Staying at the Hilton London Bankside

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently stayed at the Hilton London Bankside hotel for Phil’s birthday.

Location

First of all, I have to tell you about the location. It’s in the heart of Bankside and walking distance to Tate Modern, Borough Market and London Bridge. It’s also near The Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral so it’s ideal if you’re looking to so some exploring. In my opinion, it’s the perfect base for a few days in London.

Design

Hopefully, you can see from the pictures that Hilton London Bankside is a design-led hotel of bronzed metal, glass and layered brick with urban city views.

The exterior is vibrant and eye-catching with bright lights, beautiful flowers and quirky artwork but it’s not OTT either. The perfect combination of sophisticated and fun.

When we walked in, I was drawn immediately to the reception area. It was anything but boring! Gorgeous flowers, marble counters, contemporary colours and lots of comfortable seating.

The room

We were kindly given an Executive Room on the sixth floor, where a bottle of wine and fruit platter was waiting for us. What a lovely welcome. Thank you, Hilton!

The room featured complimentary WiFi (an essential!), executive lounge access, complimentary breakfast, drinks and snacks in the executive lounge, bathrobe and slippers, 47-inch HDTV, ergonomic work desk and chair and a laptop-size safe.

There was also a mini bar and mini refrigerator stocked with complimentary goodies for us, which was another wonderful gesture. Special touches like this made us appreciate what a fantastic hotel we were staying in. The tea and coffee facilities were also excellent.

For me, a good bed is important when it comes to staying in hotels because I want to relax and unwind after a busy day or night out. There’s nothing worse than an uncomfortable bed! Fortunately, the Hilton serenity bed was incredible – like sleeping on a cloud! The turn down service was a luxury too.

Besides the bedroom itself, the other standout feature was the bathroom. It was spacious and sleek with decent
mirrors, great lighting and a range of branded toiletries. There were even speakers so you could listen to the TV whilst showering. Very cool.

Executive lounge

I’d highly recommend upgrading your room if possible, just for access to the executive lounge. It’s worth it! It’s the perfect place to go for peace and quiet. Again, it’s another example of how stylish the hotel is. Breakfast is served in there each morning and you can get refreshments throughout the day.

Breakfast

For me, it’s a deal breaker if a hotel doesn’t have a decent breakfast. It’s part of the experience! A few boxes of cereal and underdone toast just doesn’t cut it. I like to have choice and lots of it! Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry here. The breakfast was phenomenal. Talk about options! There was so much on offer, I’d be listing them all day – you have to see it to believe it.

OXBO

I feel that hotel restaurants can be a let-down sometimes but OXBO certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s a restaurant in its own right with an energetic atmosphere and unique open kitchen concept. We had an amazing 3 course dinner and wine there on Phil’s birthday. It rounded off the celebrations nicely!

To start, I chose the seared spiced scallops with avocado yogurt, palm heart and sweet vinegar peppers. Phil had the Dorset snails with prosciutto and grilled sourdough. Both were delicious!

For the main course, I went for the turbot with asparagus, morel mushrooms and cured ham and Phil opted for the fillet of beef served with a side of fries, vine cherry tomatoes and béarnaise sauce.

We finished with the lemon tart and dark chocolate terrine. My lemon tart with meringue and blueberry ganache was heavenly – anything with edible flowers and I’m sold!

The Distillery

Similarly to OXBO, The Distillery doesn’t feel like a ‘hotel’ bar, it’s a bar that truly stands on its own! Guests, local business people and residents can enjoy light bites and brilliant drinks in a lively, and tasteful setting, no matter what time of day. The bar also serve a range of sharing platters and bar snacks, which we took advantage of. Cocktails and nibbles, what could better?!

Other facilities

Sadly, we didn’t have time to use the heated indoor swimming pool and state-of-the-art fitness studio (we were so busy!) but they looked outstanding. If (when) I go back, I’d definitely make time for them both. I’d also like to try the 24-hour room service, how convenient!

Overall, our stay was exceptional. The location, décor, rooms, facilities and attention to detail were superb and the staff couldn’t do enough for us. Every team member was polite, attentive and professional – a particular mention to Corina who I genuinely looked forward to seeing every day at breakfast. She was helpful, always smiling and made us feel valued. A credit to the hotel!

So, a massive thank you for an incredible stay Hilton London Bankside. I really hope to see you soon!