Allow me to introduce you to a particularly nice hotel; Covent Garden Hotel on Monmouth Street in the heart of London’s West End.
I have a real thing for lovely, crisp, fresh hotel rooms! There is nothing quite like that moment when you take the key they’ve just given you at reception and open the door to your room. You’re not entirely sure what you’ll find but you walk in, and it’s all perfectly laid out, clean and unspoilt, just for your comfort.
There’s no junk lying around, no piles of laundry to be done, no stacks of paper or anything else to remind you of something you should be doing (maybe that’s just me and my house!?). Everything is clean and fresh (or at least it should be!) Every hotel room is like a completely fresh start. A new beginning. An expectant, new space that you can settle into and make your own, even if it is just for a few hours. Covent Garden Hotel offers all this, and more.
Introducing Covent Garden Hotel
Covent Garden Hotel has a superb location right in the heart of central London. It’s close to the theatres and right on Monmouth Street itself in this bustling and vibrant part of the city. This hotel is a little luxury oasis. It has a ‘fine country residence’ feel to it, despite it being right where the action is. As far as London hotels go, I must say, this was one of the most pleasant and comfortable experiences I’ve had in a very long time!
A Luxury London Hotel in the Heart of the West End
The decor of the room itself was nice enough though not especially glamorous. It struck a good balance between the shabby chic comfort of the rustic fabrics and homely finishings, while still maintaining the contemporary comforts one might expect from a central London hotel. My immediate first impression was that it was ‘good’. It wasn’t particularly flash, but it certainly seemed comfortable enough.
Customer Service and Attention to Detail
What won me over however, was not the room itself, it was the customer service and attention to detail! The friendliness of the staff was simply wonderful from the very minute I arrived. They completely seduced me with all their thoughtful little hidden ‘extras’. First of all, they wooed me with the simplest of little touches… when I entered my room, there on the desk, was a personal, hand written, welcome message from the manager herself, and it came complete with a delicious box of welcome chocolates. How very sweet…literally!
Now everyone knows that a girl can’t resist chocolate (well I can’t anyway!) so at this point I began to really fall in love with the place (it doesn’t take much to please me!). Upon taking a look around the room, the bathroom was beautifully presented and spotless, with all the usual toiletries and helpful accessories. Then I opened what I thought was a wardrobe door only to find it was the hugest, and most well stocked mini bar I had ever seen!
Now this could have been dangerous. So I decided I’d go and check out the ‘Lounge’ which is available for hotel guests to use and relax in, during their stay. Well…I soon found myself in the lap of luxury.
The Hotel’s Private Lounge for Guests
I felt like I had wandered onto the set of Downton Abbey! There is a ‘Library’ where one can relax, one can read a book, and one can even correspond at an antique correspondence bureau…It really does deserve the over-use of the pronoun ‘one’… it is THAT posh!
This London Hotel is Strictly for Honest Johns!
Suffice to say, it really is a stunning lounge for guests to enjoy. Then, just as I thought my proverbial cup might over-floweth, it almost literally did! For I chanced upon the ‘Honesty Bar’!
An ‘honesty’ bar…yes that’s right…a bar where you can help yourself to whatever you want and just be ‘honest’ about it by putting your name and room number down on a little note pad and letting the hotel staff know what you consumed! Assuming you can remember….
Now, the more cynical side of me immediately thought “Wow, they are asking for trouble with this one…” but to be fair, perhaps in this sort of ‘des res’ they needn’t worry. I poured myself a Baileys on the rocks (my favourite!) and dutifully signed the sheet feeling very virtuous. I can’t say I have ever experienced feeling virtuous while pouring myself a Baileys before… so that was a welcome first.
The Bedroom Angel Visited…
I spent the evening most pleasantly, relaxing in the library, and feeling like I was Lady of the Manor but I eventually decided to retire. That’s right… lady’s retire, they don’t ‘go to bed’. So I returned to my room, only to find that some kind soul had performed a ‘turn down’ service. This seemed to have involved closing the drapes for me, tucking the bed cushions neatly away out of sight, plumping my pillows and turning back the covers just enough so that I could slip peacefully onto the heavenly mattress and fall into a deep sleep like Sleeping Beauty without even having to so much as to lift the corner of my own duvet.
My bedroom angel had even left me a little present on my pillow, A Covent Garden Hotel ‘Quietude’ calming mist spray – “Spray this delicious moisture on your pulse points or on your pillow for a feeling of peace and calm…The wonderful soothing aroma will help reduce stress and tension will ebb away…” Oh my….don’t mind if I do….
“Room Service!”
The only trouble was that I was enjoying my stay so much I didn’t want to go to sleep! Plus, by now I had worked up quite an appetite, what with all that lounging about and luxury living. Since I had missed dinner earlier in the evening, I decided I had better order some supper. “Room service!” I chose a delicious chicken noodle soup and ordered myself a bedtime glass of milk. I wasn’t even embarrassed to do so… by now, I was so relaxed, I could have done anything!
And do you know…when it arrived, there was even a little decorative cactus on my tray!! Yep a cactus!! It was all getting too much. I began to feel I may never want to leave.
Overall Review of Covent Garden Hotel
All in all, Covent Garden Hotel is a lovely, luxury haven. As far as London hotels go it has a fabulous location right in the heart of the West End, it comes with wonderful homely touches, the staff are fantastic and, well, let’s be honest… they gave me chocolate and said “help yourself to the bar!”
So if you’re ever looking for a good central London hotel, I would thoroughly recommend this one. It would make an equally lovely stay for a special occasion, a weekend visit, or a business meeting. Just bare in mind that once you get there, you may never want to go home again!
What makes for a great hotel in your opinion? Where do you stay when you’re in London? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
Click here to visit the Covent Garden Hotel website.
An earlier version of this review first appeared on Honey’s blog Life and How To Love It.
Author Profile
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A Media Psychologist & Life Coach by profession, Honey loves to help people create a life & career that they love. She has always been passionate about travel and the incredible life enrichment it brings.
Honey is a highly experienced Brand Ambassador and Spokesperson. In her thirteen year career she has worked with some of the world's best known brands such as Virgin, Google, Disney, American Express, Jet2 Holidays, Eurostar, British Airways and many more.
Honey is founder and editor-in-chief of The Wanderlust Post. She started the mag in order to provide bloggers with an opportunity to share their travel tales, recommendations, reviews and adventures with each other and the world at large.
A self confessed 'Stamp Tramp' Honey is always happiest with her passport in one hand, and a Baileys on ice in the other.
