|
Seaside LondonSo Close, So Quiet, So TrendyBy Will Snyder
A recent visit made me realize just how comfortable and practical life on Chelsea Harbour can be. Two blocks off Kings Road, and you enter a world of pampered and spacious luxury. The doormen make sure there is plenty of room for incoming taxis and space for cars of guests. Walking into the lobby, you have access to the champagne bar and the incredible Aquasia restaurant- both with panoramic views of the marina of the Thames neatly packed with powerboats of the rich and famous.
There are quite a few rewarding extras at this hotel complex. A five lane 17 meter indoor pool is just minutes from the sailboats and the marina-encircling boardwalk that can be walked the full 360. The health club has been designed with an eye on high-end treatments (includes reflexology, aromatherapy, hot LA stone therapy and a range of facials) and cardiovascular equipment. The health club, free to guests, is not to be confused with the nearby Chelsea Harbour Club (famous for those paparazzi shots of Lady Diana and the young princes little more than a decade ago).
In addition to hotel guests, there seem to be plenty of regulars at the bar- young professionals who have found a unique bar with an amazing view, and the chance to spot the occasional celebrity. It is very appealing the way the bar area merges to the Long Gallery on one side, and the terrace and the restaurant on the other, creating a light-filled, glass frame angled area of mirrored intimacy, levels only a step away, resulting in a river reflective star-studded atmosphere.
Chef de cuisine Michael Gresslin has created some very appealing fusion dishes, using fresh, natural ingredients and shaking in his knowledge of Asian and Mediterranean tastes. It is not surprising to learn the Michael has traveled extensively, the food here reflecting a subtle understanding of French, North African, Japanese and Chinese cooking skills.
Main courses were a grilled seabass and clams, a Moroccan spiced rack of lamb and one of the best-ever grilled tournedos of beef with Chinese broccoli, garlic confit and smoked red pepper sauce. All new classics with enough substance to hold up to a Texas barbeque.
Booking at the Conrad London is best done directly via the Hilton-run website, to find the best rates and promotions available.
All Images by Will Snyder, a free lance journalist based in Southwest France. |
|
TM
What
do you want from your next visit to London? Olde England, with tea and crumpets?
A room by Whitehall, so quaint until the taxis and buses get busy at 6am? If
you’re happy to be a short ride from Harrods and the West End, and want
luxurious all-suite living on calm Chelsea Harbour, the choice can only be the
Conrad London.
The
rooms, originally built in 1990, have retained a cutting-edge freshness of
design with easy access from living to bedroom to hallway. A neatly
designed work/bar area and separate toilet encourage in-room entertaining. All have
been fully renovated in 2004, and the finishing touches- from the solid
reassurance of the doorlocks to the silence pervading the hallways- make it easy
to see why 5 stars is no stretch of anyone’s imagination. And each suite has an
outdoor terrace large enough for a family picnic.
Back
to the champagne bar. Somehow champagne seems so right when looking at these
great boats and seeing the occasional helicopter lift off behind the Thames and
head off to City Airport. And Dan the barman at the Aquasia Bar has a whole
arsenal of champagne cocktails designed for every taste and personality. I had a
classic consisting of a solid splash of cognac and a cane sugar cube –the champs
gently dissolving the sugar, giving a visual display of vivacious bubbles.
And
the restaurant. There are many fine places to eat in London, in fact you can
find just about any kind of food you want, and often high quality. There are
several enviable restaurants within walking distance from the Conrad London,
including Chutney Mary- crowned as the best upscale Indian restaurant in the UK.
Staying put at the Conrad-owned Aquasia (or booking here if staying elsewhere)
is a serious option.
Starters
we tried included one of the evening’s specials, a sweet potato soup with
oriental spices and fried shrimp ravioli. It was delicious with its overriding
saffron energy. The other, ordered by my Yugoslavian friend Tatjana, was a pan
fried duck foie gras with pear chutney and a port wine reduction. Some fine
dishes are pampered and tasted with slow enjoyment. The foie gras was gone
during the time I looked for Robbie William’s apartment across the harbor and
back. Extraordinary, and the smile on her face told me it was a success.
The
wine menu is well organized. For example, the whites are listed under the 4
categories: dry light & refreshing/ aromatic & fruit-driven/ rich & structured/
and classic. So you don’t get lost, and know right where to go. We went for a
full-bodied Chateau Cloitre Lescours ’98, a French St Emilion, which was all
wrong. Too intense, not enough nose left. Better to stay with the house wines
which are quite good, unless you know what you are ordering.