Of late life has been crazily busy – working, planning, scheming et al – and so when I found myself on a rainy day in London, clutching shopping bags in the dour rain with a supperclub in the evening, I simply decided a treat was in order. That treat was a staycation at the Montcalm Royal London House Hotel in Moorgate.
Sitting in a cafe, idly flicking through my favourite hotel booking website (mostly because I was thinking about a staycation later in the year outside of London and they cleverly on-sold me) I called Mr Kiwi to tell him not to go home tonight after his catch-up with his mates, and hopped in a cab across Tower Bridge.
I haven’t explored Moorgate very much – usually only to visit the occasional restaurant that pops up, or use the train station – so it was interesting to spend what time we did there.
After checking-in (the reception were absolutely fantastic not only with sorting out an accidental double booking, but also me leaving Mr Kiwi’s name on reception to pick up his key whilst I was at the supperclub) and taking the requisite blogger photos, I simply dove under those sumptuous covers.
Saturday afternoon naps, surrounded by 5-star luxury are the best things ever, especially when it’s pouring with rain outside and you have a pillow menu at your disposal. Three seconds after this photo was taken, every surface was covered in my stuff, and even I was taken aback at how quickly my limited bags exploded!
I booked a ‘Montcalm Double Club Room’ and was really pleasantly surprised by the generous size – especially considering the cosiness that most London (and Parisien) hotel rooms seem to specialise in.
We had all the facilities a good hotel room should have – ginormous TV, desk (for pretending to blog from), full-length mirrors, delicious coffee, disco lights with all the colours of the rainbow etc etc. and a soft, sinkable carpet…
… the large bathroom was a sleek, modern study in gleaming lines and slick surfaces, controlled by a touch panel – not to mention a shower head as wide as the day is long and a sumptious bath tub that I took a long, leisurely soak in.
Pure, unexpected bliss, that was hard to leave…
I shot off to the supperclub for a lovely dinner with a friend, returning coincidentally as Mr Kiwi was collecting his key at reception. We settled beneath the downy duvet for an incredibly comfortable night’s sleep.
We popped down to breakfast in the clubroom (sadly missing the drinks hour the previous day) for a light Continental brekkie…
…and piping hot cups of coffee.
I really liked the fresh decor (it was very Shoreditch without getting too try-hard) and the light fixtures are simply stunning (a strange note to make, but it’s my blog and I’ll get a little abstract if I want to.)
On the tenth floor, Aviary is a plush bar that I fancy spending a little more time in, overlooking the city skyline.
With a spa, two restaurants, and the rooftop bar, the hotel has everything you could need on an impulsive staycation.
To the south, St Paul’s, the Thames and the soaring towers of the City. To the north, the galleries, bars and boutiques of trend-setting Shoreditch. At the heart of it all, they’ve put their stamp on the former Royal Mail head office – transforming an imposing grey building into a funky, modern hotspot.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay the Montcalm Royal London House – all the more for it being unexpected.
