THE ROYAL HORSEGUARDS HOTEL

Checking into a hotel in London is always a bit strange for me, considering that I live here. 
I do enjoy staying in hotels every now and again, and once again luck has been on my side to allow me to enjoy a bit of luxury for my birthday weekend. My cousin had also made a special visit from Edinburgh, so that was a nice little getaway for the both of us to catch up. I had the day off so I had time to pack for our stay - my overnight bag seemed a bit bulkier than I was expecting...I blame it on the heels.

The first time I visited the hotel was for Sunday afternoon tea with my mum, and it was a rather pleasant and memorable experience. 

We arrived at reception, and despite the slight confusion over booking details, we were soon shown up to our room by the friendly manager, Mr Sasanke. It was a Deluxe Double bedroom with a pretty view of the River Thames and London Eye. There was a little balcony but it was inaccessible due to health and safety reasons. 

The size of the room was pretty decent, with all the basic facilities provided. The bathroom was a bit smaller than average, but good enough for its purpose. There was also a TV on the wall by the shower should you not want to miss a TV show that was on at any time...

And on the table was laid a sweet tray of treats wishing me Happy Birthday, which was really sweet of them.



We had a reservation at Alyn Williams at The Westbury that evening, but we popped downstairs a bit earlier to have a drink at the Equus Bar. Mr Sasanke was kind enough to give us a 2-for-1 drinks voucher. Viv ordered The Cavalry Cocktail, which was created by TV Mixologist Andy Pearson for the Royal Horseguards Hotel Help for Heroes campaign. Made with ruby port, Cognac, Grand Marnier and red Burgundy, it was maybe a bit of a strong choice for her...probably best as a post-dinner drink. My Chocolate & Hazelnut Martini was surprisingly quite strong as well, and not quite as chocolatey as I was expecting. I think we were both felt a bit tipsy as we got up to leave, but then again, it was the weekend after all.

When we returned to our room after dinner, a foot mat with bedroom slippers were laid by our bedsides, with a piece of chocolate each on our pillows.

The next morning, we had an early breakfast downstairs at the restaurant. They had a good selection of breakfast options to choose from - hot food, bread and pastries, cheese and cold meats/fish, and a cereal and fruit bar. We made sure not to have anything too heavy as I had a birthday lunch booked at the Chef's Table at Parlour (post to follow soon), and Chef Jesse did warn us not to eat anything beforehand...

Overall, we both had a pleasant stay. Thank you to the Royal Horseguards Hotel for having us, and I look forward to visiting again soon.

The Cheekster, signing out x

AFTERNOON TEA AT THE ROYAL HORSEGUARDS HOTEL

After my lucky win a few months ago, I have finally experienced the afternoon tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel - honoured with its second prestigious award 'Award of Excellence' in the Tea Guild's Top London Afternoon Tea Awards 2013.

It has been quite a while since I've had proper traditional afternoon tea, and what better time to go than with mum who had just arrived from Malaysia!

 

We were sat at the corner of the lounge on some really big and comfortable sofa chairs, with soothing music being played by the harpist in the background. 

Complimentary champagne was served - mum can't really tolerate alcohol, so I willingly offered to drink hers. Just being a good daughter carrying out my daughterly duties...

 

There was an extensive selection of teas to choose from - mum opted for the Persian Pomegranate, whilst I went for the 'Strawberries & Cream' from the Royal Horseguards Unique Blend. 

Our pots of teas even came with an accompanying timer to indicate waiting times for the teas to be ready for drinking.

 

  

We were served a lovely selection of finger sandwiches - coronation chicken, smoked salmon with cream cheese, cucumber, and beef. There was also one spread with tuna which I really liked, and a little chou pastry filled with egg mayo - tasty.

Mum really enjoyed the smoked salmon with cream cheese sandwich, which they so kindly served us an extra portion after.

 

The top tier was filled with an array of sweet delights - I could feel my sweet tooth tingling with excitement.

 

Lastly, we were served freshly baked fruit and cinnamon scones with homemade fruit preserve and Cornish clotted cream.
Warm and buttery - pure goodness.

The food and service was great, but more importantly was that mum had an enjoyable time - a great start to her first day in London.

The Cheekster, signing off x