The Peninsula London hotel review

The Peninsula London location

It doesn’t get more distinguished than this — The Peninsula London sits next to Wellington Arch and Hyde Park Corner, squarely lodged between Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park and within easy walking distance to the luxury department stores of Knightsbridge, the massive museums of South Kensington and the stately streets of Belgravia.

The Peninsula London booking details

Peninsula is among the smallest luxury hotel chains in the world, with just 12 properties around the globe, including two in the U.S. As such, it does not have a major loyalty program of its own.

Standout features of The Peninsula London

• The decor at Brooklands will make you feel like you’re dining among the clouds on the Concorde. Need we say more?
• Rooms are palatial, featuring some of the most gorgeous hotel bathrooms in London.
• The two-story subterranean wellness complex is among the most comprehensive in town.

Drawbacks of The Peninsula London

• Though it’s centrally located at Hyde Park Corner, you don’t get much of a neighborhood feel here.
• Get ready for the in-room technology — there’s no way to open the drapes without using a custom-made tablet, for instance.
• Peninsula doesn’t have a loyalty program, so you won’t be earning hotel points, but you can still rack up points with cards that have travel or hotel category bonuses.

The vibe at The Peninsula London

Although the original Peninsula Hotel opened in Hong Kong in 1928 (and still stands as the brand’s flagship), this relatively new London outpost — the culmination of over 30 years of planning — feels distinctly British thanks not only to its incredible location between some of London’s lushest parks but also for its imposing architecture inspired by Renaissance palazzos.

You might pull up via the self-contained circular driveway, but for a truly grand entrance, take the steps up from the street and savor the moment as a pillbox-hatted door person ushers you into the soaring lobby. There, you’re as likely to see the city’s political powerbrokers and banking titans debating recent policy changes as you are to overhear socialites fawning over each other’s well-behaved children during a leisurely afternoon tea.

Rooms at The Peninsula London

The hotel has just 190 guest rooms and suites. Mine was a deluxe room in the starting category but still measured nearly 600 square feet and had views over the hotel’s central court, complete with two 120-year-old Japanese maples and a constant parade of house cars painted in The Peninsula’s signature green (though no noise reached me through the thick windows).

U.S. interior designer Peter Marino oversaw the decor, which is a melange of contemporary Asian accents like textiles with traditional geometric patterning, austere stone tables and dark-grained wood, and classic English countryside comfort thanks to creamy tones, cozy sofas and chairs and landscape art created by artists from the Royal Drawing School.

Peninsula is known for its custom-created in-room technology — so get ready to use the bedside tablets (loaded with seven languages) for everything from opening and closing the lavish drapes to turning the lights off and on, setting the thermostat, and even changing television channels. Just remember to turn off the TV before you sink into the Quagliotti linen-dressed bed with a goose-down duvet at the end of the night. There are also plenty of universal plugs and USB-A and C ports tucked discretely into drawers throughout.

The minibar, meanwhile, offers an espresso machine, an electric kettle, a selection of spirits and wines including English sparkling wine from Coates and Seely and a panoply of palate-pleasing sweets and savories from fancy English confectioner Cartwright & Butler.

The expansive bathrooms — tiled in a mix of marble and honey-hued onyx with freestanding tubs as their centerpieces and bespoke skin and hair products created for the hotel by perfumer Timothy Han — feel like palaces of pampering in their own right.

Though if you’re feeling crowded when it comes time for ablutions, the mahogany-paneled closet and dressing area has plenty of mirrors (and a Dyson hairdryer, plus a nail dryer hidden in a drawer) for any last-minute primping.

Food and drink at The Peninsula London

Fancy afternoon tea, casual coffee, drool-worthy dim sum or a high-flying adventure at a Concorde-themed restaurant (admit it, this was definitely missing from your life)? The Peninsula London has you covered.

The Lobby

If you’ve been to the original Peninsula in Hong Kong or its newer sibling the Peninsula Shanghai, you’ll find glimmers of familiarity in The Lobby restaurant at the London outpost … with a few distinctly British touches like hand-painted de Gournay wall decorations depicting London’s Royal Parks.

The light-filled space, anchored by ribbed Portuguese stone pillars and adorned with glossy multicolored marble floors and hand-blown crystal lamps, offers service throughout the day.

The breakfast menu includes full English, Cantonese and health-focused set menus ($56-$62), though there are also a la carte options like hearty shakshuka with poached eggs in a spiced tomato sauce ($36) and avocado over sourdough toast with smoked salmon ($30).

Afternoon tea is an affair unto itself — decadent yet unfussy — with a handsomely plated variety of finger sandwiches, daintily crafted pastries and fluffy scones with clotted cream and artisanal jams, and over 20 types of teas and tisanes on offer ($121 per person) — to which you can add a glass (or bottle) of your sparkling wine of choice.

Canton Blue and Little Blue

Ogle your way through the hotel’s arcade of high-end boutiques and jewelers until you arrive at the entrance — flanked on either side by marble sculptures with lions enthroned atop them — to the hotel’s Chinese fine-dining restaurant, Canton Blue, and its tucked-away cocktail bar, Little Blue.

Inspired by the three-masted Chinese trading junk Keying, which transported goods between China and Britain in the 19th century, the restaurant is filled with historically influenced accents, from the colorful porcelain decorating the semiprivate booths to the backlit ceiling depicting the constellations by which mariners of old navigated the high seas.

Try to get a large group together to take full advantage of the menu, which features a variety of dumplings including soup-filled pork xiao long bao ($20) and steamed lobster with celery and caviar ($10 each), as well as specialties like blue lobster prepared one of two ways — either deep fried with almond, chilis and bean sauce or sauteed with ginger and spring onion ($102) — and wok-fried wagyu tenderloin with garlic and black pepper sauce ($56). The tangy mango pudding ($20) is a creamy yet refreshing way to end the meal.

Be sure to stop for a nightcap (or a predinner aperitif) at the restaurant’s adjacent ground-floor bar, Little Blue.

Sidle up to a stool at the bar, which looks like it’s constructed from vintage luggage with apothecary cabinet-like back paneling, and sample some of the cocktails inspired by the trade routes between Europe and the Far East, like the Kir Royale-inflected, Champagne-based Vintage ($33).

Brooklands by Claude Bosi and Brooklands Bar

Named after the legendary racecourse in Surrey, which was central to British automotive and aviation history, Brooklands is located on the hotel’s top floor. To get there, guests must pass through a corridor off of the lobby that holds both historic racing artifacts and even the nose of the original Concorde jet, then step aboard an elevator decorated to appear like the basket of a hot-air balloon.

Alighting on the top floor, Brooklands Bar to one side is an excellent place to start or end the evening with sweeping views of the London skyline and fabulous aviation-themed cocktails whose strengths are denoted by their “Mach” rating, including the spicy margarita-like Calabria with tequila, habanero syrup, Calabrian pepper, cinnamon and saffron ($33).

Before you head into dinner, take a moment to admire the lattice-work ceiling inspired by 1930s bombers and the chandelier that replicates the blades of a Rolls-Royce airplane engine.

Across a corridor that feels like walking through a plane cabin, complete with backlit windows and overhung by a 46-foot aluminum replica of the Concorde, lies the Michelin two-starred restaurant Brooklands by Claude Bosi. Here, the French-born chef serves tasting menus highlighting seasonal produce and proteins sourced throughout the British Isles and their surrounding seas.

Your meal might start with a lineup of dainty amuse-bouches like coronation chicken liver ice cream with fried onions and Welsh rarebit with cheddar garnished with violet and white flowers.

Starters include delicately seared Cornish squid with artichoke puree, while the mains run the gamut from Lake District lamb with mint to succulent monkfish with Blackmount goat’s cheese in blanquette white stock drizzled with argan oil.

For dessert, be sure to order the house specialty, a medley of British apples prepared in a variety of styles (with a few surprises along the way). The three-course menu starts at $208 per person.

The Peninsula Boutique & Cafe

Located just around the corner from the hotel’s main entrance and adjacent to its driveway on Grosvenor Crescent, the hotel’s cafe offers light bites plus coffee and tea throughout the day, as well as mouthwatering pastries. It’s quite popular, though, so it’s not unusual to see a line at the door.

Amenities and service at The Peninsula London

The Peninsula London boasts a sprawling two-story underground wellness complex that includes a fitness center with Technogym cardio and weight equipment and a huge 25-meter indoor pool and adjacent hydrotherapy pool.

The mosaic walls were tiled to emulate pastoral English scenery and overhead panels simulate the London light throughout the day.

The spa, meanwhile, offers a comprehensive menu of treatments featuring high-end skincare lines like Margy’s Monte Carlo and Australia-based Subtle Energies. Among the signature experiences are a pearl-infused remineralizing body wrap (45 minutes, $151) and the 24-karat E-finger electro-lifting facial (90 minutes, $479). There are separate men’s and women’s locker rooms with steam and sauna facilities.

The hotel also offers several special “Peninsula Academy” experiences tailored to the location including a visit to Bletchley Park, where World War II codebreakers helped the war effort, a private tour of the Brooklands Museum, plus a session in a Concorde simulator and lunch with former Concorde pilots and a private gemology class and viewing of the British Crown Jewels, among others.

The hotel’s shopping arcades include several fine jewelers plus a florist in case you need a bouquet for an unexpected engagement.

Finally, one of the flashiest and yet most accessible amenities is the availability of complimentary car service in the hotel’s flotilla of luxury vehicles, including a Bentley Bentayga, a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a vintage Austin taxi that’s been electrified — all painted in Peninsula’s hallmark jade green — for destinations within a 20-minute drive.

The service I experienced throughout my stay was impeccable. The front desk agents knew me by name from the moment of my arrival and would ask me about my day, if I needed any arrangements and if there was anything they could do to improve my stay anytime I passed by. Requests for ice and various other amenities to be brought to the room were fulfilled within 15 minutes at most.

Upon asking whether I could see the spa facilities, one of the receptionists gave me a detailed personal tour. The waitstaff at each of the bars and restaurants seemed delighted to walk me through menu options, explain the provenance of certain ingredients or the inspiration behind various cocktails and asked, without fail, if they could do anything to improve my experience. In short, I felt taken care of but not coddled.

Out and about

You don’t have to take advantage of the Peninsula’s fleet of chauffeured vehicles to reach many of London’s museums and other sites quickly.

Hyde Park is a mere block away, and Buckingham Palace is a 10-minute walk. Major museums like the Victoria and Albert and the Natural History Museum take just 20 minutes to reach by foot, while Harrod’s and Harvey Nichols sit along the way if shopping is your main objective.

Accessibility at The Peninsula London

The hotel is a new building, so it has all the up-to-date accessibility features required by law. All public areas are wheelchair-accessible thanks to wide hallways, wheelchair-friendly elevators and no-step entrances, and guests wishing to enjoy the pool can make use of a movable hoist with help from the staff.

There are eight accessible Deluxe and Premier rooms and two accessible Deluxe suites with features like roll-in showers with seats and grab bars, raised toilets with grab bars and other items such as vibrating and visual alarms available upon request. As always, be sure to contact the hotel directly to secure a room that meets your requirements.

Checking out

The product of decades of planning and over a billion dollars of investment, The Peninsula London was well worth the wait. Its guest rooms and suites are among the largest (and most expensive) in the city, while the hotel’s other amenities, including its soaring subterranean spa and the aviation- and racing-inspired Brooklands Bar and Restaurant, not to mention the sumptuous Cantonese cuisine at Canton Blue, all make the hotel feel like a destination unto itself.

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