Hotel review: Park Plaza Westminster Bridge – A Little bit of Luxury in London!
I have just returned from a fantastic weekend away in London with my best friend – we were in town to attend the glitzy UK Blog Awards which I was SHORTLISTED for in the travel category (more about that in another blog post)! The ceremony was held in the swanky Park Plaza hotel in Westminster and it just so happens that I was at the very same hotel last October to review their bar and restaurant! When I heard that the Blog Awards were to be held at the hotel though I couldn’t resist booking a room and bringing my best friend along for the ride. Here’s my full review of this stunning property…
The location
Situated at the end of Westminster Bridge and overlooking Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament and The London Eye, the location of this hotel is truly enviable. The hotel’s most unique feature is its prime position at the heart of London, just a stones throw from two tube stations, numerous eateries and some of the most iconic tourist attractions in the entire city.
The stunning Westminster Abbey can also be found within the vicinity, just a 10 minute walk away, and the Embankment is just around the corner – the beauty of this hotel’s fantastic location is that you can explore a huge part of London without even needing to hop on a tube!
The room
The hotel is laid out over 14 floors and is made up of 443 superior rooms, 512 studios and 64 suites/penthouses. For the purpose of my stay I was upgraded to an executive suite with iconic views – basically I had an ENORMOUS studio with separate living room, bathroom and bedroom and had the most stunning views I’ve ever had the privilege of waking up to! On my left was Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament, and on my right was The London Eye – could you get a more iconic view of London?! Our suite (room #1291) was 12 floors up giving us panoramic views across Westminster and we literally felt on top of the world.
The double bed was super comfy, with fluffy pillows and a snuggly duvet, while the living room area with sofa (which could also be made up into a sofa bed) gave the suite an added sense of space – super handy when we were getting ready for the awards! The bathroom was sparkling clean with a huge sink, mirror, bathtub AND separate shower cubicle and plenty of towels as well as two dressing robes and slippers – that was a beautiful touch and it really made us feel as if we were right at home! The room also boasted tea and coffee making facilities, a mini bar, Elemis bath products, two flat-screen LCD TVs, 24 hour room service and free WiFi throughout.
The facilities
Being a 4* hotel, I anticipated that there would be an abundance of facilities on offer to guests throughout their stay, and I wasn’t wrong! The hotel boasts two bars, two restaurants, an exclusive executive lounge (upgrades only), fitness centre and Mandara spa with sauna and steam room as well as a swimming pool. Oh and you’ll find a coffee bar, ballroom and meeting rooms a plenty.. what more could you want?! The reception areas also offer the perfect chill out seats with the most incredible views across Westminster Bridge.
Brasserie Joel and Primo Bar are located on the first floor, both of which are extremely popular with guests and tourists alike – you can read my separate reviews for both of these here. We actually dined for lunch at Brasserie Joel and had the most amazing meal – the set menu was fantastic value for money at just £13.95pp – who said London hotel prices had to break the bank?! Big thank you to Gregory and Didier for looking after us!
Unfortunately we didn’t have time during our stay to visit the Mandara spa, complete with its sauna, steam room and pool, but it did look incredible! A wide range of beauty therapy treatments, from massages and makeovers to waxing and hairstyling, were on offer to guests for competitive prices. Next time I will have to make that all important spa trip!
The breakfast
Anyone that knows me will know that I love my food and, as it’s the most important meal of the day, breakfast is always a big part of my hotel stay. I enjoy a mix of continental and full English so was pleasantly surprised to see that pretty much every breakfast food imaginable was on offer the next morning! I was sort of expecting everything to be continental (and healthy) as Park Plaza is a large European and worldwide chain but thankfully I was able to devour a hash brown (or 5) and a couple of good old British sausages!
There were two breakfast rooms, one in the same place as Brasserie Joel, and the other on the lower floor. Both rooms were huge and more than adequate for serving breakfast – there were SO many people yet there was plenty of food to go round. We had been told that the hotel was fully booked so I can imagine that there were thousands of breakfasts being tucked into over the bank holiday weekend!
The staff
I was so impressed with the lovely staff at the hotel, all of whom were attentive, approachable and friendly – nothing was too much to trouble. From the reception and front of house staff to the waitresses to the housekeeping team, everyone was so welcoming and really made our stay such a happy one.
After lunch we returned to our room to find a beautiful dessert platter and a note that had been left on the side – this thoughtful gift really added that extra special touch and I felt so lucky! We were treated like VIPs the whole weekend and it was truly wonderful.
Agathe from the reception team also took the time out of her day to show us the executive lounge; an exclusive area for guests looking to relax in a quiet part of the hotel. Complete with all inclusive breakfast and afternoon food and drinks buffet, indoor atrium and views of Big Ben, an upgrade to the executive lounge is a unique experience worth splashing out on!
So there we have it, my full review of the beautiful Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. I honestly cannot recommend this hotel enough and I would encourage anyone who wants to sample a true taste of London to book a room and enjoy a little bit of luxury! For more information on this hotel or to book a room please visit their website directly.
Thank you SO much to all at Park Plaza for a wonderful stay – I will certainly be back!
Love Jess x
NB. This was a partly sponsored post and I collaborated with Park Plaza for this review but all thoughts, opinions and images are totally my own.
