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Monday 8 April 2013

The Perfect Staycation - A Weekend of Martinis, Movies and Good Food at One Aldwych


Working as I do most weekends at my supper club or cooking classes, whenever I have a free one, I try to make the most of it. So when I received the latest Fizz & Film program from One Aldwych at the end of last year, I had an idea - I booked myself in.


The Lounge Bar - View from Indigo Restaurant

Private bar & lounge areas for residents only
One Aldwych offers a Film & Fizz film & accommodation package priced from £330 for two people sharing an Aldwych room including the dinner & movie experience and breakfast the following morning.  This includes access to all the facilities of the hotel, including a groovy swimming pool with underwater music, the gym, and the Health Spa, where for an additional fee you can have a whole range of treatments, such as £70 for the blissful hour of body massage I enjoyed.



Over the years I have dined at both of One Aldwych's restaurants, Indigo and Axis, (reviewed here) and have met friends for cocktails on a number of occasions at the Lounge Bar, one of my favourite late-night bars in central London. So I was excited at the prospect of staying the night at the hotel.

Film & Fizz 

The Film & Fizz programme at One Aldwych is priced at £42.50 per person, and includes a movie in the hotel's private luxury cinema and a glass of Lallier Grand Reserve Champagne, followed by a three course dinner.  There is even free popcorn during the screening!



With most London cinemas charging around £14 for a seat (let alone drinks and popcorn), this is  great value considering the five-star location and the good food on offer.


I am a Salty Popcorn man...

Films are popular current releases, and are usually shown on two or three weekends per month, on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6.30pm. Forthcoming screenings include Argo, the Life of Pi and Flight, and you can find out about their full list of showings and book here.

Dinner 

The Film & Fizz deal includes a 3-course dinner at Axis, the hotel's main restaurant. On our visit, as it was the weekend before Christmas, the showing was on Sunday afternoon (we saw the wonderful Miracle on 34th Street), preceded by lunch at Indigo Restaurant.  

We started with Asian spiced crab cakes and eggs Benedict, followed by a 6oz 28-day aged rump steak with hand-cut fries, mushrooms and tomato (for a £4 supplement), and a butternut squash risotto with maple-glazed salsify and sage. 




Having had an enormous breakfast, we were too full to eat dessert after lunch, but there was a good variety available including chocolate, armagnac and prune marquise with salted caramel, or apple and blackberry crumble with custard, lemon tart with crème fraiche, or a fresh fruit salad.



The price also includes a glass of Fizz.  We went for a couple of stiff, very well made Grey Goose Martinis instead.

The Hotel

We had a surprisingly quiet room (given the busy central location) on the top floor of the hotel.  Well appointed, it even had mini-TV screens by the sinks.  Breakfast was good, and we went for the full English option. 




The Health Spa is renowned for its range of treatments. I was lucky enough to be given a voucher for an hour's facial as a birthday present a few years ago, and have been a fan ever since.  So when I booked myself in for the Film & Fizz package, I also ordered an hour's full body massage (£70) which was amazingly relaxing and another highlight of my stay. For a full list of One Aldwych's fabulous treatments, click here (highly recommended).



The hotel also has a very well-equipped gym, and a beautiful swimming pool featuring underwater music, steam and sauna rooms. The facilities were excellent, and membership is available to non-residents for a single annual payment of £1365, or a monthly payment of £125 which in my opinion is good value for facilities of this calibre.





The hotel is currently offering a weekend brunch of two or three courses for £21 or £24 respectively, with an offer of unlimited Prosecco for an additional £14 per person.  

One Aldwych is one of my favourite places in London, be it for films, food, meeting friends or relaxation. Considering it is in the touristic heart of London, it is nice to see that this classy hotel is a haven for true savvy Londoners, as well as visitors.

1 comment:

  1. Wow I never knew they had a cinema there! Might have to pay them a visit sharpish!

    ReplyDelete

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