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RED CARNATION
Instead of going straight to the airport and back to North America, Natalie and I extended our trip so we could spend the weekend in London. We checked into The Montague on the Gardens Hotel. It's run by the South African-owned Red Carnation Group, which owns and manages luxury boutique hotels around the world many of which I've been fortunate enough to stay at, like Hotel 41, The Milestone Hotel and Egerton House.

THE MONTAGUE
The Montague on the Gardens Hotel has 100 guest rooms and suites all in a beautiful Georgian townhouse in the heart of Bloomsbury, the traditional haunt of London's literary set. The rooms are small but cozy and what sets this hotel apart, other than being a good value, is their incredible personal service. When we needed a taxi, the bellman ran down the deserted street to hail us one and if it was raining, they would lend us an umbrella.



THE ROOMS
Each room is individually decorated and furnished with hand-crafted furniture, including original bedposts and mirrors. Our room had a high ceiling and an unexpected decor. The walls were upholstered with black and white stripes, there was a 26-inch flat screen TV, three phones, U.K./Europe/U.S.A. electrical outlets, free Wi-Fi, a drawer filled with useful office supplies (scissors, stapler, elastic band, highlighter, ruler ...) and a marble bathroom with deluxe toiletries and a rain showerhead.

IMPROVEMENTS
I'm not a fan of the chic, half-glass shower doors since they usually cause water to flow all over the place but that didn't happen here. Though, I did keep thinking the glass was going to break and cut me but that didn't happen either. Also, the toilets are old-fashioned and needed to be hand pumped to flush once in a while, which was kind of tricky but gave the room character. The bed and bedding are beautiful but ours could have used a new mattress and they need to get rid of the old-style comforters since they probably aren't cleaned often … but who knows?

DINING
We didn't dine al fresco at the hotel's restaurant, The Terrace and Wood Deck or have traditional afternoon tea in the drawing room but we did have breakfast each morning since it was included in our daily rate. Breakfast was very English and we loved it. The friendly staff brings not only tea or coffee to the table, but toast (brown or white) with lovely jams to spread. Guests go to the buffet and fill their plates with fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, hash browns, etc.

OVERALL
Overall, we were huge fans of The Montague and so were the guests we met (most were from France). The location is perfect, adjacent to the British Museum, a short walk to the narrow streets of Soho, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and the West End theatres. I look forward to going back. FYI: Russell Square is the closest tube stop. The Montague on the Gardens, 15 Montague Street, London WC1B 5BJ, United Kingdom; Tel: +44 (0) 20 7637 1001.

BRITISH MUSEUM
With the British Museum situated just across the street, we had no excuse for not visiting. On top of that, like most London museums, admission is free! The museum has over seven million objects representing the rich history of human cultures so visitors can clearly see the history of what it is to be human. The highlight for me was the Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian artifact, which was the key to unlocking Egyptian hieroglyphics. We could have spent hours in there and since it was so close (and free!) we did make a couple of appearances. For more on Rosetta Stone, click here. The British Museum is open every day from 10am to 5:30pm (and open later on Thursdays and Fridays). They have lots of exhibitions and when we were there, we saw an Odissi dance. To find out what's on when you visit, click here.

NEXT WEEK
Next week - New York City and ...?

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Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Heathrow Express, The Athenaeum and The Montague on the Gardens.





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