"Quintessentially London, the handsome building overlooks a luscious garden square in Clerkenwell, set back from the busy city."
Malmaison London scores points for location. This luxury hotel is housed in a handsome red brick building and overlooks a garden square instead of the usual busy London street. Walk in through the big glass and there are showy velvet sofas, extravagant arrangements of orchids and a bank of clean-cut, black-suited reception staff. The luxury hotel is immediately and comfortingly Malmaison. It is efficient without being clinical, colourful but not flamboyant and functional but stylish.
The facilities
Downstairs at the Malmaison London there’s a smart contemporary basement bar and brasserie, flooded with natural light from huge skylights. A raised section of the room can be closed off with glass doors and curtains to provide a wonderful private dining room. Cocktails are served at moodily lit, high-backed black leather banquettes. Behind one large glass wall is the cellar: all the Malmaison luxury hotels pride themselves on taking food and drink very seriously, as the wine list here will testify.
The rooms
All of the 97 rooms at this luxury hotel are remarkably spacious for London, from the warehouse-sized lobby to a standard double that you could turn cartwheels in. Superior doubles are even bigger. They all face over the square and all have proper double beds, instead of boring ziplock twins. Other than that, there’s no difference between the two, with standard amenities in all of Malmaison’s rooms.
The boutique rooms are definitely built for comfort – they are detailed and well planned. Colours are muted, with the occasional lavish splash – bordello red in a wall recess, velvet chaise-lounges and lighting is clever. Beds have Frette linen and smart patterned velvet headboards that extend halfway up the walls. Bathrooms are compact but well laid-out and with separate walk-in showers, everything that you could need is to hand.
This is a luxury hotel to keep just about everyone happy, and indeed it attracts all kinds. From the businessmen, the occasional well-heeled reveller to the famous DJ-ing face from the two big London nightclubs that are a cab ride away. As well as tourists who have stumbled out of the West End and onto a good thing.
Star rating:
Address: 18-21 Charterhouse Square, London, England, United Kingdom EC1M 6AH
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Address: 18-21 Charterhouse Square, London, England, United Kingdom EC1M 6AH
Rates from:
GBP 147
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Who stays here
This hotel is perfect for business travellers, but also well-heeled tourists.
Come for
- Fun and funky chic on a budget
- The safes that automatically charge your laptops
- Many doubles are particularly large
Not suitable for
- The West End
- Traditionalists
Children
Malmaison will provide provide extra cots in the room for children, and offers interconnecting rooms for families.
Eating in
Sleek, modern and striking, the Malmaison Brasserie serves good, classic brasserie dishes. It's bright and buzzy at lunch and moodier and more romantic in the evening.
