Located in Mandeville Place lives one of London’s leading hotels, very fittingly named The Mandeville Hotel. The one-of-a-kind destination is situated in Marylebone and Mayfair, making it a mere walk away from London’s most iconic shopping destinations such as the world-famous Selfridges, and the ever-bustling Oxford Street and Bond Street. Its central location makes it the ideal choice for tourists and Londoners alike.

The Lobby of the Mandeville gives a wonderful first impression and introduction to the hotel. A quaint space with a warm welcoming aura, designed with artistic furniture that is both modest yet ornate at the same time. Antique-looking tapestry armchairs sit alongside a decadent red leather sofa, while a sparkling chandelier dangles from the ceiling. The wood-like hues of the walls bring the space together with a homely atmosphere, contrasted by the luxury of the rest of the decor.

Feeling quite famished, the next place on the agenda to visit was the esteemed dining venue, Reform Social & Grill. The restaurant is well-known for its lavish Afternoon Tea, which includes Vintage and Gentleman’s options. The former option is a classic style Afternoon Tea, complete with scrumptious cake, tarts and scones with clotted cream and jam. While the latter option is catered to all of the gentleman who are proud to indulge in a spot of Afternoon Tea, shattering the conventional tea time traditions. Featuring daring steak and snail sandwiches, fish fingers and mushy peas, all with a side of Whisky of course.

As tempting as that sounded, the stomach was growling for something a litle more substantial. This led to dining at the Reform Social & Grill’s quintessentially British all-day dining venue. The restaurant recently opened in 2012 and actually offers 24-hour Room Service to the guests. Its decor takes inspiration from classic British gentleman’s clubs, with plush leather seats and an elegant pub atmosphere. We ended up indulging in a luscious Butchers Steak, accompanied by mushrooms and creamy garlic mash. The medium-rare meat was cooked to perfection; it was juicy, tender and just thinking about it again is summoning a fountain of drool. The gorgeous meat was complemented by a crisp Merlot and finished off with a scrumptious treacle sponge pudding with fresh English custard. It was a perfectly delectable way to end a glorious meal.

After a wonderful evening and a full stomach, it was time for a post-meal nap. We were escorted to a lift and proceeded to head to our designated floor. Once the elevator door opened, we had entered Maison Christian Lacroix. We were greeted with an explosion of colour and hallways that change decor as you walk through them. It is known that the hotel has been styled by leading international designers, including Lacroix. This was great preparation for the ‘Classic Lacroix’ room. Inspired by his hometown of Arles, the room takes inspiration from the French riviera and is a sophisticatedly lovely room, complete with all the usual amenities. The bathroom was equally as sophisticated, with heated marble floors and towel rails, it had everything you could ask for.