Hotel of the week

WHERE AND WHY:

Within walking distance of St Paul’s Cathedral and Borough Market, as well as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and just a five-minute stroll to Southwark Tube station, this vibrant five-star hotel is ideal for some capital sightseeing.

Staff were welcoming and friendly, even offering to take our bags to our King One Bedroom Suite, one of 292 rooms. The spacious suite came with a kingsize bed, sofa, desk and coffee machine, while the bathroom had both a walk-in shower and a luxurious deep bath, along with Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries.

With this suite came access to the stylish Executive Lounge. Complete with Chesterfield sofas, wall art and shelves filled with books, it’s the perfect place to relax over a light evening meal, or to enjoy an aperitif before heading out for the night.

ON THE MENU:

Seated in one of the comfy booths in The Distillery Bar, we began with shared starters, one of grilled flatbreads with prawns, avocado, pickled baby beetroot and rocket salad, and the other of smoked haddock croquettes, which proved a delicious combination (£12 each). For my main course I chose cod fillet with a spring vegetable broth, new season potatoes and smoked paprika which was light and tasty (£28).

Although not a great meat-eater, after sampling my daughter’s perfectly grilled sirloin steak, I could understand why it was the chef’s recommendation (£40). A dessert of sorbet for me (£6) and raspberry cheesecake for my daughter (£9) rounded the meal off nicely.

The buffet-style breakfast in the OXBO restaurant offered a vast choice, from cookedto-order omelettes to hams and cheeses.

WHILE YOU’RE THERE:

On an exceptionally hot day, we couldn’t resist cooling off in the hotel’s inviting 17-metre pool and Jacuzzi. A visit to the Tate Modern housed in the former Bankside Power Station – only a couple of minutes’ walk away – was a must for my art student daughter. Later on in the evening we headed over to the Millennium Bridge, to view some quirky artwork by artist Ben Wilson who paints pictures on discarded chewing gum trodden into the wobbly bridge. Moving on from the mesmerising gum miniatures we ended the night admiring the architectural splendour of St Paul’s Cathedral.

WAKE-UP CALL:

Rooms from £219 a night, suites from £450. hilton.com