We challenge our readers to find fault with the staff at The Beaumont, arguably the best (boutique) hotel in Central London. It is a joy to be pampered by skilled staff in the grandest of locations; also grand is to experience the customised beauty of The Beaumont’s wonderful rooms, a third of which are luxurious suites. The refined and understated brilliance of its various spaces – particularly palpable and visible once the sun goes down – is also a delight … and the list goes on. The culinary brilliance of The Colony Room; the smoky ambience of Le Margritte Bar; the toe-tapping high notes of the piano in the Gatsby Room … sit back and relax as the Beaumont unfurls its magic and blankets you with its infinitesimal warmth. A much nicer world awaits.
The Beaumont is one of the great London hotels of the 1920’s – except that it only started in 2014 almost one hundred years later. Inspired by the grandiloquence of those post war hotels, it is magnificent in conception and execution, symbolising the ambitions and excesses of the original American progenitors. Sequestered in a quiet corner of Mayfair and a distinguished neighbour to the West End, the hotel’s bars and restaurants have recently been lightly refurbished after the cataclysm of COVID which, of course, affected the entire hospitality industry. Quite reassuringly, it has come back bigger and better whilst still retaining its core values and merits.
All the key components within The Beaumont come together with majestic smoothness. The starting point of its impressive philosophy is its renowned culture of caring for the guests and making sure their needs are met to the minutest of detail. There is the vast selection of spaces – lounges, bar, staircases, tea rooms and gorgeous restaurants to regale your senses and add to the overall experience of London as a city. Le Magritte Bar and Terrace, for instance, is the epitome of a 1920’s bar: bold and classic to the core and sufficiently shadowy to inspire the Oscar Wilde or Hemingway within you. The Great Gatsby, which the hotel refers to as ‘its beating heart’ is an ideal place for Afternoon Tea or evening cocktails, while piano bars will keep tugging at your heartstrings throughout the afternoon and into the night.
The pièce de résistance, however, is The Colony Grill. There is absolutely everything to admire about this most accomplished of New York style grills; indeed, in my humble opinion it is the best place to dine in London. For starters, order the Foie Gras Royale before it is outlawed in the United Kingdom: it is a speciality that will convert the non-converted. Fresh oysters from Jersey and the Cornish coast abound, while the choice of mains features a variety of fish specialities that will delight your pescatarian senses, plus a Suffolk Wagyu which is utterly outstanding: melt-in-the-mouth madness. After all, you are having the meal of your life, so why not get spoilt rotten? There is a passionate and skilled entourage of professionals on hand to help you make the best choices; in fact, it’s always best to leave the decision in their knowledgeable hands if you’re not a regular nor very familiar with the menu. Ask for Lionel, the most charming of Frenchmen, or his colleague Victor to guide you through the menu, whilst Giorgio will match the drinks to the chosen fare.
Once all the sights and sounds of surrounding London have been absorbed, the delicious food consumed and the delectable drinks quaffed, you’ll be more than pleased to amble up to your lovely boudouir. In my case, this was The Woolwich Suite on the 4th Floor, where compendious books and comforting wooden cabinets furnished the expansive living space, while the heavenly bathroom, complete with heated floor, was equipped with choice D.R. Harris toiletries. Peering through the window towards ROOM, the suite designed by Antony Gormley, which is also a well-known public art piece, I thought to myself: Art lives in every corner of The Beaumont.
8 Balderton Street, Brown Hart Gardens, London, W1K 6TF, England.
By Sid Raghava
