We needed a change of scene – so we went to East London! LOL!
Since end of February, we have only ventured out of our neighbourhood to partake of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. After six months, with face masks and knowing that these places are being careful and on the alert, Mum thought it’s safe to venture a little further for a change of scene.
We had recently confirmed that Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard had become dog-friendly and Mum thought – if we’re going for a change of scene within London, there cannot be a more different scene than going up high and going east.
And we took advantage of their ‘Staycation’ package.
The staff greeted us enthusiastically from the moment we arrived.
Our room was on the 39th Floor of The Shard, the tallest building in Europe but only the 59th tallest in the world. On the 39th floor we definitely had a different view of London.
They had prepared for us, a bed and bowls.
I preferred Mum’s bed myself.
There were rules for dogs. First only medium and small dogs are permitted to stay in the rooms, but we were not allowed in any of the Food & Beverage areas. The staff who met saw how well behaved we were and asked on our behalf if we could have Afternoon Tea in the Lounge. The restaurant was fine with us but due to previous guests having complained of dogs in the Lounge, they couldn’t make an exception for us. Instead we enjoyed their Pop-Afternoon Tea in the room. After all we came for the view.
We wanted a staycation so we literally stayed in the room the whole time except for our toilet needs. East London consists mainly of tall commercial buildings and therefore very little green space. But the concierge told us of a small park by King’s College, a minute walk away – and there we had our little run around and did our business.
Other than that, we were confined to our room. The view was really quite spectacular – especially at night when London was all lit up.
And miraculously Mum opened her eyes just as the sun was coming up on the horizon.
That view took our breath away.
May’s comment: Didn’t realise I had needed a change of scenery. And I guess you couldn’t have asked for something more different than the view from the Shangri-La Hotel in the Shard.
A lot of the London hotels that have recently re-opened since Lockdown have introduced a Staycation Package. It’s not a discounted or a government incentivised programme like the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ programme. With all the uncertainties of where we can travel to without having to quarantine, many have turned to staycation – and checking out the many wonderful places at home. While many have gone to stay on the coast and in the countryside, the London hotels have been slower to re-open because the associated activities for tourism, have not been re-instated. The theatres are shut down, and museums are only slowly opening up. Though shopping in stores have resumed.
We had done a staycation at the Mandarin Oriental by Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, close to home – and thought we would try something completely different at the Shangri-La all the way over in East London.
Being high up on the 39th floor, we looked out at the landscape in quiet. The intention was to get away and though one can argue that it was no different to being at home alone, it was nice to have a different scenery than watching what the neighbours were doing in the courtyard. LOL!
As with other staycation packages in London hotels, we were allowed to check-in early, rather than the usual 3pm. And check-out was 2pm. Free valet parking, breakfast was included, room upgrade, 20% discounted at restaurants and bars. There is a rather steep fee of £100 for dogs per stay – not by night nor by number of dogs. Understandable that this is London rates and reasonable that they charge per stay.
Their Afternoon Tea was not part of the package but it was our ritual.
This was not gifted. Just wanted to get out of our home and doing our part to help the economy. We also recently found out that while The Shard View may allow well-behaved dogs in pre-booked Private Views, i.e. after viewing hours. However, this is actually a better way to see London from on high. First, it will be cheaper than renting out the space for 60 minutes. And the staycation package gives you almost 24 hours of viewing time! We saw the sunset, the sunrise and every hour in between. And we were warmly welcomed.
