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With a Bank Holiday either side of the Easter Weekend, we’re all set for a luxurious four-day break. Spend the weekend in London and you can take advantage of some fantastic offers – at the K West, for example, kids stay for free.
 Cavendish London 81 Jermyn Street, St James's, SW1Y 6JF Stay at the Cavendish London over the Easter Weekend and you’ll find a chocolate egg placed on your pillow when you go to bed at night. If one chocolate egg just isn’t enough, you can always head to Prestat, chocolatiers to the Queen, in the nearby Princess Arcade - a pretty, covered street that’s worth exploring even if you don’t have a sweet tooth. Situated on the prestigious Jermyn Street, in the heart of Piccadilly, the four-star Cavendish is perfectly located for London’s theatres, shops and arts. Once you emerge from the other end of Princess Arcade, for example, you’ll find yourself just across the road from the Royal Academy of Arts where the must-see From Russia blockbuster exhibition continues until 18th April. Also nearby is White Cube, Jay Jopling’s impressive gallery in Masons Yard where Antony Gormley will be showing his latest work (6th March to 12th April). Following its extensive refurb last year the famous Fortnum & Mason - the Royal Family's favourite food hall - is also a must and is convenient close, in the same street as the hotel. It now includes a perfectly kitsch retro candy coloured ice cream parlour, just in case you haven’t had enough sweet stuff. Also on your doorstep is the excellent specialist cheese suppliers Paxton & Whitfield, a true artisan shop where you’re reminded of how shopping should be. Address: 81 Jermyn Street, St James's, SW1Y 6JF Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Green Park Tube Book Cavendish London   Draycott Hotel26 Cadogan Gardens, SW3 2RP If you’re looking for peace and quiet this Easter, away from the frenetic egg-hunting and furious cake-making, this stylish five-star hotel will certainly fit the brief. This lovely red-brick Edwardian building – or, more accurately, three townhouses converted into one – benefits from an intimate atmosphere, making it feel like a second home. It’s in a peaceful but convenient location, close to Sloane Square and with the designer shops of Knightsbridge a mere walking distance away – Harrods is about fifteen minutes. The communal garden that the hotel overlooks and shares with neighbouring buildings is beautiful at this time of year with spring putting some leaves on the trees and colourful flowers in the garden. Antique décor and spacious, airy rooms are all part of this hotel’s appeal. More modern comforts in all of the rooms include free Wi-Fi, a selection of CDs and DVDs as well as satellite television. These are all important plus points, but it’s the high levels of service that so many guests rave about when telling us about the Draycott. Staff will happily arrange everything from delivering a birthday cake to booking a taxi or making a theatre or restaurant reservation. Venue: Draycott Hotel Address: 26 Cadogan Gardens, SW3 2RP Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Sloane Square Tube Book Draycott Hotel  Dorset Square Hotel39 Dorset Square, NW1 6QN So many hotels describe themselves as "boutique" that the label has lost some of its cache. The Dorset Square in Marylebone, one of London's original boutique hotels, is still worthy of the accolade. First opened in 1985, it remains a stylish place to stay today. Interiors are done up in a country house style - just the right side of chintz - with four-poster beds, wooden fireplaces and well-equipped marble bathrooms completing the stylish package. It's the kind of place to choose when you want something beyond the standard chain hotel. The country house feel extends to the hotel's restaurant and bar, appropriately called the Potting Shed. Its name is lived out in the light and airy feel coupled with terracotta pots and seed boxes along one wall. But instead of getting your hands dirty you can relax with a cool cocktail and every Friday night there's live jazz from 7.30pm with resident regulars Luca and Guest. Of the 37 rooms, those on the fourth floor have French windows that open onto decorative, and diminutive, wrought iron balconies. Once outside, things to do in the area include the shopping delights of Marylebone, the Sherlock Holmes Museum and Regent's Park with its rose gardens and zoo where families can take part in activities like craft making and you can be one of the first to see the new bird house, opening just in time for Easter. Address: Dorset Square Hotel, 39 Dorset Square, NW1 6QN Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Marylebone Tube / Rail Book Dorset Square Hotel  Haymarket Hotel1 Suffolk Place, SW1Y 4BP Tim and Kit Kemp have established some beautiful boutique hotels in London over the past twenty years, stepping up the frequency of their new openings in the last ten with the Covent Garden, the Charlotte Street, and Soho hotels. Their latest launch last year upped the stakes with a hip designer hotel in a grand building on the prestigious Haymarket. While the broad boulevard street makes for an impressive entrance, the actual opening to the hotel, housed in the former head offices of American Express, is situated around the corner on Suffolk Place. Treat yourself to a stay here over the Easter Weekend and you’ll be living it up in luxury – of course it doesn’t come cheap but it’s a unique place and certainly worth the price. And, if you’re feeling really flash you can always hire the entire townhouse next door – also owned by the hotel. Kit Kemp’s signature touches are all over the interior – bleached oak floors, bold statement sculptures and wooden chandeliers in the public areas are brave but appealing choices. But it’s in the basement that the swimming pool-come-nightclub is found - with its bright lights reflected on the water’s surface and high-spec sound-system, it lends itself more to a party than any breaststroke. If you can tear yourself away you’ll find you’re in the heart of London’s theatre district, with the Haymarket Theatre Royal bang next door and Her Majesty's Theatre opposite, as well as Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery and St James's Park just steps away. Address: 1 Suffolk Place, SW1Y 4BP Phone: 020 7470 4000 Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus Tube Haymarket Hotel - Information  Hilton London Tower Bridge5 More London Place, Tooley Street, SE1 2BY Right next to HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge, the Hilton London Tower Bridge is a funky, modern hotel in a great riverside location. Despite the proximity to the water, you won’t get any views of the Thames but it’s very convenient for exploring London’s South Bank – Tower Bridge and the new £2 million London Bridge Experience, just opened in February, as well as London Dungeon are all within walking distance. With Hay's Galleria next door and Borough Market a little further east there’s plenty to do – and eat – in the area. Tate Modern is a must-see if you’re here over the Easter and is just a gentle stroll down the river in the opposite direction. Hiltons the world over can vary tremendously in quality and standard but this is one of the better ones. Being new it’s spotlessly clean and the décor includes pleasing designer touches. With breakfast served until 11am on weekends (10.30am on weekdays), you can afford to have a lie-in on your Easter Weekend. Upgrading to a larger executive room gives you access to the executive lounge which offers free alcoholic drinks and snacks. This ninth floor lounge also has a narrow roof terrace so you can sip on something chilled while overlooking the city skyline, spotting landmarks like 'The Gherkin' and Tower 42. Address: 5 More London Place, Tooley Street, SE1 2BY Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Tower Bridge Tube Book Hilton London Tower Bridge  K West Hotel & SpaRichmond Way, W14 0AX Modern, minimalist and a favourite with pop stars and media types – especially handy for those doing business at the nearby BBC in White City – the K West is not the kind of place you’d immediately think of taking the family for an Easter trip. But put your reservations to one side and you can take advantage of a special deal that runs up until the end of March where kids stay for free. That’s right, gratis. And there are no catches in the small print either – by kids they mean anyone up to seventeen. When you’re making your booking you can also put in a request for one of their PS2 Playstations (limited availability) so that’s the entertainment after the egg hunt taken care of. As you would expect, the room price includes the full English breakfast for all the family. And, if you want to stay for two nights, you’ll get 20% off the second night. Altogether, a great offer for families wanting to spend Easter in this part of west London. Once the kids are busy with their console you can relax in the hotel’s spa where a full list of E’SPA treatments, facials and massages, for him and her, are on offer. An easy journey to Heathrow – just twenty minutes by taxi – and with neighbouring Holland Park and the boutique shops of Notting Hill a five-minute hop on a bus from Shepherd’s Bush, there’s plenty for families to do in the area too. NOTE: the closest Tube station to the hotel, Shepherd’s Bush on the Central line is closed until later this year. The Hammersmith & City branch, however, is still working and drops you at the other end of the green. Address: Richmond Way, W14 0AX Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Shepherd's Bush Tube (Hammersmith & City line) Book K West Hotel & Spa  The MetropolitanOld Park Lane, W1K 1LB Sandwiched between St James's Park and Hyde Park - London's largest central park - on one of the most exclusive streets in the city, The Metropolitan is something of a five-star legend. Where else are the staff better dressed than the clientele in uniforms by Emporio Armani? Minimalist chic exudes from every de-cluttered corner and a stay here will make you feel like a celebrity, chances are you may well spot a real live one too. The home of the legendary Met Bar and equally notorious Nobu, one of London's top sushi restaurants, may not seem like the most obvious place to bring the family for the Easter Weekend but they have a great 'Honey I Brought the Kids' family package on offer. Book this and you'll get a discount on the two rooms and a bottle of complimentary champagne on arrival so parents can relax while the kids get milkshakes, cookies and their very own 'Children's Box of Delights'. Under-10s receive a Met teddy bear, DVD box set and a book. The under-16s receive vouchers for HMV, a Met T-shirt and a young person's guide to London to keep them amused. Not only that, they can also have a Playstation 2 set up in their room on arrival, and a complimentary kid's bathrobe to take home. Family tickets for the London Duck Tours are also thrown in too so you can get out and about, exploring the sights and splashing about in the Thames. Address: Old Park Lane, W1K 1LB Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Hyde Park Corner Tube Book The Metropolitan  The Rockwell181 Cromwell Road, SW5 0SF Stay for two nights or more in one of the Deluxe Double Rooms at The Rockwell between 14th and 30th March and on arrival you'll be treated to a bottle of champagne and a selection of free movies. Not only that, you'll wake to an Easter Buffet Breakfast each morning, all included in the price. The Rockwell is stylish, modern and personal. An independent hotel that's as far removed from the big, impersonal chains as it's possible to get. The contemporary style and attention to detail goes right down to the fine Egyptian cotton sheets, feather pillows and merino wool blankets. We may have to wait until summer for truly warm weather but in spring the daffs and crocuses are already out. With luck you may even get to sit out on the large south-facing landscaped garden (admittedly wrapped in a warm coat). Book a spacious Double Garden Room and it comes with its own private, south-facing patio too. Or, if wide green expanses are what's really needed, Holland Park and Hyde Park are both within easy walking distance; take the complimentary champagne, go via a deli and you can make a picnic of it. Address: 181 Cromwell Road, SW5 0SF Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Earls Court Tube Book The Rockwell  Sumner Hotel54 Upper Berkeley Street, Marble Arch, W1H 7QR You wouldn’t know you’re just minutes from Marble Arch when staying at the Sumner Hotel. There’s a wonderfully restful and comfortable feel to the place offering weary travellers a tranquil, serene retreat. From the outside it looks like just one of a number of 1820s Georgian townhouses in the terrace. Once inside you’ll find a hotel that’s been thoroughly refurbished and finished to a high standard and to suit modern tastes. Helpfully, there’s free internet access throughout the hotel and don’t worry if you weren’t planning on bringing your laptop, there’s a PC in the lounge for guests to use. So if you haven’t quite got around to planning your Easter Weekend, you can have a last-minute look online. The location is not only very convenient for Oxford Street but it's also close to Hyde Park – so you can walk off your Easter lunch with a stroll around the Serpentine. NOTE: The Sumner is a non-smoking hotel and does not accommodate children under the age of five. Address: 54 Upper Berkeley Street, Marble Arch, W1H 7QR Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Marble Arch Tube Book Sumner Hotel  Threadneedles Hotel5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AY This luxury hotel comes high up in the "hidden gem" category. Hidden because it's in the City, in a former banking house. The front door can be a bit tricky to find too. And a gem because of the attention to detail, the level of service and the beautiful decor, which is sleek and modern and yet includes period features, both inside and out. The entrance may be discrete but once through the door you'll find tasteful opulence. On entering, quests walk under the impressive, ornately decorated, stained glass domed roof into the reception area. Hotel staff stand up to welcome you on arrival. It's touches like this that ensure your Easter stay here will be a very special, five-star experience. In-room luxuries include a flat-screen television in the bathroom (in some rooms) and an excellent turn-down service with a bottle of water and ice brought to your room. If booking a superior room, you even get your own business cards saying where you are in residence, including the direct dial to your room. Seeing as this is Easter, the unashamedly addicted chocoholic can indulge in a full body chocolate dip at the nearby City Point Club (just a few minutes walk from Threadneadles). Book in for a half-day spa experience and you'll get a full body scrub, followed by a sensorial chocolate massage using 100 per cent pure warm chocolate and coco butter mixed in oils. This weekend package is from £312 per couple (or £156 per person) including a hearty breakfast. Based on double occupancy and subject to availability and confirmation. Address: 5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AY Phone: 020 7437 4370 Nearest Station: Bank Tube Book Threadneadles Hotel |
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