The Savoy

The Christmas decorations at the Savoy were something from a fairy tale or a movie! The staff were some of the best we've ever experienced in any 5-star hotel - they consistently went above and beyond when we had the slightest wish. The whole experience was one of pure luxury, yet it was also relaxing. There wasn't an atmosphere of arrogance or privilege as one might fear in such hotels, and yet at the same time, the legend of the Savoy was felt everywhere. We appreciated being able to order a little Christmas tree for our room, as we spent Christmas Eve and Day there, and there were little chocolate-y surprises for us in our room, which made it extra special. We had booked at stay where breakfast was included, and it was so nice to just indulge in the generous selection every morning. It is no exaggeration that we consistently ate too much, as it was all of amazing quality. We had also booked a table for afternoon tea, which was likewise lovely, and we had booked at table at the American Bar, another popular destination for guests and outsiders as well, so booking is recommended. These all made the experience even better. The location is perfect for walking to all the sights of central London, as the hotel is situated between the Thames and Covent Garden, only a five-minute walk from either, and about a 15-minute walk from Trafalgar Square. This meant you didn't have to constantly take the Underground to go to places. We also walked to the Southside over the nearby Waterloo Bridge, from where we could see the London Eye and Big Ben, and we walked to St. Paul's Cathedral in the other direction.

We loved everything about our stay and can only recommend it. But on our last day, we asked the concierge about tickets for a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of London and ended up not buying them at the hotel as they were 20 GBP more expensive (per person) than down the road near Trafalgar Square. This seemed unnecessary (and slightly baffling). The hotel was extremely busy when we were there, probably because of the Christmas holidays, so we sometimes had to wait for a table for breakfast because guests come from the outside. This was simply something we didn't realize, so I would recommend booking a table more often than you might otherwise because it's a popular hotel. (This actually made it feel less touristy and more local to us, so despite the busyness, it made it feel authentically British). The excellent central location on The Strand means that the area around the hotel is extremely busy with both people and traffic, so just beware of that.

This time around the general service from the reception team wasn't quite up to previous visits standards. We tried to upgrade the first night although it was fully booked (which obviously can't be helped) the following day the reception team were not very forthcoming and we had to go on the website to show them the rooms which were avaliable on their own website ( we shouldn't have had to have done this) as we were told there we no rooms! Where in fact there were multiple rooms avaliable. Then when returning at 3pm (to check in the new room) our bags had still not been moved and we had to wait. Although this may seem minimal, we've previously received much better service and felt like royalty, this time round we felt like a nuisance. Our first room (queen) was tiny (the starter room as the receptionist described it) , the king superior room was much better. We've previously stayed in the suites and this room was just as nice but obviously smaller.