One Aldwych Hotel, London

As the hotel name suggests it is situated on Aldwych. The location of the hotel could not be better: 20 theatres are within a 10 minute walk, Covent Garden is literally on your doorstep and the shops on the Strand are a 2 minute walk from the hotel.

Not that you would know that you were in the centre of London because as soon as you walk into the hotel you feel like you have entered a haven of tranquility.

The building built in 1907 has 93 rooms and 12 suites.

It was pleasing to be welcomed by the friendly reception staff who did not fall into the trap of addressing me as "how are you guys today?" Which seems to be the norm in some upper class hotels these days. A pleasant "How are you today, sir" seems far more in keeping.

Throughout my stay everyone greeted me by my name which was a nice personal touch.

I stayed in a deluxe room on the 5th floor which meant the room was light and airy and it felt very homely.

The double bed had Italian bed linen and feather and down duvets. The room had a well stocked mini bar, IPad docking station, flat screen TV that was on a swivel so that you could turn the TV around to watch wherever you were in the room, a safe and of course a hotel of this standard had a turn down service with slippers and water provided at night.

The large bathroom had a bath plus a separate shower. Because the hotel receives a lot of overseas visitors they had put in the bathroom a small plastic bag that your toiletries could be placed in when going through airport security. I have never come across this in a hotel before. It is this attention to detail that is standard throughout the hotel.

The hotel also has a florist which you will notice after seeing all the fresh flower arrangements throughout the hotel. There are also about 400 pieces of contemporary art that are evident around the hotel and in the rooms.

The evening meal can be taken in the basque inspired Eneko restaurant which although in the hotel, has its own separate entrance so that it looks like a stand alone restaurant.

Service was top notch. My starter of Beetroot tartare was nicely presented and tasty whilst my main of Trigo - wheat pasta, red pepper sauce, egg yolk and shaved truffle had a very distinctive taste that was unlike anything I have had before. Nevertheless it was a dish that was excellent.

Dessert of Torrija - basque vanilla sponge with caramel crumble ice cream reminded me a little of our own Yorkshire Parkin without the dark treacle. A sweet tasty end to a classy meal.

Breakfast is served in the Indigo restaurant of the hotel and is waiter service. The cooked breakfast was superb and as you might expect attentive service.

If you feel like burning off the calories after all this food then there is a health club in the hotel with a pool, sauna and gym.

For a central location the hotel is in an ideal position. Even though it is a 5 star hotel, it is not stuffy as everyone is so friendly and you can be yourself.

One Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ
Telephone 020 7300 1000
www.onealdwych.com