Join Our Mailing List

Web Resources

TRAVEL DEALS!

Page 1 | 2

FINDING THE DRAYCOTT
I wasn't sure what was in store as I aimlessly wandered the quiet neighborhood streets looking for my hotel. Only one person I asked out of ten had heard of the Draycott Hotel-even a traffic cop who was just 20 steps away. OK, so I didn't ask a taxi driver, who would've known right off the bat, but I was keen on saving money and taking the Tube.

DRAYCOTT HOTEL
The Draycott Hotel is located near Sloane Square and is a few blocks away from the fashionable shops of Knightsbridge and Chelsea. All the buildings on the sleepy street are grand Edwardian brick-faced houses; in the 1990s the Draycott combined three of them to create one intimate hotel. To enter, I walked up their 10-step staircase, rang the doorbell, and was quickly buzzed in. The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I was in an old country inn. Their sales material was right to describe it as the "elegance of the past with great style".

WELCOME
A very friendly Portuguese (I believe) house manager gave me a warm welcome but informed me that my room wasn't ready. After all, I was a few hours early, and the rooms aren't usually available until 2 P.M. (check out is 11 A.M.). It was just as well, as I had plenty of work to do, so I found a comfortable spot in the hotel's library and used their free Wi-Fi. The Internet connection was fast except in my room, where I had a weak signal. FYI: The hotel does have a computer for guests to use at no charge.

ROOMS
The hotel has 35 spacious rooms, which include 11 suites, 10 deluxe doubles, 6 superior doubles, and 8 single rooms. Each room or suite has a different dramatic theme and is named after a theater luminary. I was in Alan Bennett's and I was happy that they provided his bio and cartoon caricature, as I had no idea who the chap is (he's still alive).

JOHNNY JET ESQ.
A really nice touch, and one that I've never seen before, is that on the outside of each room door they place the name of the guest, so it feels more like a residence than a hotel. I loved seeing "Johnny Jet Esq. "

MY ROOM
All the rooms are appointed with antiques, and have an extensive art collection and high ceilings. There's air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs with satellite, a minibar, laptop-friendly safes, and a bathroom the size of a small apartment. The tub-shower with its wonderful water pressure was also a noticeable size, and it was so high that you practically need a pole vault to get into it (they do have a stepping stool). Most rooms have fireplaces, as did mine, but I found the gas (when off) to have an annoying hiss.

LAUNDRY
Seven of the suites have fully stocked kitchens and a washing machine that also doubles as a dryer. I had never seen that before, either, but I sure appreciated it, as I was on day 7 of my 14-day trip and I only pack a week's worth of clean clothes. They make it so easy by supplying free detergent as well.

OTHER ROOM HIGHLIGHTS

The windows opened, and mine overlooked a private park that guests have access to.

There was no noise coming from outside and I didn't even hear a horn beep once.

The beds come with a teddy bear with a note tied around its neck that reads, Please take good care of me but please don't take me home. P.S. I do have many relatives at the reception who would love to travel.

Vanilla and chocolate homemade shortbread were left for me as a welcome gift-not sure if everyone gets them, but they sure were darn tasty.

The rooms have English outlets, so bring an adapter.

DINING
My pad was so nice that I didn't want to leave, and I was actually unhappy when the sun started shining and I no longer had an excuse not to enjoy the beauty of London. When I did leave the hotel it was usually to go get food. My cheapest meal came from Marks and Spencer (M&S), a popular upscale London grocery store about 10 blocks away. Prices weren't bad at all: Guess how much I paid for two candies, blueberries, bottled water, and chicken with pasta? Here's my receipt .

BREAKFAST
The Draycott does offer 24-hour room service, and most room rates include breakfast (7-11 A.M.). Breakfast was served in a bright morning room. They had continental offerings and main dishes like a full English breakfast (eggs, sausages, bacon, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, black pudding, and baked beans) and smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.

TEA / CHAMPAGNE / HOT COCOA
Every day, the Draycott serves tea and biscuits at 4 P.M. in the drawing room, followed by champagne at 6 P.M., and hot chocolate before bed (after 9:30 P.M.), all at no charge.

Here are some of my other observations from the Draycott Hotel:

Although the hotel felt and looked very English, only one person on staff was from England. All were very friendly. The house manager and my Jamaican maid stood out.

The hotel provides umbrellas if it's raining.

The closest Tube stop is Sloane Square, three blocks away.

Room rates begin approximately at $224 per night

.

For information or reservations, email reservations@draycotthotel.com or call 1-800-747-4942 or 011 44 207 730 6466. The website is Draycotthotel.com.

NEXT WEEK
Next week ?

Page 1 | 2

*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!

Note: This trip was sponsored by Draycott Hotel & British Tourism Board

Copyright 2010 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pictures From

The Trip