Winding your way down Baker Street
You don’t have to wind your way too far down Baker Street to realise it’s perfectly placed for the best of London, writes Diane Evans.
On the Tube line and a short walk from Marylebone railway station, Baker Street is a stone’s throw from Oxford Street, Regent’s Park, Lord’s cricket ground, London Zoo and the tourist Mecca of Madame Tussaud’s.
Dissected by the busy Marylebone Road, the area is also well served by boutique shops and restaurants and slap bang in the middle Sherlock Holmes country is the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes.
Modestly positioned on the famous road and surrounded by vestiges of the great detective, the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes is a busy tourist-led hotel cashing in on its convenient location.
We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and were met by helpful reception staff who made the often painful booking-in procedure as painless as possible. I’m sure Mr Holmes would doff his deerstalker at the décor – the reception, 24-hour bar and lounge area is light, comfortable and tastefully decorated. Plus it’s complemented on arrival by a table full of magazines, papers and brochures to help with you with your stay.
The lift is a tad dated and small which wasn’t helped by the lack of signs to the stairs which we never found. But all was forgotten when we threw open the door to our smart, spacious and welcoming room with its modern ‘metal’ four poster bed.
We stayed in an executive studio room which at 30 metres squared is nearly twice the size of their lead-in superior rooms and a great size for central London. The bathroom was sparkling complete with Elemis toiletries and fluffy robes and the room service menu had our mouths watering.
If we’d had time we could have enjoyed the spa and gym or lounged in the two roomy lounge areas but a rare night away from the kids and a concert to go to meant time was not on our side.
The central London location did make travelling around the capital easy and the surrounding area was alive with options before and after our night out with good restaurants opening late.
Having enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep, we were up in the morning for breakfast seemingly at the same time as every other guest.
If there was one complaint about the hotel, it’s the size of the breakfast area – leaving you dodging elbows and chairs as you scrambled back to your table.
The breakfast staff were so efficient, if not a bit impersonal, that our half drunk coffees and newspapers were removed while we picked our cooked breakfast – the waitress didn’t even seem to notice when she came to take our order again. It felt a little bit like a conveyor belt but then this busy central hotel probably squeezes in a number of covers each morning.
It didn’t overshadow our stay in what is a well-run and excellently-positioned hotel. The staff were helpful and pleasant but not overbearing. If looking for smart and convenient central London accommodation, you wouldn’t need Sherlock Holmes to find the Park Plaza in Baker Street.
Diane
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