A West End Staycation

One Aldwych is for people who don’t do generic. That sounds perfect!

This past weekend we became “residents” in the West End – a place where we hardly go to. When Mum goes there it is only for the theatre. She never has the time to hang around. In our staycation series, we choose a different neighbourhood each time and check into another dog-friendly hotel to experience the vibe of each neighbourhood.

When we arrived at the hotel, they were on hand to greet us. I think they wanted to see a crazy dog lady and her two dogs!

And these are their dogs in residence!

There were more greetings and more love at reception!

They upgraded us to a suite, but we didn’t expect this …

The guestrooms and suites were redesigned by Robert Angell to give them an upscale residential feel featuring a calming colour palette of coral, celadon green, soft blue and lavender. We had the coral Somerset Suite.

From the rotunda room, we had this view of Waterloo Bridge …

The bedroom was a beautiful calming soft blue …

As much as we wanted to stay in the suite, Afternoon Tea in The Library beckoned! Our hoomans could dine in here with us.

At One Aldwych, theirs was the themed Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea.

To start, scrumptious savouries – salmon and beetroot macaron (Mum loved soooo much) and juicy roast beef and horseradish – Mum asked for another! LOL!

Then it was a journey down memory lane to childhood days on to fabulously fluffy floss and a box stacked high with wondrous cakes, sweets, mallows and creams.

I’ll have the cotton candy – thank you!

After partaking of the Afternoon Tea, Mum needed to walk off some of that! We meandered through the streets, passing theatres which have reopened their doors as we made our way in the direction of Covent Garden. The streets were full of people dining on the pavement.

Yes, it is indeed HELLO LONDON! We’re back!

There was the pink Instagrammable car where everyone stopped to take a photo – and we did too.

The day was hot and the streets crowded so we escaped back to the comfort of our suite.

We had some down time before Martine and Rusty came to join us for dinner. Mum finished watching The Kominsky Method on the big telly in the living room, while I retired to the calming blue bedroom for a read.

Housekeeping had left Michael Norton’s book – 365 Ways To Change the World for our perusal. 365 simple ways to make the world a better place every day. As I flicked through the days, and came to the 25th February, a day before my birthday, it was to “Influence the Media.” It talks about sharing our views through blogging!!! Yes! That must be an affirmation as we constantly doubt what we do.

Curiously, I turned to Mum’s birthday and the task was to “Slow down” – which she had done when she “swapped a high-octane, stressed-out career for a more relaxed existence.”

OK. Good to know we are doing at least two of the 365 suggestions! This goes hand in hand with One Aldwych’s working ethos.

For supper, Mum had asked Martine to join us because the hotel’s restaurant, Indigo serves an entirely gluten and dairy free menu. We could have again dined in The Library but since the suite was so lovely, we had room service instead!

Indigo’s menu incorporates the finest seasonal ingredients carefully sourced from the British Isles.

For one last walkies we wandered again to Covent Garden and we witnessed a proposal in front of the pink car! The small crowd roared with cheers and applause as the man got on his knee. And we think she said yes!

What a lovely way to end the day. We walked back to One Aldwych with a smile and still believing that dreams can come true, about little miracles, about love …

May’s comment: When you’re visiting London with your pooch, and have plans for the theatre – this is a perfect venue.

The building was once the home to the Morning Post. In 1907 the paper’s editorial and advertising staff moved into the new building and the printing presses were installed in the basement where they remained for the next twenty years. 

Its blend of Edwardian grandeur and splendid Parisian elegance. Its distinctive features include curved corner and a coppered cupola dome, whilst decorative features such as female head keystones, cornices and low balustrade balconies add to the charming Parisian feel.

Right on the doorsteps of the West End theatres and a short stroll to Covent Garden, it was good to see people out and about in the many sidewalk cafes and restaurants. We had a lovely time exploring the neighbourhood at our leisure.

Your four-legged travel companion will be provided with a bed, bowl and towels whilst in residence, and treats from Bow Wow London, which is just a bone’s throw away.  I thought to have Darcy and George groomed there but they are fully booked a month ahead. Keep that in mind if you are coming to stay at One Aldwych with your pooch – it would be a lovely treat.

Small to medium-sized dogs that are fully house-trained and over a year old are welcomed. Dogs are not allowed in the restaurant, bar or Health Club, but dining arrangements with pooch can be made in The Library. 

And with the days getting warmer, my desire for a hot bath might have been replaced by a dip in the hotel pool. The Spa is carefully managed with limited number of people coming and going at one time.

One Aldwych is a responsible hotel and considers the environment, its employees and the local community in all of its operations. These efforts have resulted in the hotel being awarded the Luxury Eco Certification Standard (LECS) in association with The Leading Hotels of the World and also continues to maintain the Gold accreditation from Green Tourism Business Scheme.

This was #notgifted. Taking this time when foreign travels are a bit complicated, to discover different parts of the city in which we live. To explore a new neighbourhood, another dog-friendly venue that meets our criteria of design, and doing our part for the UK economy. And through it all, realising how much there’s on offer right in our very own city.