Another London Staycation. This time it was a colourful stay.
We checked in at the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho for a little treat.
Ham Yard Hotel is part of the Firmdale Group which is known for its eclectic and colourful interiors.
Everyone was delighted to see us – including the florist who does all the floral arrangements at the hotel.
Mum was particularly excited to see our room. She loves Kit Kemp interiors and all the rooms are different.
And we have the pink and green room! Sooooo pretty!
And we loved it!!!
Mum loved the interiors, but as always, we’re keen to check out the area.
We meandered the narrow streets of Soho. There were many people out and about, many dining outside on the streets. London was never much of an outdoor dining city due mainly to the weather. But to encourage less crowding, many of the smaller streets have been closed to traffic to allow for outdoor seating.
We walked over to one of our favourite restaurants – The Duck & Rice and we chose to sit outside.
Around the corner was Picadilly Circus – a busy junction and and known for it’s videos and neon signs, well, I think it’s now all LED.
And in the middle of the circle is the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain surmounted by a winged Anteros, often mistaken for Eros.
Even late at night, Picadilly Circus was still busy with traffic and night revellers but probably not like the days before Covid. We walked back to the quietness of Ham Yard Hotel …
And back safely at the hotel.
Time for beddy-byes. Been a long day.
Oh, while we’re not allowed in any of the enclosed Food & Beverage areas, there is a Courtyard Restaurant where we are allowed to dine – including afternoon tea.
May’s comment: Another staycation in London. We had done a Grand Dame of hotels, the Mandarin Oriental by Hyde Park and we did something totally different – the Shangri-La for a room with a view! We saw London from a different perspective. For our third staycation, we thought to do something that’s all about the interiors!
For that we chose one of the Firmdale Hotels – Ham Yard in Soho. Always been a big fan of Kit Kemp’s interiors – and we were lucky to have been given the pink and green room.
Before Lockdown was imposed, we had a quick staycation at Number Sixteen, another Firmdale Hotel in Kensington.
We had a bright green and peach room!
Where next?
Again, this is not gifted. We love London and we’re doing our part to give back in small ways. It’s also been fun for us to check into beautiful places for a break from staying home. It’s been such a treat. Most hotels have staycation packages or whatever they call them – most of them have early check-ins and late check-outs which makes the stay more relaxed. They all have different offers. We particularly loved our hamper of Afternoon Tea!
The ones we have been to are dog-friendly and the staff have been so welcoming. There is a deep cleaning fee applied per stay. None of the ones we have been to allow dogs in indoor dining areas. But we’re in London and there are many dog-friendly restaurants all over. In-room dining is also an option to send time with your dogs.
One Response
Looks fabulous May. I think council in Melbourne Australia is also considering closing off streets for restaurants to open. Melbournes weather is nit great either. We still have a hard lockdown in place for another couple of weeks at least. Only allowed to leave home for four essential reasons. Unfortunately we are not as dog friendly here so I can’t see our hotels opening up to accommodate Pets.