Chances are you haven’t received an invitation to the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6, but you can nonetheless join the merrymaking in the streets by splurging on a London getaway.
Whether you want a classic English hotel in the heart of Mayfair or a bold newcomer at the reinvented Battersea Power Station, here are five stylish places to put on your short list. Some are new, others are storied properties with striking new restaurants, cafes, bars and spas. A number of them are pulling out all the stops to celebrate the coronation with special afternoon tea menus and coronation canapés, cocktails, dinners, even whiskey-infused “coronation lollipops.” (As you might expect, some of these hotels will have higher rates during that time.)
Can’t make it for the festivities? There’s still a lot to look forward to in the British capital this year, including posh new hotels from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Maybourne Hotel Group, 1 Hotels, the Peninsula Hotels and Raffles Hotels & Resorts, which is planning to open Raffles London at the OWO in the Old War Office building. In short, if you’re a luxury hotel buff, this is the year London’s calling.
A glamorous and enduring stop for afternoon tea, this 269-room-and-suite Art Deco-style hotel dates to the mid-1800s and has long been a destination for royals and dignitaries. Lately it’s made some handsome additions, including a cafe that opened in February with coffee, kombucha and Champagne to-go; a cocktail bar called the Painter’s Room; and a spa by the Hong Kong-born designer André Fu, who drew inspiration from Japanese temples and Zen gardens in Kyoto. In May, the hotel, part of Maybourne Hotel Group, will put some of its historical archives on display in the lobby’s Coronation Archive Windows, including fans created in 1911 for the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, Claridge’s menus and cocktail cards made for the coronations of King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, pages from Queen Victoria’s diary, as well as original coronation photographs, programs and official souvenirs. Guests who stop to see the visages of famous guests at the hotel’s Talking Heads Gallery will also find a new portrait of Charles by David Downton, known for his fashion illustrations.
Should you be in the mood for a celebratory drink, you’ll be in luck: Claridge’s has a tradition of creating coronation specialties, and the upcoming coronation will be…
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