Mary Gostelow's Hotel of the Week: Mandarin Oriental London

The exterior of Mandarin Oriental London, built in 1890.

A weekly series featuring luxury hotel expert Mary Gostelow’s hotel pick of the week.

Sandwiched between the non-stop buzz of Knightsbridge and gorgeously green Hyde Park, Mandarin Oriental London has many unique features. Most recently, it opened its long-awaited indoor pool, a stainless-lined 55-footer with a real-flame fire along one wall and adjacent 24/7 Technogym, all designed by the great American interior designer Adam Tihany.

Does it sound as if the Mandarin Group, which owns this 200-room classic, is spending money? Yes, but it has not stopped there. The Rosebery, immediately behind the front desk, has been transformed, by Tihany yet again, into an ultra elegant venue for looking across to Burberry while enjoying afternoon tea – oh the bespoke William Edwards china! – or drinking Dom Pérignon out of John Jenkins glasses.

There is eating too, in Dinner by Heston Blumenthal where, somewhat confusingly, you can also have breakfast and lunch, all while looking out at Hyde Park, with riders taking exercise and, if you are lucky, mounted platoons in full gilded helmet regalia en route to Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Knowledgeable locals (‘the Knightsbridge set’) use the hotel’s other restaurant, the cozy who’s-who Bar Boulud, as a daily canteen and entertainment A-listers pop in for the Bordeaux of the day, poured from a jeroboam.

A washbasin by Adam Tihany in the wellness complex.

The new and chic Adam Tihany-designed pool, complete with real-flame fire. Photo Credit: Mandarin Oriental London.

Mandarin Oriental is also the official London hotel of Paddington, the David Heyman movie starring Nicole Kidman and, of course, Paddington Bear (released November 2014). The hotel will host an art auction featuring life size bears decorated by notable names such as David Beckham and Hugh Grant. Auction proceeds go to charity.

Mandarin Oriental has heritage – it was built in 1890 as gentlemen’s residences. It has great eating and drinking, and shopping and Hollywood-in-London entertainment. Harvey Nichols is right across Knightsbridge and Harrods is only five minutes away. General Manager is Tony McHale.

From deepest darkest Peru to the Mandarin Oriental London- Paddington journeys on!

Read last week’s Hotel of the Week here.