Staycation by the Park

We were in need for a change of scenery and a bit of pampering after months of staying home.

Given the limitation of where we could travel and also the need to stay alert while the virus is still in circulation, Mum decided it would be nice to check into one of the London hotels that we like but had no reason to be there before.

Mum chose the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge — a hotel we know well for many reasons which Mum will explain in her comments.

Checking in …

They were prepared for our arrival. There was a bed and two bottles of Blenheim Palace still mineral water for us.

And Mum had her own bottle as well. A little sparkle goes a long way to making her happy. LOL!

One of the benefits of staying at the Mandarin Oriental is having Hyde Park across the street. It was so easy to walk out the door, take the first corner and there was the vast green across the street.

Soon after checking in, we took our complimentary afternoon tea picnic hamper to share with Freddie in the park.

The food in the hamper was our focus for awhile …

… until I spotted a squirrel running past us. What a dilemma! Do I sit and wait for crumbs or hunt down those squirrels? Scones or squirrels? Scones or squirrels?

It was altogether a lovely afternoon as George and I raced around like lunatics.

Before heading back to our lovely room.

Since dogs were not allowed in any of the food and beverage places, Mum chose in-room dining. After all, we love the room and she preferred to eat with us.

She also probably felt safer – and of course we benefitted.

After supper and before bedtime, we took our last outing in the park again and oooh! It was a bit dark and scary.

We didn’t venture very far in. Mum was a little nervous. Everything was so quiet and almost deserted. The road behind the hotel which runs along Hyde Park was empty. It was a reminder that we are still in ‘alert’ stage. That road had been closed off since Lockdown began.

Think we were quite relieved to be back in the safety of the hotel.

Before bedtime, Mum had a salt bath and some extra bubbles to go with it.

Yup, that’s her idea of a staycation. And we watched telly till we fell asleep. Ahhhh – that’s what a staycation is all about.

Early next morning when we went for our morning walk (remember, we are still doing “Miracle Mornings“) – the road was once again very quiet.

And so was the park.

After a short walk, we trotted back to our hotel for our last hours there.

One of the benefits of the staycation package was a late check-out at 16.00, which meant we were able to dine leisurely with Mum at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. We mentioned earlier that we’re not allowed at the Food & Beverage areas.

However, a combination of the staff having witnessed that we were well-behaved in-house guests, and due to the COVID situation they had outside tables which they normally don’t do. And probably because we were having lunch rather than dinner – they were pleased to let us join Mum for a final hurrah for Eat Out to Help Out! We were grateful but alas, we never got to taste any of it. The food was too good for Mum to share any with us!

During our stay, we also made some friends with other guests on our floor. This is Meera from Dubai.

We met Meera and her sister in the hallway as we were leaving for one of our walks. They were delighted to see us as they were missing their dogs and asked Mum if we could keep them company.

I think Mum really enjoyed our staycation – and we were happy to have shared the time with her. And how amazing to have the park at our door step. Now over to Mum as to why she chose for us to stay at the Mandarin Oriental.

May’s comment: As we move away from Eat Out to Help Out and as part of helping the economy, we decided to try the ‘staycation’ packages that is being offered by many hotels that have reopened in London. There are so many amazing hotels in London but we chose the Mandarin Oriental as one of the three hotels for our staycation experience because being dog-friendly was a criteria, and its proximity to the park was really convenient.

At the hotel, there were constant reminders that we live in different times. We were asked to wear face masks in the public areas, especially in lifts. Along with the complimentary Moet champagne was a care package of face masks, gloves and hand sanitisers in the room.

The staycation package included a complimentary Afternoon Tea picnic in a hamper.

The package offers early check-in and late checkout at 16.00 – that way you can enjoy lunch before hurrying to leave. And it so happened to be the last day of the Eat Out to Help Out. And due to the corona virus situation, Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant was also serving meals on the terrace. Given the unusual situation, I asked if it was possible to dine with doggies, knowing that dogs are not allowed in any of the F&B areas. Only because we were guests at the hotel and the staff had met my two well-behaved pooches, we were granted permission to dine outside.

The hotel had been recently refurbished. Masterminded by Joyce Wang interior designers, the contemporary, light-filled interiors also referencing the royal heritage of the building which dates back to Edwardian times. It opened it’s doors as a hotel in 1902.

This staycation was not gifted. We selected the hotels we want to stay in as a treat for ourselves – and more importantly, to play our part in helping the economy. This is part of our London Staycation series.

The Mandarin Oriental holds a bit of history for us. In my previous life, I was part of the team at the company I worked for who created, marketed and sold the very first Residences at Mandarin Oriental. That was a new concept for hotels way back then but had since become part of the strategy of most five star hotels to fund their development.

And two years ago Darcy was asked to be part of the marketing film for Mandarin Oriental Residences. We were happy to oblige.

It was truly a staycation for me – and wouldn’t be the same without Darcy and George.

The cleaning fee for dogs is £100 for the stay.