But the fun doesn’t stop there. When you exit out on to the side (Down) street you have just a few steps to go to a subculture of charming, off-the-beaten-track restaurants. Had I gone the more traditional tourist path out the front door and down towards Piccadilly, I’d not have discovered this treasure trove of small and ethnically diverse restaurants and cafes.
Tapas are the rage especially in London and El Pirata is one of its most authentic ones. It is literally just a few doors down from the Athenaeum’s apartments and offers both tapas and an a la carte menu with a wide selection of traditional and contemporary Spanish dishes.
The setting is modern and El Pirata is also an ideal place to have drinks.Tapas are affordable if you want to nibble (and have some discipline). They offer cold and hot tapas with favorites like jamón serrano and other cured Iberian meats (Spanish sausage, salchichon) as well as all manner of seafood, cheeses and olives.
Continuing into the maze of Mayfair back streets we came across a charming, though truly idiosyncratic little restaurant called L’Autre. Like us, you’d be forgiven for assuming at first glance that this place would be serving French cuisine, but the name L’Autre is as French as it gets. Look closer and you’ll see that it advertises itself as serving “Polish/Mexican Food.” Step inside and you’ll find yourself in a quaint, but charming, shoe-box of a place, whose walls are adorned with photos of Greta Garbo and whose shelves are jam-packed with a hodge podge of antiques, midst unknown bottles of vodka and other (presumably) Polish liqueurs.
We both opted for Polish dishes-possibly because that side of the menu appeared more interesting than the Tex Mex side. There’s something about the lure of food with names like pojarskis and pierogis, borscht and golonka. The food was wonderful, the wine list small, but well considered, and the service good. We asked the waitress to explain how the Polish/Mexican combination came about but she wasn’t that forthcoming—I suspect because just about everyone that goes there asks the same question. The final bill was, for Mayfair that is, extremely reasonable.
Between L’Autre and El Pirata, on the corner of Hertford Street, Mayfair, is another good eating place called Prezzo. Prezzo is one of three such Italian restaurants in London, and one of many that have, since 2000, opened up in the southern counties of England. However, despite its chain standing, the menu is of antipasti, flame-roasted chicken, and a selection of speciality dishes (in addition to an impressive selection of pasta and pizzas), is not only appealing but well worth the price. Prezzo, Mayfair provides relatively authentic Italian food in a large, stylishly decorated setting. The staff were genuinely friendly and supportive—it’s a good place for an informal lunch or dinner.
If you wish to get a fix of traditional London, you can easily walk to Piccadilly from the Athenaeum. Be sure to take tea at The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly (www.thewolseley.com) an elegant but unpretentious tearoom described in a recent NYTimes article as having the ambiance of “a Viennese grand cafe.” It’s a great spot to have an anytime snack, people watch and rest your feet if you’ve overdone the sightseeing.
Service can easily make or break a stay at a hotel/apartment. Across the board, the Athenaeum crew were professional and sincere. I was amazed at their diversity of cultures, but, as I was told by a hotel concierge some time back, “No one who works for a hotel in London is from London.” What I was more amazed was how each one had the same consistent polish, professionalism and courtesy. Several shared stories about their careers when asked, and most had said they were with the hotel for many years—some for over 20. A brief visit with the manager reveals this to be typical of the Athenaeum and, indeed, unusual in the hotel business.
Conde Nast readers described staying in the recently renovated apartments as “like living in a little London townhouse but with the services of a hotel.” The readers also gave the Athenaeum high marks for location, service and design. Over 40% of the hotel’s visitors are regular visitors. There’s that consistency again.
The hotel is a member of The Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Many rooms have a stunning view overlooking Green Park towards Westminster and beyond. The hotel and apartments are just five tube stops to the City. Victoria Station, which takes you to Gatwick Airport, is a quick cab ride or brisk walk away.
Also within a few minutes by taxi are Harrods, Covent Garden, Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. You can walk to Buckingham Palace, The Royal Academy, Bond Street, Green Park, Shepherds Market, Piccadilly Circus, and the Theatre District.
The hotel is across the street from Green Park which is crisscrossed with walking and jogging paths. The adjoining Hyde Park has horseback riding stables. The Serpentine Lake, also in Hyde Park, is a beautiful place to go boating on a summer's day.
There are also four private function rooms within the hotel fully equipped with modern conferencing facilities and the hotel holds a wedding license so a full service can be held there. Guests can fill in a detailed questionnaire about their particular preferences so that staff can be prepared when the guests return to the Athenaeum. This allows the hotel to make special arrangements for regular guests without needing to be asked and provides guests with the ultimate in personalized service.
Louise Bruderle |
Soon, Americans will be en masse on vacation. A recent article in USAToday stated that the “old standbys” — London, Paris and Rome— are popular again and that flights are being heavily booked for the summer. We take our paltry vacations seriously here. Apparently high fuel prices and a so-so dollar won’t stop us.
But are there values out there — with values redefined as in switching from a hotel room to an apartment? I had stayed in the latter years ago in my penny-counting twenties, thinking it would also be a good way to experience London up close. My Kensington flat was smallish and a tad noisy, but convenient for getting just about anywhere in the city. Would I do it again? No—unless it was more spacious, better run and with some hotel-like amenities. Well, age does have that effect, I guess.
Travelers talk budget and value but what they really want is choice. An apartment offers that in obvious ways as in the freedom to make coffee or a snack any time you wish. And, if you’re traveling with kids, they can watch TV and adults can vacation even if it means being in the other room for some peace and quiet. A few years back I spoke to an American couple who were traveling in England with their three children. They had tried the push-the-cot-into-the room routine and found it unsatisfactory. Plus, the cost of kids eating breakfast and lunch in restaurants in Europe had cost them a bomb. They switched to an apartment which, I sensed reduced not just their bills, but their stress level. Families of all generations can keep their sanity with more space and a few amenities—and there’s no price one can put on that.
A recent issue of the London newspaper The Telegraph touted a phenomenon called an “aparthotel” which offers “self-catering apartments as well as the facilities of a more traditional hotel.”
The Athenaeum hotel and apartments in London is one such creature and came recommended by friends in Sarasota—actually British acquaintances here who had a family dinner there and praised the service. A quick read at Tripadvisor.com revealed a strange phenomenon: most of the comments were positive. (I have mixed feelings about Tripadvisor because I always choose places with frustratingly contradictory mixed reviews.)
I do read Conde Nast Traveler Magazine’s recommendations and saw that the Athenaeum was voted as a top London hotel for 2006— the fifth year that its has received this accolade and made it to the mag’s Gold List. We Americans like consistency, as most everyone else does, and if you’re going to trudge 4400 miles and spend a chunk of greenbacks you don’t want to be horribly disappointed.
As mentioned earlier, The Athenaeum is an unusual bird in that it has both hotel rooms and apartments. At first blush their location suggests it might be on a very hectic street: it is—Piccadilly the road runs right in front and into the heart of Piccadilly Circus. But inside, it’s amazingly quiet mainly because the hotel and apartments sit across from Green Park.
The Athenaeum is a smaller hotel (111 rooms and 12 suites) but one with a spa, salon, fitness center and dining rooms. The apartments are actually separate from the hotel but just a few doors down on the same street. The apartments would remind anyone who has lived in the northeast of a two-story walkup. In London, that translates into a charming building with a brick exterior and high ceilings and lots of wood trim inside. We had a choice of what they called Classic British Collection and the Modern British Collection and we had the former.
Enter and pass through a marble checkerboard hallway and up a winding flight of stairs leads you to a front-to-back unit. Spacious is the operative word. You enter into a large living area with a fireplace, sofa arrangement and, off to one side is a desk. On the opposite side in an alcove is a dining area. Carved out of a back wall was an ultra modern kitchen that I’d be hard-pressed to list anything it lacked. It had a fridge, washer, microwave oven, stove, coffeemaker, kitchen supplies and enough goodies to make you stay in.
The style might a la British manor house, but not the kind where you’re afraid to sit on anything. The dark yellow and baby blue bedroom looked like Jane Austen’s (had she sold quite a few more books) and was very elegant. Rounding it off was a large marble bath/shower combo (just what we Americans like) replete with bathrobes. There are also the accoutrements one never packs, but likes to have: hair dryer and ironing board.
Internet access at hotels these days is both inconsistent and varying. I have found everyone sets it up differently from nothing at all to a communal computer, to a dedicated room where one can pay to log on (at hefty charges). The Athenaeum seems to be ahead of the curve in that they offer internet access via the behemoth Bang and Olufsen plasma TV that dominates one wall of the living room. It’s an amazing amenity as the TV is connected to a film library, games, the web and email. Families with kids will love it. The Classic British Collection apartments include sofa beds if needed. Three apartments within the Modern British Collection have been completely redesigned in a contemporary style – a family-style apartment, a traditional luxurious apartment and a modern high-tech apartment—for those wanting something more modern looking.
 In addition to the spacious apartment, guests have access to all the hotel’s amenities. This includes a spa in the hotel’s lower level. Spa treatments include an enzymatic sea mud body wrap, body exfoliations and auto bronzing. The modern gym is open 24 hours and guests can relax in the sauna and steam rooms. In keeping with the hotel name, the spa has a very classic (as in ancient Greece) look to it with its large tiled Jacuzzi. For those who prefer the fresh air, staff offer detailed maps of all the jogging routes through nearby parks.
The apartments all have daily maid service and yes, they even wash the dishes if you don’t. I found a little convenience store a few doors down and was able to stock up on milk, water and sodas as well as international newspapers.
Dining Out
• L’ Autre 5B Shepherd Street, Mayfair,
• Prezzo, 17 Hertford Street, Mayfair, Prezzo serve a variety of authentic Italian dishes at their restaurant and can cater for private parties upon request.
• El Pirata, 5-6 Down Street, Mayfair, www.elpirata.co.uk
• The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly
http://www.thewolseley.com
The Athenaeum Hotel and Apartments
116 Piccadilly, London
800-335-3300
www.athenaeumhotel.com
Special Promotions:
The Athenaeum Hotel and Apartments are continuing their popular £ for $ rate. This special rate represents a savings of more than 40% off the hotel’s most popular room categories. Travelers booking a stay during August will receive a guaranteed upgrade. Therefore, book a traditional guestroom and get bumped to an executive; book an executive guestroom and be upgraded to a parkview and book any category of suite (parkview or studio) and be accommodated in one of the hotel’s Classic British Collection apartments. 
Under the £ for $ rate – valid weekdays as well as weekends — a traditional guestroom that usually cost £295 is now $295; an executive guestroom costing £350 is now $350; a Parkview room costing £395 is now $395; and suites that usually are £500 are now $500. These special rates are subject to availability, based on double occupancy and exclusive of taxes.
The hotel carried out renovations earlier this year, redesigning the ground floor and incorporating the lobby, lounge, restaurant and bar. The transformation is set to “evoke a sense of unadulterated luxury, contemporary glamour and cosseted comfort” according to an advance that we received. The restaurant will have a contemporary, essentially English menu.
For reservations, contact the Athenaeum Hotel and Apartments direct at 800-335-3300 and ask for the £ for $. Further information can be obtained at the hotel’s web site at www.athenaeumhotel.com.
The hotel’s e-mail address is info@athenaeumhotel.com
Apartment Descriptions:
• Classic British Collection— This collection of 19 apartments are designed in a classically British style with plush furnishings, traditional wall-coverings and fabric from British interior design stalwarts such as Colefax and Fowler, Osbourne & Little and Nina Campbell.
• Modern British Collection— This collection of 11 apartments are all individual and unique. Their décor ranges from cool contemporary to sumptuously seductive.
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