Things to enjoy at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park (without breaking the bank)

March 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Hotels, Leisure, London and around, United Kingdom, featured

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I recently stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park Hotel in London with my daughter and enjoyed every moment of being treated like a Princess in one of the best hotels in London. On that occasion, I was lucky enough to be staying as a guest of the hotel (you can read my article here), but like many of you out there, when I’m spending my own hard-earned cash, I’m more likely to be booked into a modest hotel or guest house, albeit the most stylish I can afford. So that got me thinking about how you can enjoy something of the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park’s special atmosphere of luxury and service without spending a king’s ransom.

I remembered when I visited a friend who was living in Istanbul some years ago and we’d wander through the the Kempinski Ciragan Palace, one of the most classy hotels in town, as if we owned the place. We’d re-apply our lipstick in the marble bathrooms, lounge around in the open public areas, window-shop in the hotel souvenir shops and galleries, then perhaps while away a long afternoon over Sunday brunch buffet as a special treat. We had the experience of being there in Luxury without the expense of actually staying there. So in the same spirit, here a few things you might also enjoy at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park if you’re visiting London.

The Mandarin Bar at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park

Sip a cocktail in the Mandarin Bar

When we arrived at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park we relaxed with a coffee in the Mandarin Bar, with it’s leather and gold velvet sofas, colourful bottles behind frosted glass, and open glass wine cage. It felt like an elegant take on the exclusive gentleman’s club that the hotel was originally built for. However, at night the bar really comes into it’s own as a classy and lively cocktail bar for the grown-up set, with live music playing most nights. On the Saturday night that we were there, we could hear the chatter of conversation and jazz trio playing in one corner and I certainly wouldn’t have minded sipping one of the exotic cocktails with friends, perhaps a ‘Conde Nast Traveler’ of Cuban rum, rhubarb puree, pomegranate juice and cinnamon sugar. I was told that they’d just recruited a new bar manager, a former mixologist at Smirnoff, who was busy revamping the cocktail menu, so I’d definitely go back to the Mandarin Bar another time to listen enjoy a cocktail or two and the live music. (Cocktails around £15)

Park Restaurant at Mandarin Oriental, Hyde park

Eat top class Asian food in the Park Restaurant

During our stay, we bypassed the gourmet Foliage restaurant in favour of the more relaxed atmosphere of the Park restaurant, which is designed to bring the greenery of Hyde Park into the hotel, with wooden tables, fine green linen and bonsai trees, as well as oriental themed paintings and decoration. I tried the crab cakes as a starter which were just perfectly meaty served with a walnut and spinach salad, followed by the most delicous Thai Green curry I’ve ever tasted, with complex flavours of basil, lemon grass and enormous prawns. If you like top class Asian food, combined with charmingly attentive service, then this will be the place for you. (Main courses £15-28)

Celebrity chefs, Daniel Boulud and Heston Blumenthal

Chef, Daniel Boulud

I can’t mention the food at the Mandarin Oriental without letting you know that there are more treats to come on the culinary front at the hotel. If you’re up on your celebrity chefs, you’ll be first in line when the new Bar Boulud opens in May 2010 on the ground floor, from French born, New York based, chef, Daniel Boulud. The new wine bar and contemporary French bistro will be a sister restaurant to the established Bar Boulud in New York and will draw on the seasonal French dishes, wines and charcuterie of Boulud’s childhood near Lyon. A feature of Bar Boulud is that you can enjoy exceptional wines by the glass that are carefully selected to compliment the food and charcuterie.That’s one thing I’d appreciate as I rarely drink more than a glass or two in an evening, so I’d prefer them to be really good quality, rather than cheap and cheerful.

Once the Bar Boulud has opened, the Park Restaurant will be closed until October, when it will be reborn with British celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal at the helm. Blumenthal is well known for his culinary magic in combining unlikely combinations of tastes and textures for a truly sensory dining experience. Blumenthal has a well established reputation from his three Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray as well as The Hinds Head pub of the same village, but this will be his first venture in Central London, bringing his unique style to international visitors to London.

Afternoon Tea on the Park Terrace overlooking Hyde Park

Park Terrace at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London

One of the great features of the Mandarin Oriental is that it has Hyde Park as it’s back garden (literally). If you’re lucky enough to get a room at the back of the hotel, then you’ll have a view of the Serpentine lake, glistening through the trees. And adjoining the Park Restaurant overlooking the park is the Park Terrace where you can take al fresco lunches and afternoon tea between May and September (the Great British Summer permitting) If you’d like to experience the quintessential English teatime experience, then this is where I’d love to be on a sunny afternoon, tucking into fresh baked scones and some strawberry tart, washed down by an elegant cup of Earl Grey with a slice of lemon.

A spa experience at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London

To finish off my luxury visit to the Mandarin Oriental without ever having checked in, I’d love to spend a few hours at the hotel spa, tucked away in a quiet corner of the ground floor. This is not the place to go in a girly gaggle for chatter and gossip, but a place to unwind and get some seriously pampering ‘me time’. When I looked in on their reception area during my stay, I learned all about their signature spa therapies which have been developed by experts from the world of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and aromatherapy. The products used are determined by the mood and personality of the client and are based on the five elements of Chinese Medicine; Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and each is matched to a blend of essential oils; Awaken, Bloom, Flourish, Release and Reflect. Condé Nast Traveller voted this their Best Hotel Spa in the UK for 2009 and I can see why, with each treatment tailored to your personality and mood to leave you feeling truly relaxed. Not cheap at £240 for the Mandarin Oriental signature spa therapy treatments session lasting around 3 hrs, including time to relax in the steam room and Vitality pool, but what a lovely gift to give yourself, or even be treated to by your doting husband or partner (hint, hint)

Prince of Wales Suite at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hyde Park

Stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park

Although I’ve mentioned some ways you can tap into the luxurious world of the Mandarin Oriental without actually staying there, I have to say that it is a wonderful place to base yourself in London, with the upscale shopping of Knightsbridge at the front door and the greenery of Hyde Park at the back door. If staying in top class hotels is your normal way of travelling, or you’re looking for somewhere for that special break where you’ll be spoiled and treated to world class service, and if you love that classic English look combined with Oriental elegance, then this is the place for you. And if like me you always hope to get a little more for a little less, then you should check out the Tempting Offer Page on the Mandarin Oriental Website or do some shopping around on booking sites such as Kiwicollection.com (read the article I wrote on their website here)

I hope I’ve convinced you that if your budget doesn’t stretch to staying at a top class hotel like the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London, then there are still affordable ways of experiencing the fantastic service and luxury you’ll get there. If you have been reading this and thinking that you could get that cup of tea at Starbucks for a fraction of the price then you obviously don’t get it and should try pitching your tent in Hyde park instead (only joking). You should think of it as buying into the luxury of a few hours in wonderful surroundings with charming and attentive staff, at a fraction of the price of actually staying there (not that I don’t recommend that too!)

Room in Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park

Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park

A shop full of sardines at Conserveira de Lisboa - in Lisbon

February 24, 2010 by admin
Filed under Eating and drinking, Europe, Leisure, Lisbon, Portugal, Shopping, featured

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We came upon the Conserveira de Lisboa purely by chance, on a rainy day in Lisbon when we were making our way up the hill to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. Seeing a brightly coloured window we took shelter under it’s blind for a while and then got drawn in to the shop out of curiosity to see what it was selling.

Conseveira de Lisboa in Lisbon

It seemed a little unlikely to find a shop that only sold cans of sardines, but if it was to be found anywhere in the world, it had to be in Lisbon where the smell of grilled sardines invites you in to many a cafe in summer, especially by the seaside. In fact we found that it wasn’t just sardines, but also anchovies, tuna and other kinds of tinned fish.

Inside Conseveria de Lisboa in Lisbon

Now, I can’t say I’m a great sardine lover, but I must say that I was seduced by the slightly kitch, retro paper packaging around each tin and the way that they were stacked up invitingly on the shelves. In the corner was a lady, deftly wrapping all the tins up in their decorative paper. These people had certainly made sardines into an art form!

Windows at Conseveira de Lisboa in Lisbon

They’d obviously sussed out what random passers by like us might purchase and we soon had a couple of little taster packs of four different kinds of tinned fish in our bags - ready perhaps to make some fishy apperitifs. You can guess what some of our nearest and dearest got for their Christmas presents.

So if you’re passing that way, or if sardines on toast are your favourite meal, or if you’re looking for an unusual souvenir of Lisbon, then pop into this quirky little place and check out a shop full of sardines at the Conserveira de Lisboa.

Conserveira de Lisboa, Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 34, 1100 Lisboa, Portugal

This is posted as part of Wanderfood Wednesday - head over for chilli and buritos and other foodie delights

Other Lisbon food to enjoy

Having my Pastéis and eating it in Lisbon
Seafood and beer at Cervejaria Trinidade in Lisbon
An authentic Portuguese meal at Casa do Alentejo in Lisbon

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Tags: blogsherpa, Conseveira de Lisboa, Europe, Lisbon, Portugal, Sardines

White Trash Fast Food and meeting the Bloggers in Berlin

February 17, 2010 by admin
Filed under Accommodation, Berlin, Blogging, Eating and drinking, Europe, Germany, Hotels, Leisure, featured

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If I’m in a new city I always like to seek out fun and authentic neighbourhood places to eat. Guidebooks have their place but there may just be too many recommendations, or they’re on the other side of town, or they just don’t match your mood or the time of day. So my answer is always - ask a local. This might mean the person at the desk of your hotel, but better still ask a resident who shares your interests, and especially one that enjoys eating out.

Heather with Jacinta Lodge

That’s one reason on our trip to Berlin last spring, that I took the opportunity to meet up with Jacinta Lodge, an Aussie, travel blogger, embroiderer and writer who’s settled in Berlin. Before we arrived we exchanged a few e-mails and arranged to meet for a drink at our hotel one evening. ‘I’ll be the one with the fuschia and lime green glasses’ she told me in her e-mail and ‘I’ll be the tall blond twentysomething’ I quipped back, thinking she was joking.

I’d seen that Jacinta had been a fellow blogger at Europe a la Carte and that she was also one of the Berlin experts writing on Planet Eye, so I thought she’d be good for a tip or two on Berlin. We nearly missed each other, as she was waiting for us in the bar of Circus Hostel across the road from the sister Circus Hotel where we were staying. Luckily she realised the mistake and rushed in to the hotel just as I was off to find the mobile number and call her. She was indeed the girl with the lime green and pink specs, but sadly I wasn’t the tall blonde twentysomething.

We chatted for an hour or two over those delicious cocktails that they do so well at Circus Hotel - mine was a Mojito, Jacinta’s a Caipirinha and they were slipping down very nicely. But we moved on to the local recommendations and this was my brief to Jacinta. We wanted somewhere that we could take our gaggle of gorgeous 14 year old girls to give them a taste of the famous Berlin nightlife and music scene, but which wouldn’t subject them to over-18 pick up lines and would be relaxed and teenage friendly. WhiteTrashFastFood was Jacinta’s recommendation and it proved to be a great choice.

White Trash Fast Food in Berlin

It’s a burger bar with live music every night, housed in an old bank with an atmosphere of pub meets Chinese brothel. There’s a tattoo parlour downstairs, where most of the waiting staff looked as if they had been spending their tips and a congenial atmosphere with groups of 20-somethings enjoying their beer, burger and fries. Think Hard Rock cafe with a bit more quirky Berlin originality. It was absolutely packed and we were relegated to a booth towards the back, but luckily we had a word with our nice English waiter from Essex and bagged a table much nearer the front and the music as soon as it became available. The music started at around 9pm but we didn’t stay for it all once we’d finished with our home-made apple pie and ice cream. Street cred all round I’d say - but not the place for your tiddlers who’ll want to pay a visit to the tattoo parlour or ask you to explain some of the ‘Ooh shocking!’ names on the menu.

Along the same lines was the second recommendation for teenagers of Kunsthaus Tacheles that Jacinta thought we’d enjoy for that authentic, grungy Berlin experience, what with the graffiti murals, and the half burried plane in the waste-ground sculpture park at the back. Take a look at my article on Kunsthaus Tacheles here.

Perfect recommendations for teenagers I’d say - if in doubt ask a local!

This article is posted as part of Wanderfood Wednesday, posted at Wanderlust and Lipstick - head over for some comfort Nachos and other foodie delights

White Trash Fast Food
Schönhauser Allee 6-7
10119 Berlin
Telefon: (030) 5034 8668 (030) 5034 8668
Telefax: (030) 5034 8669

Email: info [at] whitetrashfastfood [dot] com