STUFFED but this was our favorite tea of the trip. Definitely go to Fortnum & Mason's. Even if you don't opt for the afternoon tea, it's a great place for souvenirs and such. They sell loose tea and boxes of tea bags. We bought some for our friends and ourselves! We still are enjoying the tea. It makes us think of our trip every time we have it!

After tea, we strolled through town heading toward Westminster. You may have heard that Big Ben is under renovation, so he is silent for the next few years. We said we'd just have to go back to hear him ring. :-) 

One thing we knew we wanted to do was go to Westminster Abbey. This, of course, is where the Queen was married, where Prince William and Kate tied the knot, and the funeral of Princess Diana. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the main abbey, but you are able to tour the abbey throughout the week.

Instead of taking a tour, we opted to attend Evensong. Evensong is basically an evening prayer through music and verse. It is an official service, so you aren't allow to "tour" the building. We stood in line and were lucky enough to sit in the area with the choir (known as the "quire"). It was AMAZING. The sounds of the choir through the abbey were so beautiful. This was one of those moments we'll always remember. I highly recommend doing this if you have a chance.

Another fun thing that was happening when we were there was an NFL Football game! They had a HUGE party on Regent Street. They shut down the street and it was full of vendors, games, and live music. It was such a neat atmosphere. They were giving away free samples, and you could participate in a variety of games to test your football skills.   

 TOUCHDOWN!

After our leisurely day, we knew the only thing we had not checked off our list was a traditional British Pub and meat pie. We had made reservations (same day) at the Admiralty Pub in Trafalgar Square. It was a messy night and this was such a cozy atmosphere. It was a Saturday night, so it was packed.

We split a Scotch Egg to start and also got another round of fish and chips because - WHY NOT!? 

And then the meat pie. We weren't exactly sure what that meant, but really, it's just a pastry shell filled with  meats and vegetables. We opted not to get the kidney pie (eeek) so settled for the beef pie.

It was SO good.  Comfort in your mouth. We understand why they are so popular. 

It was the perfect ending to our week in London. We covered a lot of ground but hopefully one day will be able to go back and explore more! Next time we will talk about where we stayed -- then we get ready to cross the channel for a week in Paris! 

Cheerio and Cheers till next time, London Town! #SisAdventuresSaturday

XO,