Money can buy hapiness after all! (London Marriott Hotel County Hall)

Member Name: kirlykird

Product:	London Marriott Hotel County Hall
Date:	12/01/09 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, rooms, views, breakfast great bar areas

Disadvantages: the bill

Marriott county hall

I visited this hotel during summer time when my grandparents were visiting London for their 80th birthdays. This was a lovely stay as my grandparents hadn't been to London in years and my grandfather was very keen to ride on the London eye whilst my grandmother was keen for me to find a hotel in which as she phrased it, 'that he will have to dig deep into his pockets for'. She was aiming for nothing less than luxury!
Obviously there are a huge number of hotel available in central London but this one had to be special and my grandparents insisted that we all stayed over in a hotel together despite the fact that we were only further down the river in Putney and we therefore needed two rooms ,one family room & one twin room for them.
Eventually I came across a great deal from The Marriott County hall. We could have our two rooms, including breakfast and London eye tickets at a special offer of £ 280 per room per night which for this particular hotel is very good.
The hotel is centrally located on London's South Bank, the luxury 5 * London Marriott Hotel, County Hall is traditionally elegant. Breathtaking views overlooking Big Ben & the River Thames await you & the hotel amenities and first-class service are the envy of many hotels in London.

*Our arrival & check in*

When arriving at this hotel we were amazed at the grandeur of the building and its courtyard. Just after crossing Westminster bridge, you take a left into the hotels arched entrance which takes you into a magnificent fountained courtyard. Here, we were welcomed by the concierge who dealt with our bags and directed us to reception.
My first impression was 'wow'! The building and its interior are stunning. The décor is classy and traditional, just as you would expect from the exterior of the hotel.
Reception is a large area with seating and a very large wooden reception desk with a number of international speakers manning it. All of the public areas of this hotel were well decorated with large fresh floral arrangements.
The service was exquisite. We mentioned that my grandmother has difficulties with her walking and were therefore offered a wheel chair free of charge for the duration of our stay. We were very impressed with this as there is usually a slight charge.

*Our rooms*

We were very pleased to find our rooms were next door and when we got in there, we found them to have inter connecting doors. This was fabulous for the children whom could run backwards and forwards to my grandparents. The rooms were huge and so were the bathrooms. In our room, there were two double beds and still an abundance of space. The décor was very grand with many pieces of art work to add decorative value.
There were nice fluffy robes, slippers, nice smelly toiletries and a very large dressing table/desk.
The best feature by far of our rooms though were the view of the Thames. It was so nice to sit on the comfortable chairs looking out of the window across the Thames observing the hustle and bustle of the Thames river side.
Another great feature of the room was the air conditioning, a must for a hot and clammy London summer. Anyone with a good knowledge of London will know that it can get extremely hot & sticky during the summer months.
Now for the beds...extreme luxury! Both of the beds had very comfortable Egyptian cotton-rich linens, luxury down duvets and pillows.
I was in heaven just being in the room!

*The restaurant & bar areas*

The public rooms of the County hall are large and very comfortable. I do not recall a time at all when I felt that any area was over crowded.
We only ate breakfast and bar snacks at the County hall as we ate out for our evening meals on both evenings, therefore I cannot comment on the County hall restaurant.
Breakfast is served in a large area which joins onto the Rotunda lounge. The breakfast, served here is delicious and superb. There is a huge range of fresh fruit from tropical, to seasonal berries and standard fruit. The English breakfast was self service but obviously in a very civilised way from silver serving trays. There was even an egg chef to cook your eggs on demand! Waffles, pancakes and omelettes could also be freshly prepared for you, in fact I don not think that there was any element of breakfast that was not included. Tea, coffee and toast were served directly to the table and promptly topped up when empty. A wonderful start to the day. The breakfast area is a large elegantly decorated part of the lounge which has very large windows over looking the river and lets in the sunshine very well, a well lit and bright area.
The Rotunda lounge has a comfortable bar area which serves a wide selection of drinks and bar snacks. The bar snacks and drinks are good but be warned, very expensive! We ordered 5 sandwiches with some fries and a aside salad and paid around £70 for the delight. We visited this bar when we were with the children and we found it to be child friendly with very polite waiting staff.
The library lounge is an area that my grandmother was very taken with. The room is decorated with comfortable sofas and winged back chairs. Afternoon tea is served here in peaceful surroundings with views over Westminster bridge towards Big Ben and the houses of parliament.
Another bar that we spent time in is the Leaders bar. This is a smaller more intimate bar which is a little more intimate with a more cosy feel to it. This is a fabulous place which is an ideal venue to try champagnes, fine wines and after dinner drinks. I especially loved this bar due to its balcony seating. It was so lovely to be sat on the balcony on a warm summers evening with a glass of good wine whilst looking over the courtyard. There was almost a feeling of the Mediterranean rather than the big city.

* Other facilities*

Sadly, we had no time to try out of any more of the facilities as we were also out and about but the County hall is the home to the largest & most extensive gym & pool in any London hotel. There is also a Spa where you can enjoy relaxing and rejuvenating pampering.

*Location*

The location of this hotel is superb - opposite Big Ben, London Eye, Covent Garden and on London's vibrant South Bank.
The hotel is close to station, tube and bus links and within easy links of most London airports.
I cannot think of any fault with this location at all!

*Would we return?*

Yes, we would. The only reason that we may not in the near future is the price tag.
Price aside, this was one of the best hotels that I have ever stayed in. The staff were friendly & helpful, the rooms and amenities were excellent and the public areas were welcoming, clean and enjoyable.
This is a very highly recommended hotel.

Summary: An excellent hotel if you are looking to splash out on 5* luxury