Savoy Hotel London
To be honest this was on my wish list to so how lovely that we got to do it. First we were picked up from Victoria Station by Rachel Peer - London Cabbie and Tour Guide - she was in on the surprise the next day!! It was so lovely to have a cab waiting for you and not to worry about getting there, she had my name on the front, so we were whisked to the Savoy in a brand new Black Cab .
On arrival to the gleaming Art Deco designed hotel, our cab door was opened and we entered through the revolving wooden doors into the stunning lobby. We were quickly shown each area, before going through to check in.
The check in was a lovely experience and they upgraded us to a Junior Suite, obviously we were delighted and they also changed our time for dinner which was great too.
Our room was on the first floor, and we had our own door bell - which I found amusing as I've never had one of those before. We were shown into an entrance, then to a beautiful room. There was an Art Deco feel to the bathroom, with black and white tiles and silver fittings - all just gorgeous. We had lovely robes, slippers, and they had made a lovely cake for my friend - but I did manage to have a bit of it! We both immediately said that we felt comfortable and very at home - which is a lovely feeling to have in a hotel - almost wrapped in a lovely bubble, safe from the hustle of outside London.
We then met up with the Entertainments Manager in the American Bar, which is Number 2 in the world at the moment. We had a couple of wonderful cocktails, and the bar was buzzing with people coming and going. As you walk in to the bar you see photos of all the famous people that have stayed there, and you realise what an amazing hotel it is.
We had dinner in Kaspers Fish Restaurant, enjoying a wonderful three course meal while all dressed up. The flavours of the meal were very cleverly put together, and the dessert was amazing - again a really lovely experience with amazing service.
We then went up to our room and had a great night's sleep. We were looking forward to breakfast, and it didn't disappoint. The dining room was beautiful, and we had a full English breakfast, and then pastries, coffee, tea - whatever we wanted!
The wonderful thing about the hotel is its location, just across the road from Covent Garden. We shot across the road to do some retail therapy before checking out of the hotel at midday. I would really recommend this hotel to anyone who really wants a special treat; special birthday, anniversary - you won't be disappointed. It's not cheap by any means but it's not an every day experience, but it's one that will always stay with you - and that is priceless. I could have done with 2 nights!
For my next surprise I had Rachel the Tour Guide pick us up to give a privae guided tour of London through her eyes. Wow - did we see it in a different way! A wonderful touch was she had brought a couple of gin and tonics for us, as she knew we liked them.
She showed us different areas of London, and would stop the cab and show us some names of roads, why they were called them, what type of people lived in the area. Also we saw where Christopher Wren designed St Paul's in a little pub down the side near St Paul's where there is a plaque in the wall. We got out the cab and Rachel told us all about it - and we felt connected to London. It's taken Rachel nearly four years to learn all about London and her passion for the city shines through.
If you want a very different experience of London, I would really recommend her - she is also a lovely person with a great sense of humour. She can tailor the tours to suit you and your friends; so if they like art or culture, Rachel will adapt it for you - it's a wonderful experience.
My friend has never been on the Thames so Rachel dropped us off and we got a boat down the Thames to St Katherine's dock and back. It was another great experience, this time from the water - there are so many fab things to do in London.
We got out of the boat, walked across the road and suddenly my friend said, Come on Trace we are off to Victoria Station in a rickshaw. Well it was so funny - this poor man peddling like mad with two ladies and two lots of luggage delivered us outside Victoria Station.
So we had done the train, a Black Cab, a boat, and a rickshaw - now that's the way to travel. Please contact me if you fancy doing the same and I can make your dreams happen.