PAMELA HOEY
A trip to historic London is always a pleasure, but what if you could choose which era of history to visit? had just that chance
HAVE you ever been asked: If you could live in any time in history when would you choose? When you have aeons to choose from, it could be a difficult question to answer. Not for me, though. I have always loved the 1920s.
That whole art deco period. The clothes, the architecture, the design. I would have had to be rich, though, obviously. The finer things in life come at a price.
I would have been driving around with the county set in my Bugatti, a bit like Isadora Duncan, but without the unfortunate scarf- related incident.
So when I was asked if I would like to visit an art deco hotel in the centre of London, I jumped at the chance.
The Sheraton Grand London on Park Lane has had a multi- million pound makeover to take it back to it glory days of the 1920s.
Streamlining has been reintroduced with many of the original fixtures being revamped or reproduced, adding to the glamour of the building. Chrome and lacquered wood is the order of the day.
I stayed in a Club room. When I say room it was almost a suite. With its massive wet room and walk- in wardrobe, it was a luxurious base for my trip to the capital.
A nice touch was the Handy device – a bit like an iPod but with access to free WiFi – which you can take with you as you explore the city. Handy also allows you to make free calls to all local numbers, plus five selected international countries.
Leaving my room, which was a bit of a wrench – it really was that plush – the hotel is perfectly situated for a London break. Halfway between Green Park and Marble Arch tube stations, the capital is on your doorstep.
By foot, a stroll along Picadilly takes you past that other famous hotel The Ritz to Picadilly Circus, leading to Regent Street and Oxford Street and then into the West End’s theatreland or in the other direction there’s Marble Arch, then on to Knightsbridge and all that shopping.
Across the road is Green Park, a walk through which will take you to Buckingham Palace. Did you know that the area Green Park takes up was originally a leper cemetery? How lovely for the Royal Family to have that to look out on.
If reading is your thing there’s a fantastic bookshop just behind the hotel. Heywood Hill is on Curzon Street and is known for one of its famous employees, Nancy Mitford. She was one of the infamous Mitford sisters ( not the one that married Oswald Mosley).
She wrote Love in a Cold Climate and worked at the shop, making it the centre of the social and literary scene during the 1940s.
If walking is not your thing, try an Afternoon Tea Bus Tour. Sit back and watch the sites go past on an old London Routemaster bus.
I must admit eating lovely pastries and delicate sandwiches as we drove past the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and The Royal Albert Hall among others, definitely made the whole sightseeing thing a far more pleasurable experience, and was better on the knees.
But there’s plenty to keep you entertained back at the hotel. By staying in a Club room you not only enjoy a full buffet breakfast, but you also have access to a fully equipped gym as well as entry to the Club Lounge where you can have complimentary tea and coffee, and even enjoy afternoon tea.
There’s a pub on site, the Smith & Whistle, which serves craft beers and British wines as well as bar food.
There are also three places to eat, The Palm Court ( English cuisine and afternoon tea), Mercante ( Italian food and buffet breakfast), and Caffe Musetti.
This is definitely the place to stay for a special occasion, as it offers guests the chance to really sample life in the Roaring Twenties with the services of a bar tender for up to two hours.
They’ll ask you which spirits you like and then tailor a list of cocktails just for you. I recommend the mint julep.
The hotel first opened its doors at the height of ‘ The Golden Age of Cocktails’ and was popular with the bright young things of the time.
Apparently there’s an etiquette to the drinking of cocktails.
Did you know that until the 1970s ladies wore gloves much of the time and while it was fine to sip a cocktail wearing gloves it was polite to remove them at mealtimes? Me neither. Gentlemen had to remove their hats, of course.
In the Palm Court to the front of the hotel, there’s a cocktail timetable for you to dip into.
Midday is the Mint Julep, 2pm the Classic Champagne Cocktail, 5pm the Carolina Plantation Bracer, 6pm The Colonial Cooler, 7.30pm The Americano, 9pm the Martini and The Sazerac brings a rather boozy day to a close at midnight.
After all that it’s a relief to have a fabulous room to return to and a super king- size bed to envelop you ready for a night’s sleep.
All in all, the Sheraton Grand Hotel was everything I’d hoped life in the Twenties would be. The glamour and sophistication of the place shines through.
I’ve been called a bit of a flapper. Well, I think that’s what they said.
Now where did I park my Bugatti?