WHAT’S IT LIKE? No 11 London occupies three 19th-century, terraced, redbrick houses that have been converted into a hotel and private members’ club. Much of the property has been refurbished and redesigned in the last three years by owner Paul Davies, although some of the bedrooms are being kept the same for loyal guests who like it the way it used to be (extremely chintzy).
The property is a maze of corridors, staircases and secret elevators with dark wood panelling, creaky floorboards, heavy velvet drapes and dim lighting. I took the liberty of leafing through the guest book on the ground floor and read some of the comments: “Gothic meets deco”, said one person; “Dark, dramatic and desirable”, said another.
Hotel guests get the same benefits and access to facilities as members do, except members also enjoy a 15 per cent discount on room rates, get priority booking and 20 per cent off meeting venue hire. One year’s membership costs £600.
WHERE IS IT? The property is discrete so easy to miss if you are not careful, although the Union Jack flag hanging down outside helps. It’s on Cadogan Gardens, a five-minute walk from Sloane Square tube station – follow the sign for 2-4 Cadogan Gardens.
ROOM FACILTIES There is no doubt in my mind that the revamp of the hotel has been a vast improvement – two of the rooms that I saw that have not been redone were not only cramped, with tiny bathrooms, but had matching floral wallpaper and bedspreads, and “granny” lampshades, all of which felt rather depressing.
While the new-style rooms, all of which are individually designed, have been brought into the 21st century with flatscreen TVs and slick marble bathrooms with rainshowers, robes and Molten Brown toiletries, they still have an opulent English flavour about them – my ground-floor suite was festooned in gold velvet curtains and drapes, had a four-poster bed, heavy antique furniture, and low lighting (so low in fact that it was hard to read by).
There was also a minibar stocked with an array of drinks, although the fridge wasn’t on so they weren’t cold. A 330ml Coke was £4, beer (330ml) was £6 and 5cl of gin was £5. A big basket of snacks sat on top of the fridge, perfect for any midnight feast, and these included big 150g bags of Kettle Chips (£3.50), a 100g bar of Green and Black’s chocolate (£4) and a large pack of Wine Gums (£3.50). As there was no bottle opener to hand, I had to go to reception to ask for one.
Free wired and wifi internet access is available, and a daily paper of your choice is provided.
HOW MANY ROOMS? There are 60 individually designed rooms and suites of varying sizes and dimensions across four levels (all except the lower ground floor), plus four apartments.
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS The contemporary marble bathroom with twin sinks, rainshower and deep bath, and the free internet access.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS The dimly lit bar is on the ground floor and features lots of dark wood, red plastic designer light fittings, crimson velvet armchairs, low tables and a marble-top bar with rows of multi-coloured bottles lined up on shelves in front of a mirrored wall. It’s best to come here in the evening when it’s much more atmospheric and cosy, as in the day, as with the rest of the hotel, it’s so dark that you would probably feel guilty about not being in the sunlight, especially in summer. Although the opening hours are officially 11am-11pm, if guests or members want a late-night drink (cocktails excepted), a member of staff will be happy to serve you.
The lower ground-floor restaurant occupies a series of interconnecting rooms, and the walls are adorned with hundreds of black and white framed paparazzi prints from owner and designer Paul Davies’ collection. It’s a nice touch that gives the venue a kind of “bistro” feel, although I thought the placement of some of the more risqué photos was rather badly thought-out – there was one of a naked man at eye level very close to where a diner would be sitting. A nice bit of eye-candy for some, but if you are taking your mum out for dinner, it might not go down so well. However, the images make for an entertaining game of “guess who?” when the restaurant is as quiet as it was when I was there – among the movie stars and celebrities I even managed to identify Edith Massey, the grotesquely obese “Egg Lady” from John Water’s 1972 movie Pink Flamingos.
The eatery promises fine dining, but my experiences of it were disappointing. When I had dinner there on a Friday night, my companion and I were the only ones there, bar a slightly edgy waiter who stood around watching us between taking orders and bringing out the food, which was rather disconcerting.
The à la carte menu has five starters, seven mains and six desserts on it to choose from, so was quite limited, especially for me as a vegetarian as there was only one choice for the main. (However, the website does state that if you have any dietary requirements you can phone ahead and warn them in advance.) Lunch is served 12pm-2.30pm and dinner is 7pm-10.30pm.
I ordered the glazed goat’s cheese with pickled beetroot, slow-roasted tomato and balsamic reduction (£14) to start – this came on a small bed of rocket and lamb’s lettuce, and all in all was quite dry and uninspiring. The cheese was not “glazed” either. The main was a roast vegetable Wellington with creamed potato and tomato fondue – a dish I have never had before and that was actually very tasty.
My only criticism was that the portion was too small, and there were no side dishes to choose from to accompany it. I also felt that £20 was a lot to charge for a meat-free dish such as this
My companion had the pan-fried wild Scottish halibut wrapped in Parma ham with English pea and watercress mousse, and fennel purée (£24). While he said the fish was well cooked, he though the Parma ham was a mistake as the flavour of it completely overpowered the halibut.
Breakfast is also served in the restaurant, from 6.30am-10.30am (11am at the weekend). There is a choice of à la carte dishes for £8 and a buffet – a continental breakfast with freshly squeezed juice, bread and pastries, cereal, fruit, yogurt, cold meat and cheese, and tea or coffee is £15. As in the evening, tables are laid with a white cloth, silver cutlery and silver salt/pepper pots, and hot drinks are brought over by a waiter or waitress.
When I got up to help myself to an orange juice from the buffet in the adjacent room, I discovered there was none left (it was 10.15am on a Saturday morning). I also noticed that the platter of smoked salmon looked dry, and the slices of cheese sweaty. All in all, what was left of the spread looked very unappetising.
Once back at the table, I asked for a glass of juice and was promptly brought one. After ordering my breakfast – a cheese and spinach omelette with a round of brown toast – I couldn’t help but overhear the family at the next table complaining, firstly, that their kippers were frozen in the middle and, secondly, that their young son had come back with a bowl of cereal from the buffet that had a big clump of dust in it.
After a 15-minute wait, my companion’s eggs Benedict arrived. Eight minutes later my omelette was placed in front of me. Another eight minutes later, after mentioning it to the waitress, my toast arrived – it was more dry bread that toast, but I didn’t think it was worth complaining. Had the restaurant been busy, I would have understood the delay, but seeing as there was a total of seven people in there – all of whom were already eating, I couldn’t really see a reason why. For the price, I would expect much higher standards of service and quality.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES Members get a 20 per cent discount on meeting room hire and there are 12 spaces to choose from. The restaurant has the biggest capacity (100 people standing), while the bar can accommodate up to 60. There is also a number of smaller, more intimate venues such the Murano room, ideal for board meetings of up to 20 delegates, and the Louis XV conservatory and terrace for eight people – this one is particularly unusual, with mirrored glass walls, lots of gold and a white piano.
The ground floor drawing room is very inviting, with a roaring fire, rugs, heavy settees and dark wood furniture. Members and guests have access to free wifi internet access in the public areas, 24 hours a day. There is no business centre but there is a PC in a private booth opposite the reception desk that is free to use.
LEISURE FACILITIES There is gym on the lower ground floor and has a good range of equipment including free weights up to 26kg, Technogym machines, mirrored walls, natural daylight, parquet flooring and surround-sound music (unless you request not to have it). Adjacent is a relaxation room, and connected to here is a corridor with three small treatment rooms (still being fitted out when I visited but set for completion by the summer), and men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers and steam rooms. Guests and members can gain access to the facilities 24 hours a day but will need to request a massage about 30 minutes in advance.
VERDICT A cosy, characterful and opulent hideout in a prime London location, a few minutes’ walk from Sloane Square. There are plenty of quirky spaces to choose from for smaller meetings, interviews or photo-shoots. It’s not cheap, but members do get a discount.
PRICE Internet rates for a midweek stay in April started from £294 for a double room.
CONTACT No 11 London, 11 Cadogan Gardens, Knightsbridge, London; tel +44 (0)20 7730 700; no11london.com
Jenny Southan
