The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
On a Monopoly board, Mayfair and Park Lane form are the poshest and most expensive streets in the game. The fine entrance of the Ritz has all the razzle dazzle up while Fortnum and Mason’s entices shoppers, as do the grand arcades leading off Piccadilly and Haymarket. Here you can search for the finest suits in Savile Row or the perfect cocktail dress in the fine Mayfair boutiques. Later get dressed up to the nines to dine in the fanciest restaurants and bars. For a chance to live how the other half do, if only for a night ‐ visit Mayfair.
This desirable area is close to all the main attractions of central London, bordering leafy Hyde Park and connected by Green Park tube station. It is an exclusive place to call home where people live in Georgian townhouses. The neighbourhood hosts Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace, but aside from the Royal residences, most of the land here is owned by the Grosvenors, one of Britain’s oldest and wealthiest families. The Ritz is the most exclusive hotel in the area closely followed by Claridges, the choice of royalty. Then there’s The Dorchester, The Biltmore and The Dukes, simply no shortage of fine hotels in the capital’s most desirable spot for those for whom money is no object.
On the corner of Jermyn Street and Duke Street, a right turn from Fortnum and Mason is the Cavendish Hotel. The hotel has a storied history going back 200 years. The address, 81 Jermyn Street has been the site of a hotel since the end of the eighteenth century. The area has long been known for its aristocratic associations. Home to generals, princes, bankers and even the Regency Dandy Beau Brummell (1778 to 1840) a good friend of the Prince Regent. Before it became known as the Cavendish Hotel in 1863, it was known as Millers Hotel and the Orleans Hotel, then Rosa Lewis, a cook who catered for Kaiser Wilhelm II and the Prince of Wales took over the lease when she married Chesney Lewis and they took over the property in 1902.
The hotel quickly amounted to debts under her husband, so Rosa divorced Chesney and continued to run it with her friend Edith Jeffrey. The hotel survived both world wars, despite a bomb blowing off the entire front of the hotel and nearly killing Rosa but she lived on to the ripe old age of 85, passing away in 1952. Twelve years later the historic building was torn down and a new skyscraper, the Cavendish of today, was built in its place.
The Cavendish London is a deluxe four-star hotel that boasts 230 deluxe rooms offering guests relaxing accommodation within easy reach of the capital’s iconic landmarks. The fourteenth-floor suite has views as far as the BT tower in the distance at one end and Big Ben on the other. In the frame, you’ll be able to see the London Eye, the Shard, Walkie Talkie building and St James’ church, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. At this vantage point, one can admire the curvature of the streets in all their Edwardian glory.
Inside the rooms are decorated in rich tones with a huge, comfy bed, chaise lounge, coffee table with two chairs, and a writing desk. Of course, there is also a flatscreen tv, as well as a Bose surround system and full tea and coffee- making facilities. In the large bathrooms, you’ll find deep tubs and a walk-in shower and White Company Noir toiletries and fluffy white towels and robes. There’s also a plate of fruit on arrival, lots of water and delicious macarons.
The Cavendish Hotel has a fine dining room, the Mayfair Lounge & Grill at The Cavendish London. Enjoy a classical menu with a beautifully modern twist or enjoy one of the Rosa Lewis inspired cocktails. Sip it beside a grand piano where you can order an la carte lunch from chicken terrine for a starter and a duck confit with a pea jus for the main course followed by a trio of ice cream and sorbet. The Cavendish London is managed by The Ascott Limited (Ascott), one of the leading international lodging owner-operators with properties across Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA.
The hotel is right next door to Fortnum and Mason’s flagship store. This brand is right up there with Harrods and Selfridges as a British institution. Indeed, Fortnum and Mason is one of the great British institutions. Purveyors of fine food and drink since 1707, Fortnum & Mason makes extraordinary hampers that are synonymous with luxury. The first floor is dedicated to delectable goodies, the second floor is a Christmas wonderland, and the third floor is devoted to food and drink. The afternoon tea in the diamond jubilee tearoom is an experience of a lifetime. There is a gin distillery which makes the tipple in house from the finest British apples grown in Yorkshire. Guests will also find a book corner where celebrity chefs come to promote their latest releases. But the showcase is the food studio which holds regular events and invites top chefs to hold workshops. It’s well worth popping in to see what is on, when I visited the owner of Silo, Douglas McMaster who pioneered London’s leading zero-waste restaurant was holding a tasting menu with his scientist chef Jono Drane investigating the link between food and gut health.
Experience an Arabian night at Jeru. The name means “old town” and where guests will find themselves transported back to the opulent times of the Levant and Ottoman empires as they step inside an Arabian inspired world. Go through the arched wooden door adorned with Middle Eastern patterns and step inside the bakery and follow the arches which lead downstairs into the restaurant. The first thing that hits patrons is the smells and sights that encapsulate the worlds of All the flavours, ingredients, cooking techniques and traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean combine for a wonderful experience. You’ll be presented with dishes with influences from Syria in the North to Egypt in the South.
As guests are shown to your table, marvel at the inviting open kitchen where they can see your meal being cooked before your very eyes. The sepia-coloured lighting instantly relaxes you and you feel at ease as you admire the Turkish-style light fittings and the ornate arches of the restaurant. For those dining alone or in small groups the kitchen-view seats are the best to be entertained. As guests sit down they are offered a glass of champagne and presented with the menu. Its recommended to go for the six-course tasting menu, with matching wine. Prepare for a magical mezze – a banquet fit for a Sultana.
First came the starter, a crispy Hasselback artichokes in a caramelised celeriac tahini. These white artichoke hearts were dressed in a spring onion salsa and were delicious. This is a delicacy in the Mediterranean and they were elegantly presented and super tasty.
Then followed a scrumptious potato bread with a crisp crust yet fluffy on the inside. When dipped in the black hummus topped with shavings of British foraged mushrooms and the truffle honey it formed the perfect entrée, bursting with flavour. But then it got even better when the magnificently presented Wester Ross Scottish salmon. The melon was folded over like an elegant flower disguising a most delicious cubed fresh salmon which provided a fresh taste flavoured with Persian lemon and a crab and caviar sauce.
Before my very eyes, a huge seabass was filleted and placed on the flame grill. It was quite a spectacle. The delicious, charcoaled butterfly fish came with a roe and cucumber salsa and lemon tahini. The fish melted in your mouth and the small roe burst with flavour in your mouth with every mouthful of delicious tahini.
To finish I enjoyed the signature slow-cooked Australian lamb with an aubergine ezme and mint dressing, followed by a pudding of lemon sorbet inside a soft shell. Of all the dishes chef Roy Ner swears by Aussie beef and lamb, thanks in part to his Australian roots but also the quality and consistency of the product, which shone through in this dish.
The waiter was very attentive and ensured that my wine glass was constantly topped up and the wine suited the dishes I opted for, with a delicious red wine to wash down the Aussie lamb, which was divine. The restaurant has another floor which caters for private parties. Upstairs you’ll find the Garden and the luxurious Sapphire Lounge as well as the sophisticated Layla Dining Lounge & Bar. This means it is a complete entertainment space which opens until late, so you can spend a very pleasant evening here. Jeru is a decadent dining experience which lets you experience pure luxury as you dine.
Mayfair is brimming with pubs and bars. If you are visiting the area, Mr Foggs is worth a visit for thirsty travellers, step into the world of the great explorer Phileas J. Fogg who circumnavigated the world in 80 days. This pub ‘claims’ to be the Mayfair home of Mr Fogg and offers a worldly list of libations among a backdrop of memorabilia collected from across the globe. The Apothecary is the second pub in this creative chain, located on Brook Street opposite the iconic Claridge’s hotel, the elegant new Victorian Apothecary has a majestic grand staircase leading down to an impressive long bar, stocked to the rafters with his extensive apothecary collection and perfect cocktail serves, with precise weighing scales at hand.
No visit to the neighbourhood is complete without a visit to The Ritz for an afternoon tea or a drink at the Rivoli bar listening to the tinkle of the piano. The Ritz is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and as you walk down that red carpet and onto the antique rug you’ll be treading in the footsteps of royalty and former prime ministers and Hollywood stars. You can take an exquisite afternoon tea here, a sophisticated British tradition which should be savoured at least once in your life. A proud member of the Tea Council’s esteemed Tea Guild, the establishment serves the beverage in the impressive Palm Court. This is the job of the certified tea sommelier, who selects up to 18 different types of leaves alongside mouth-watering sandwiches, freshly baked jam and clotted cream scones, and a choice of dainty pastries.
Mayfair is brimming with exhibitions and art galleries to satisfy your creative side. And in the evening, you are on the doorstep of Leicester Square, famed for its wide variety of theatre shows. Mayfair is also close to St James’ and Buckingham Palace which you can stroll to via Green Park. You are also not too far away from Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery or any of the capital’s tourist attractions.
For a truly authentic London experience, Mayfair is a fantastic place to stay and play. You can eat, drink and sleep in the ultimate luxury in London’s wealthiest neighbourhoods and enjoy the high life, with all the amenities on your doorstep. Make Mayfair your next travel destination and you’ll be surprised at what you can discover.
