LONDON
For Affordable Luxury – Ruby Lucy, Southbank
Enjoying a prime position on the Southbank’s Lower Marsh, Ruby Hotels’ first UK property in London, Ruby Lucy, is ideal for an affordable city staycation. With interiors inspired by the area’s bustling fairs and markets, entertainment and theatre scene, the hotel is a fun and vibrant bolthole within easy reach of London’s top sights.
Ruby Lucy was launched with Ruby Hotels’‘Lean Luxury’ philosophy; a disruptor to the hospitality industry by providing guests with a five-star room in a prime central city location, for the price of a budget hotel. All guest rooms showcase Ruby Hotels’ sleep-scientist-approved formula, including full soundproofing and blackout curtains, and enjoy quirky touches and cutting-edge technology, such as a Marshall guitar amp and a personal tablet PC preloaded with a carefully-curated London city guide.
Nightly rates at Ruby Lucy start from £119 per night. For more information please visit www.ruby-hotels.com.
A Classy Central Escape – Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, Marylebone
This five-star hotel overlooks leafy Portman Square and has Marylebone’s stylish independent boutiques, fashionable restaurants, local cafes and restaurants on its doorstep, whilst also being very close to some of London’s most popular parks and sites.
With a focus on the domestic and family market, the hotel’s new two-bedroom suites and family rooms offer spacious accommodation with enviable views, and with the option to upgrade to the “Mini Marylebone Package” for kids’ amenities and activities; ideal for families wanting to benefit from the hotel’s central city location.
For the adults, there’s the recently unveiled Pop-Up Summer Terrace at The Churchill for alfresco evenings, and the brand-new menu launch at the renowned Churchill Bar & Terrace – both promising to whet your appetite with impressive menus. Decked out in a nautical theme and evoking the nostalgic charm of seaside towns, the Pop-Up Summer Terrace offers a menu bursting with fresh seafood, sourced directly from the English coast, including Whitstable Oysters, Lobster & Fries and English Burrata served with Isle of Wight Tomatoes, to be washed down with a chilled glass of wine or the not-to-be-missed signature cocktail, the whisky-based Churchill’s Tot. Alternatively, The Churchill Bar & Terrace’s new World of Wanderlust menu has been inspired by the bar team’s own travel experiences, and is both a celebration of London reopening and an inspiration for travellers with itchy feet.
Nightly rates start from £218, room only. To make a reservation, please email lonch-rfp@hyatt.com.
The World of Wanderlust menu is available from 17th May onwards. For booking, please visit https://www.thechurchillbar.co.uk/.
For City Lovers and Culture Vultures – DUKES LONDON, St James’s
A country house in the heart of London, with Green Park and St James’s Park as its back garden, DUKES LONDON’s Victorian exterior evokes a time when artists and writers rubbed shoulders with royalty in fashionable St. James, London. Upstairs you’ll find elegant rooms and suites with antique furnishings coupled with the latest technology. Downstairs is home to Great British Restaurant (GBR) serving up seasonal British cuisine, and the DUKES Bar, famous world-over for its Martinis.
DUKES LONDON is delighted to announce its reopening on 17th May – with an incredible offer to welcome back loyal guests and first-timers alike, a revamped British-focused menu at GBR (Great British Restaurant) and, for the first time ever, Afternoon Teas that can be booked in advance and enjoyed al fresco in the local parks.
GBR (Great British Restaurant) proudly reopens with a renewed focus on dishes with British provenance, including a brand new selection of classic pies, which change daily and include Fish Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Lancashire Hotpot, Steak & Kidney Pudding and Butternut Squash with spinach, cheese and walnuts. Other classic British dishes include Cullen Skink, River Fowey mussels, Blackbrow Pork and more. GBR will be open Tuesday–Saturday (and every day for breakfast).
Nightly rates at DUKES LONDON in a DUKES room start from £350 inclusive of VAT and breakfast. For more information please call 020 7491 4840 or visit www.dukeshotel.com
BATH
For Wellness Gurus – The Gainsborough Bath Spa
After the year we’ve had, many of us will be seeking true rest and relaxation for our first post-lockdown break. As the only hotel in the country with access to Bath’s natural thermal waters, there’s no better place to restore body and mind than The Gainsborough Bath Spa. In the heart of Bath, the hotel and its award-winning spa is a true wellness sanctuary and is ideally located for guests to explore the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage City.
Nightly rates at The Gainsborough Bath Spa start from £290 on a room-only basis.
Adjacent to The Gainsborough Bath Spa, The Townhouse is an elegant Georgian property that combines the space of a private home with the luxury services of the five-star hotel and its world-class team. With three bedrooms, sleeping up to five, guests of The Townhouse can look forward to unrivalled exclusive access to The Cross Bath, an official sacred site where Celts once revered their Goddess Sulis, in whose honour the Romans named the spa town, Aquae Sulis. Today, it offers an intimate open-air bath where Townhouse guests can enjoy natural thermal waters cascading from the spring and specially commissioned poolside fountain.
Nightly rates at The Townhouse at The Gainsborough Bath Spa are subject to length of stay and start from £765 per weeknight and £995 per weekend night, with a minimum two-night stay required over summer weekends.
BRAY
For Countryside Lovers- Monkey Island Estate, Bray
Situated on a picturesque private island on the River Thames in the historic village of Bray, Monkey Island Estate is the ultimate destination for those in need of a peaceful countryside escape this spring and summer. Set across seven acres, guests can look forward to making the most of the outdoors as the seasons change with sunnier days ahead. From sunset cruises down the Thames, balmy evenings star-gazing by the island’s very own Shepherd’s Hideaway, wanders through the estate’s grounds and herb gardens, scenic picnics, hikes or bike rides and of course unwinding with invigorating treatments on the bespoke Floating Spa Barge.
Nightly rates at Monkey Island Estate start from £275, per room, per night in a Temple Room.
In addition to the island hotel, guests have the choice of charming period accommodation in six beautiful Private Residences at Monkey Island Estate. Blending the classic style and the warmth of a period home with contemporary and luxury comfort, each residence has its own intriguing history having played host to the likes of composer Edward Elgar, Formula One racing legend, Sir Stirling Moss and Sylvia Anderson, the creator of Thunderbirds. From the riverside four-bedroom Long White Cloud, with private pool, garden and jetty to the bijou Bray House, each residence offers something unique and all stays can be tailored, with additional services from private chefs to set up summer barbeques to children’s treasure hunts, no ask is too great.
Nightly rates are from the following prices and are subject to length of stay and a minimum three-night stay is required at all residences over summer weekends: Sundial Cottage from £1,250; Brook House from £1,500; Long White Cloud from £1,400; Bray House from £1,250; Dormer Cottage from £400 and Lavender House from £1,000.
HERTFORDSHIRE
For City Dwellers Wanting a Break – The Grove, Hertfordshire
The Grove, London’s country estate, is set within 300 acres of rolling Hertfordshire countryside and offers the ultimate five-star retreat for couples, friends and families alike, just 18 miles from central London.
The Grove will unveil the results of an extensive renovation project when the hotel relaunches on 17th May 2021, offering guests a transformed experience, and marking the start of a new era for the country retreat. The complete redesign has been masterminded by award-winning interiors studio, Martin Hulbert Design, and represents a significant investment for The Grove over the past two years and has been completed during lockdown.
With its ample outdoor space, the hotel is ideal for a UK family holiday, with a host of activities on offer – including Football Escapes camps, archery, junior golf camps, forest camps, Segway tours, woodland hawking walks, archery, laser shooting, cycling and lots more. This summer, Ralph’s Beach, The Grove’s very own sandy suntrap, will welcome a Jude’s ice cream pop up, serving up a delicious range of flavours, including gin & tonic and coconut.
Nightly rates at The Grove start from £370 for a Classic Room, on a room-only basis. For more information or to book please visit www.thegrove.co.uk or call 01923 296010.
SURREY
For Family Fun – The Runnymede on Thames
Family-owned The Runnymede On Thames, is delighted to unveil an array of outdoor activities to welcome back guests when the hotel reopens on 17th May. Set on the banks of the River Thames in Surrey, and conveniently located just 10 minutes from Windsor, offers the ideal option for leisure and business travellers alike seeking a central base to explore some of the area’s best local parks and attractions, such as Windsor Great Park and Legoland. Guests of the modern 180-room property can also enjoy a range of experiences and facilities on the hotel grounds such as riverside dining, an award-winning spa, and a vast array of outdoor pursuits, both on and off the river.
Nightly rates at The Runnymede start from £170 for a Double Room, on a room only basis. For more information or to book please visit www.runnymedehotel.com/, or call 01784 220600.
MANCHESTER
An Inclusive and Accessible Hotel for Everyone – Hotel Brooklyn, Manchester
Loud, proud and with bags of northern soul, Hotel Brooklyn celebrates its reopening on 17th May with amazing mid-week and multi-night savings. The Freedom Direct Deal includes an overnight stay in a twin or double room, breakfast, a £40 voucher for food whilst in the Hotel during your stay and one of the hotel’s famous ‘Hooch’ Bags containing a can of Brooklyn Beer (or non-alcoholic alternative), a can of G&T, 2 x Hershey Bars, a pack of Pringles and a pack of popcorn. Price per night from £139.
Better, guests booking direct are in the running to win a 5-night stay in New York, travel allowing, staying in a plush midtown Manhattan Hotel with economy return flights included.
Designed by Squid Inc, the 189-room hotel pays homage to Brooklyn’s history from the early 20th century and – crucially – is a pioneer in accessible design – leading the way in Europe with its adaptability features: a trailblazer in accessible, sexy and modern design for all.
Nightly rates at Hotel Brooklyn start from £139 for a Club Room on a B&B basis.
