Hotel to Home - How a life of travel influences your home designs

It's been a few weeks since I have had time to sit down and gather my thoughts, never mind share them with the blogosphere. My usual travel mania has had a lull but, controversially, instead of finding free time, I have been more than occupied by interior designs for my new house.

It doesn't get more exciting than that, starting from scratch with a new build under the directive of an architect. I'm not sure if I've found my true vocation in life, or I'm just enjoying time on terra firma to dedicate to a new interest, but my last eight weeks have been (obsessively) invested in design, from bricks to blankets, of a new home.

There's no doubt that my love of design and interiors is probably the output of a life of hotel living. 

It would be difficult not to be influenced - such frequent stays away from home, I'm not one for budget, or large hotel chains. 

I seek out the perfect boutique or hip hotel in whichever city I am sleeping in that night, definitely have a penchant for the Design Hotels portfolio, although a few of my favourites for style and design, in recent months include the uber trendy Ace Hotel and Town Hall Hotel in East London and the hi tech Eccleston Square, Gastwerk in Hamburg and Das Stue in Berlin, the eclectic Fontecruz in Lisbon and the very sleek Vdara in Las Vegas...

My lust list of favourites all boast similar traits and trends - loft living, retro furniture, style conscious statements and a luxury that is more about slick design than fussy over-decorated decadence. 

But it's not a replica hotel room that I want to create for my home, a ubiquitous life sleeping in different beds and cities is one thing but it also makes you think differently about how you feel about and what you want from home.

Home is my base. My comfort spot. A place for downtime from a busy life, an escape from suitcases and 3fl oz grooming, and time for family and friends. 

I'm far from a traditionalist. I want home to surround me in my favourite things and a luxury that is more grown up and has learned from my travels around the world. 

For me, designing my home is about fashion, rather than a trend. I adore the different style of so many wonderful hotels and can take inspiration from my favourite parts, rather than carbon copy. 

Polished flooring of the Mediterranean, sharp lines of Italian design, oversized headboards and art, crisp white linens, statement items of furniture and accessories, jaw dropping lighting and a subtle palette of nudes.

...put like this, it might read like an ideal boutique hotel, but turning a trend into something fashionable and more timeless is about the finishing touches of personalisation. 

I pick up furniture and accessories on my travels, capture images of my favourite places - my home is designed to tell story, personal to me, of the many miles I've travelled and gather the best of the stunning surroundings I am so blessed to experience, indoors and outdoors.

Maybe, when it's all complete, I will yearn for home more than I yearn for the skies. Who knows, maybe this will be the one hotel I look forward to checking into and spending most time in...

'Til next time, Pandora

Photos and hotels featured: Eccleston Square Hotel, Town Hall Hotel, The Manor Hotel by Laura Ashley, Morton Hotel.

The Lough of the Irish - a stunning weekend break at Lough Eske Castle

The welcome of a new puppy, last year, put a new angle on my local travel around Ireland and I quickly became focused on the pet-friendly locations to visit on four legs, as well as two.

Lough Eske Castle, in Donegal, was a name to quickly join my list, highly recommended by fellow dog owners. Intrinsically challenged with the luxury of time, I booked well ahead to ensure I could get a visit into my diary and, when it came around in March, I ventured off for the weekend.

The drive to Donegal is a long one but, once at Balleybofey in Ireland, it is a pretty one of rolling hills and amazing landscape. 

Just a few miles before Donegal Town the signage for Lough Eske is easy to navigate. 

Unlike my prior visits to Donegal, in search of beach, this trip took me through woodland drives and onto the impressive driveway of the castle itself.

Dating back to the 1400s, the castle has undergone a few rebuilds following it's prior destruction. A single stone of history remains from the 1600s but the main body has been built some 200 years later and, today, has been fully expanded and modernised with new annexes and accommodations. 

Interiors are respectful to history, grand and regal with lots of chesterfield leathers and luxurious drapes. The first thing you notice are the smiles. 

The service is second to none, genuinely helpful from the moment to you check in through every touch point before you, regrettably, check out.

Pet-friendly rooms are conveniently located in the sculpture filled gardens. The suites are huge, beautifully appointed - a large living area with TV, lounge sofas and gas fire sit before a fabulous four poster bed area and lead to a walk-in dressing area and large double bathroom.

Puppy bedding and bowls are left for convenience, and large double doors mean easy access for walks and breaks. 

Directly opposite the garden suites is the spa, perfectly located to wrap up in the fluffy robes and take a few hours downtime to yourself in the hydrotherapy pool or a relaxing treatment. 

The hotel also boasts two mapped walks for guests, woodland and lough side, that will easily eat up 2-3 hours of an afternoon in fresh air and have you ready to tuck into an amazing meal, back at base.

Dining doesn't disappoint in the beautiful Cedars restaurant. Food is sublime, service just a great. I had seafood chowder, a starter that could have served in size as my only meal that night, but I followed it with chargrilled chicken and an amazing dessert of rhubarb creme brûlée. So good, I asked chef to cook some more for the puppy, who dined just as well as I did back, fireside, in our amazing garden suite.

An amazing stay, that by far exceeded my expectations and a place I will undoubtedly return to, hopefully in the very near future.

Falling in Luxe with Lisbon

It's only a few months since I made my first venture to Lisbon, and it was instant love. I vowed to go back and I have although, business being business, I have yet to find the long awaited time to hit the winding hills and streets with my camera and go tourist.

Nevertheless, in some half dozen visits, I have crossed most of the city from Bairro Alto to Parque das Nações and, in between, I've managed to uncover a labyrinth of luxury that has taken my first love to a long term affair with Lisbon luxe.

So good are the choice hotels, such incredible value for the very high standards, I thought it timely to share my best in the hope that you, too, visit the city.

My number one slot goes to my most recent rendez vous, so good I returned twice in the same week. Fontecruz hotel has prime position in the heart of designer decadence on Avenida da Liberdade. Gucci, Armani, Prada on your doorstop, it offers five star boutique with lushness. 

Rooms sway from dark blacks and greys to bright whites, the bar and restaurant are quirky and eclectic and,although quiet, the restaurant is good and it houses the city's only exclusive Moet and Chandon champagne bar in reception. This is true boutique, and the service is exceptional.

A close second is a new addition to Lisbon's designer boutique scene, The Beautique Hotel on the Praça da Figuiera. Already nominated for European design awards, the hotel oozes style and chic. 

The cocktail bar is like liquid mercury, the same theme threads through every floor and room and your retreat is equipped with state of the art technology and stunning interiors. I've yet to return, it's high on my list.

More traditionally known, impeded maybe a little by location is the iconic brand the Corinthia. 

My treatment here was second to none, as if I were the only guest in the hotel, the to the exquisite service known to the brand. My suite was upgraded, I was delivered fresh fruit and custard tarts, and poured wine. I enjoyed the spa, I slept like a dream and I indulged in ESPa products next day. Located near Lisbon Zoo, it's a little remote from the hubbub of the city, but a great retreat for quiet and rest if that's what you need on your trip. 

Keeping with designer boutique, the Fontana Park has been adopted by the Hilton group, acquired from Design Hotels. Every sleek line and designer detail of the former owners remains and you can expect exemplary service from a great team. What is more is it offers a reasonable rack rate, so some of the finer details of boutique have become more Hilton than haute. Nevertheless, a beautiful hotel that is a good middle ground.

My time in Lisbon is far from over. Between business I'm uncovering restaurants, bars and just about entering the sunshine of Southern Europe. If you're in town, let me know I might even be there discovering something new!

'Til next time, Pandora

On Top of the World - from Taipei 101 to Burj Khalifa

Aim high. An apt motto for someone who spends as much time in the skies as I do, so it's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights.

Flying high is one thing. That has seat belts. Climbing high to the highest towers of the world is another but, you can't rock up to some of the most exciting cities with the most iconic landmarks and not go right to the top, right?

There are a few special highs in my photo book. New York, Empire State and Rockerfeller Tower, both a tourist must-do and both with memory making views over Manhattan.

I thought I'd reached my peak when I got to Taipei 101, all 508 metres of it. Even through the haze of city smog the views at sunset were to die for and, of course, safe in the knowledge that that will not topple over even if an earthquake rumbles below you. Luckily. I didn't have to test that theory.

But the Burj Khlalifa claimed the highest point in the record books, I had to update my highlife. Next chance I had to revisit Dubai, I was on a mission to climb to the top. Except you don't get to the top. It's 828 metres tall, but don't be expecting your Tom Cruise mission impossible moment. 

The highest public platform is in or around the half way mark, 428 metres. There is an outside walkway to look up, that's when you get the dizzy feeling. Look down that's when you lose your breath. Desert as far as the eye can see, surrounding the marvel that is the creation of Dubai. Skyscrapers, shopping malls, the Palm and the almost-there recreation of the World in sand.

Visibility will govern your wow factor. I hit lucky. But, as you come back down to earth, be sure to indulge in the luxury that lines the rest of the Burj. 

I lunched in Armani. The finest seafood, the whitest china, the crispest linens, the loveliest if meals overlooking the Khalifa fountains.

Aim high. It's worth the view.

'Til next time, Pandora

My Ace Night in the Ditch - Ace London, Shoreditch

I consider myself to be relatively on trend. A busy life of travel might keep me out of the heart of the barfly scene, where all the real social moving and shaking goes on, but I'm urban modern at heart and have yet to put my Vogue into the drawer or hang up my party heels.

Every now and again, you get a double dose of cool that makes you realise how far behind you might have dropped but that simultaneously fast tracks you back 'du jour'. Mine happened this week in London. 

My first venture, long overdue, to the rapidly  up and coming hotspot of Shoreditch. My second quick hit happened as soon as I stepped inside the coolest spot in the Ditch of all, The Ace Hotel. 

Where do I start? The door men are adorable. Top hats are replaced by woolly beanies and bow ties and crisp shirts are swapped for grey sweaters and skinny jeans. 

Bicycles hang from the ceiling at reception, lobby seating is communal and set up for wireless living, Mac Book, of course. Music booms loud, lip reading is needed to get you through check in, and reception doubles as a very cool store where you can take your pick from all the very cool things you will find in the hotel and recreate the experience at home.

You escape the noise upstairs. Elevators lead to a warehouse feel of corridors and stairwells. Rooms are crisp and clean loft-style escapes. Hues of blue, on grey and concrete, surrounded with a cornucopia of retro wonders from LP records, tin mugs, radios and record players. A feel of Scandinavia design, in a Manhattan apartment. It's outstanding.

What do you get for your stay and your money? Space, for one, a plus for London at the best of times, optimised with low level beds and high ceilings. Great booze - forget mini sized mini bars, this is stocked to the straps with old school chocolate and gourmet treats and quarter bottle sized spirits. Superb showering, with jumbo sized products from the uber cool ruby .... ( soon to be in my own wet room, I loved these so much).

Downstairs you get ridiculously great cocktails in a super vibe bar. And lots of lounging. Time will fly, it's so laid back. And the people watching? One of the best.

Shuffle through to Hoi polloi (or enter through the flower shop from outside) and you get an outstanding dining experience that should be enjoyed even if you're not a resident. Dress down, in the up way. It's not formal, but it's very trendy, and the only thing more on point than the fashionista diners is the great food.

They say Shorditch is the Chelsea of the East. There's enough well styled, well famed restaurants and eateries to challenge them, maybe too many hipster cafés to meet the designer grades of Sloane, but they are marvellous nonetheless. I have no idea why I harboured a hesitancy to explore here sooner, but I'm an instant convert and will definitely be back to check off the many places that are quickly joining my must do-go-eat-drink list.

'Til next time, Pandora

A First Taste of Berlin

Berlin has been on my wish list of must-see places for some time so, when business opportunity knocked, I was on the first plane to uncover what all of the excitement was about.

This was a short trip, so tourism was not going to have much room on the agenda. But, first impressions count with me, so I would know if this was somewhere worth fussing over to come back and explore more.

I wasn't disappointed. Stereotypical German efficiency kicked in as soon as I landed, I'm really not sure I have ever had such a speedy disembark through immigration and into a taxi, anywhere else. 

The quick cab ride from Tegel airport into the city already had my eyes wide open. 

Berlin was so clean, late night traffic was non existent and I had a clear line of sight of so many iconic landmarks straight off the mark as I drove to Mitte.

My hotel, The Westin Grand, sat steps from the famous Brandenburg Gate. I kind of expected Checkpoint Charlie to have security and graffiti and show its history. But it didn't. Modernised and clean, quiet and overtaken by the stunning and very compelling architecture of the Gate. 

The same view could be seen from my hotel, 5 floors up from the Westin Grand. Itself a historic building, the glass dome that overlooks the lobby is a stunning centre piece and a marvel to look on as you sip cocktails in the bar. 

The hotel boasts a chunk of the Berlin Wall on his doorstep, a sign from times gone by, and an artefact you will find throughout the city.  

Service is efficient, perhaps at the compromise of friendly. Summer allows for al fresco drinks on a rooftop garden terrace but the standard of dining everywhere else, from room service to restaurant, is incredibly good.

Close by, my taste buds were tingled to extreme in Bocca de Bacco, a very stylish Italian I learned was a haunt for the A-list and had served heart throbs such as Clooney, Damond and Pattinson. 

I joined their dining joy, amazing food that exceeded even the temptation of the menu and I highly recommend if you are tourist trekking the neighbourhood over lunch or dinner.

This is a luxury shopping zone, so all your designer needs are more than catered for. I had a brief wander in Alexanderplatz, under the famous TV tower too, whee there was much more movement of tourism buses and camera clicking around. Mostly, it made me so very congnizant of the size of Berlin and the opportunity to uncover so much more.

My true desire is to dig into the back streets, see the urban art rise and the cool trendy bars and boutique hotels. And it won't be long before I do. My first taste of Berlin has left me hungry for much, much more.

'Til next time, Pandora

One Mal and His Dog...

I've stayed in my fair share of the Malmaison hotels, as well as a few of their stunning sister Hotel du Vin properties. They tick most of my must-have boxes, when it comes to finding my perfect stay away. Boutique chic, luxurious beds, a great cocktail menu, good food, a super shower experience, to name a few. But what you get as a great bonus at a Malmaison is the location. Every one of the dozen-strong portfolio is something special, a listed building full of heritage, cleverly refurbished with respect and homage to its local surroundings, but with an explosion of modern design styled up inside. 

And I love the quirk. Malmaison is not afraid to be a little bit cheeky, break the mould of the normal hotel experience. 
You'll find a wonderfully stocked mini bar, adult-only gourmet snacks that laugh in the face of your average Tobelerone and jumbo sized toiletries that ooze style and fragrance and get you figgy with it. Really.

They dare to be different, and dare they do. It was no surprise  to discover they open their doors to four legged guests, too. Dogs, it appears, are a Mal's best friend and, with one right on my doorstep at home, The Belfast Mal fast-tracked to the top of my getaway list. 

It's tough not to fall for a cute puppy, but their arrival at Malmaison is treated with just as much importance as the bill payer and just as personal. And the non-pet owners need not worry. Pets are not permitted in public areas, like bars or restaurants. 

This is a pawcation for room service and lots of private pooch pampering. A small charge to your room rate means the pooch checks in to his very own doggy bed and water bowl in your room and you have a city around you to walk and run, for all the outdoor fun you need before bedtime.

But a hotel break is about you, as well. You don't need to worry about pooch. He's snuggled in luxury and planning a per ant move. You need some Mal-dining...

Every Mal I visited impressed me at dinner, never more than this coincidental overlap at Valentines weekend in Belfast, where I indulged in an incredible 5-course Malentines menu for just £49. 

Velouté, oysters Rockerfeller, fresh salmon and an insanely magnificent chocolate dessert that I had re-routed to my room and scoffed in slumber.

Weekend breakfast-cum-brunch is another sure thing at the Mal. 

So good, in fact, you should visit to eat even if you have not stayed. They've added a great homemade granola to the continental table that I want to buy in bulk, for home, but their eggs Benni are always a perfect start to weekend relaxing, if you can pry yourself away to get active after you fuel up!

I can't not call out the exceptional service at The Belfast Mal, too. I've never had poor service at a Mal, but I've never had it just this fantastic at a Mal, neither. More than half the range has showered me in luxury at one time of another, across the UK, but it's my own home turf where I experienced the best of their best in friendliness, accommodation all-round guest hospitality. 

There's no bones about it, one Mal, one gal and her very pampered dog will very much be a repeat, if not a regular occurrence.

'Til next time, Pandora

Please Sir, Can I Have Some Morton?

I caught sight of the latest addition to the London boutique scene in summer and one glimpse of the stunning interior, I was swift to jump in to find a date to match my next hop to the city.

The Morton is the new, very chic, kid on the Bloomsbury block. Wonderfully located, a few steps to Russell Square and conveniently located to Euston Station, as well as Tube stop on its doorstep. 

It has fashioned its very being on the local history of the literary elite of early last century, The Bloomsbury Set, and pays homage to the likes of Virginia Wolf and Lytton Strachey in its decor and design. Room doors don mirror silhouettes of their floor namesake. Interiors share the same on cushions and stationery and there is a strong theme of literature on every shelf and wall print. Even the light fittings in the arrival hallway are made of literature classics.

Rooms are beautiful, as boutique hotel rooms should be. Eclectically decorated, warm and cosy with unexpectedly large bathrooms and ample 40" LCD flatscreens. Quality has not been spared, the right mix of retro to modern, perfectly appointed. 

The Library bar is the hub of the hotel. It's chic, beautifully designed to the Charleston style, and a wonderful oasis to escape the busy streets of a day in London. 

But is oddly quiet. Admittedly it's as a library should be, but the antithesis of what a hotel bar should be, for me.

I visited on arrival (the bar doubles as reception, in the basement), I popped down in the evening, I had breakfast the next morning. Each and every visit I almost felt the need to tiptoe, definitely whisper. There was a need for a little ambience music to break the silence, in favour of relaxation. 

My longest stop in the Library, as a result, was breakfast. It's wonderful. There is only a continental offering to choose from and it misses some luxe extras of eggs and salmon, or warm brioches but, what is there is beautifully presented and delicious.

Dining delight kind of stops and ends at breakfast, however. Unless you want a snack. There is no 'restaurant' as such in the hotel, a small menu offers sandwiches, cheese platters and the like, a choice that is exactly the same in the bar as in your room. It's a shortfall for the Morton, in my eyes, my Oliver Twist moment that left me wanting more, especially when it's rainy and cold outside. The style and chic of The Morton was made for exuberant and decadent cakes, comfort soups and stews, definitely would be great to have gourmet evenings for wine and cocktails. Instead I have cards of nearby restaurants, and the tiptoe challenge for a drink, if I feel the stealthy need.

Without this next level of decadence (decadence that is standard in most boutique hotels, certainly in London) it feels like gruel. Gruel served in luxury, yes, but gruel nonetheless, when compared to other great boutiques in the city like The Mandeville, The Ampersand or anything in the Doyle Collection. 

Alternative room options, apartment styled with kitchens, are available if you want to self cater and I recommend those if you don't want to wander and dine around town. I personally don't want to self cater in a boutique, and this fall-short made me feel I was in a hostel or B&B, not a full boutique experience in the city.

And with this gap, the hotel falls shy on the service. The Morton lacks flexibility and personality. Guest plans change but The Morton policy is immovable. I experienced it and have had similar feedback from more than a few others. On site, it's not a smiling hotel. It's a very efficiently run one, but maybe so efficient the guest experience is left to the guest, not interacted by staff.

New kids on new blocks need some time to grow into their own shoes. There is so much greatness going for the Morton that needs recognised, I'd love to see the gaps get filled and go back. Without them, the choice is too wide in London to miss out.

'Til next time, Pandora

The Vegas Bone Collector

I've shared a few blogs on my hesitations with Las Vegas and how, on my recent impromptu visit, I set on a mission to uncover a beauty in a city that totally failed to impress me.

And there lies the irony. No, I'm by no means saying I am a Vegas convert. I join the millions that fall in love with every show of the Bellagio fountains and, unsurprisingly, I have successfully sought out any true style and panache in the bar and restaurant scene. But, as the saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. My Vegas wears lipstick. But it is still Vegas. 

But, back to the irony. I find it hard to openly admit that, amidst such consternation for Sin City, I would uncover possibly one of the best experiences of my life that, in the unlikely event that I have to return again to Vegas, I would go back in a heartbeat.

Forget the casinos, replica pyramids, roller coasters and remakes of gondola journeys through Venice. Hit the Boneyard.

It's off the Strip, in true Downtown Vegas. It calls itself a Neon Museum. 

But it's not a relic of history, it's a jawdroppingly, super cool walk up, down and around memory lane of the last century. In neon.

Casinos, hotels and bars before our time, already knocked down and forgotten. Not here. Iconic images and signs, you've seen in movies, saved and restored right here. Motels, the Glass Slipper, Wedding Chapels, The Sahara...everything is stacked up in this incredibly cool retro-fest, given a great guide lead narrative and you will not stop clicking your camera. It's mesmerising. 

We are all running so fast to keep up with the modern day, we are quick to put the past immediately behind us and embrace something new. But there is beauty in the old. 

This is the Vegas skyline of yesteryear. The famous haunts you've just spent your holiday dollars in, they might just land here in the near future. 

Check this out, support it's great ambition, and see some soul in Sin City.

'Til next time, Pandora

Photos: Pandora Skies
The Neon Museum http://www.neonmuseum.org

Reliving Las Vegas

Not unless Hell freezes over, I said. And I meant it. But, in the unlikely event that the desert would withstand an ice cap, over my dead body. I was sure I had made my position crystal clear and yet, here I was, forced to return to Las Vegas for a business trip.

You can't really argue with the boss, especially when you are probably the only person in the universe with an umbrage against Las Vegas. So, in the spirit of having my glass half full, I set about a new mission to disprove my own opinion and seek out a soul in Sin City.

They didn't make it easy for me, with business accommodation planed at the MGM Grand. They had live tigers in a cage until last year, for heaven's sake, this was not going to be a place of soul.

Glass half full, stay focused, get planning.

Let's skip the MGM Grand. It's everything I expected it to be and probably more. None of it with soul and certainly not with style. Between business time I sought my solace...

Dinner, 64 floors up, at Mix by Alain Ducasse. Not an over-gilded lion in sight. Just demure minimalist glamour, cocooned in an amazing curtain of glass bubbles around white decor and amazing food. This was an oasis from the crazy and the perfect place to see the lights of the strip, from above, from the amazing lounge terrace views that had the added advantage of the right amount of distance from the mayhem.

When it comes to drinks, you cannot but admit the wow factor of the Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan. 3 floors of Swarovski wrapped around you, coupled with glass elevators and spiral staircases.

But it's sparkle comes at the compromise of noise and a surge of wannabe glitz magnets drinking champagne. Have a glass, get your bling fix, then cross the tower to Vesper Bar. Enough style and seduction to know it's got luxe, but removed from the jingle of slot machines and the floods of teenagers. 

Sleeping. It's possible you won't do a great deal of that, to be fair, and with constant noise and music, your choice of hotel may mean that is not always through choice. 

My duty of work done, I made a swift exit from MGM madness to the calm of Vdara. Smoke free, casino free. 

Yes, in Vegas, and a lake view 51 floors up that gave me an unprecedented birds eye view view of the amazing Bellagio fountains, the one thing I did cherish from my first (and supposed last) visit to Vegas. Sublime service, chic interiors and a connection to the other oasis of hotels, Aria, where you will dine in peace at the amazing Julian Serrano.

So far, so good. We had uncovered the better side of a Sin City, albeit you need to dig deep to find the gems. Often you need to pass through Vegas' worst to reach the best, but it is possible to escape the bedlam. If you do one thing on your next trip, visit the Neon Museum, and visit at night. Behind the Strip, it's a boneyard of the past before the original Vegas was broken back. Relics of the 50's and beyond of the neon classics that lit up the doorways and roofs of iconic buildings that are no longer there. An amazing experience and a true insight to Vegas' heart.

So, what goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas. I have learned never say never, but it's highly unlikely I will return. Not through choice, anyway. If it's kitsch and replica and gaudy fun, take your pick from one end of the Strip to the next. But if you want a little style to offset the crazy, this blog will make your trip tolerable, even enjoyable.

'Til next time, Pandora

Jagger, Garland and Me - Lounging with Legends at The Gore Hotel

Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook will know about my penchant for teasing. Triptease, that is. It's my perfect place to capture the magic moment of my many travels, in a quick hit review to a community that loves style and travel.

But, one thing I promised to do this year was find time to write a little more, blog with more frequency than my diary normally permits, about the extra special places that really make it to my favourites list.

The Gore Hotel in London is one that deserves such attention. A hidden gem if ever there was one, tucked off the main thoroughfare, opposite Queens Gate at Hyde Park.

"Gore or Goring...", the cabbie asked me. Apparently many get confused. I knew exactly where I was going. I had sought The Gore out from great passing feedback and wanted to check it out for myself.

Not my typical first choice, design-wise. I lean to minimalist, modern and often quirky. The Gore is traditional, regal, quintessentially British in its deep green and red decor with lots of draped velvet. 

But it did have quirk. Quirk, I was not expecting, and I loved it! 

For every large wooden bed post and ornate mirror, there are funky mini bar treats and turn down service English Apple boiled sweets. For every antique oil painting there is a chic restaurant serving truffle champagne risotto and sorbet with smoked salmon. 

The service is exceptional, brightly cheery and incredibly personal. You expect that in a boutique hotel, but this is London. At The Gore, it's here and it's heart-lifting. 

The best bits? Bar 190. Impossible to describe, totally unexpected buzz and a must visit for the cool London barfly. Tiffany style lamps and mahogany heavy set bar, illuminated in hot pink lighting and sporting a great cocktail list. Ornate candelabras create a moody scene and the many photographs of The Rolling Stones pay homage to the launch they held at The Gore of their Beggars Banquet album in 1968. 

And parked at the back, the glorious pink crushed velvet Cinderella Carriage, for private and VIP entertaining. Fabulously eclectic.

Elsewhere, for more calm, a Green Room with complimentary refreshments to be enjoyed in Chesterfield leather by a roaring fire, a retreat from the busy bar. Equally, a surprisingly diverse menu in the very Gatsby-meets-Parisienne brasserie restaurant. Nothing fails to surprise.

My favourite story of all is the residency of Judy Garland. Who moved her belongings to The Gore, such was her love of the place. When times got tough and finances too stretched to pay her stay, she donated the furniture she had moved in and there is rests in the hotel today. 

History and hospitality at its finest, this is a break from the norm and a wonderful place to visit and stay.

'Til next time, Pandora