Days out

Perfect for a family stay in London

May 15, 2008

The Langham on the upper end of Regent Street in London is a hotel with an enviable pedigree.

For more than a century, the landmark hotel has been the number one destination for the great and ushered in the age of the grand hotel in London

More than 140 years later, the hotel has retained all of the great and good features while at the same time, kept pace with the changing times and demands of the modern hotel guest.

During the summer, the hotel has put together a little Prince and Princess package offering the perfect family stay and a base for exploring the capital with a reprieve from the drudge of travelling in and out.

Treating guests like royalty is no idle boast. The crowned heads of Europe stayed at the Langham and the service on offer is second to none.

No hotel without a pool and gym could consider itself a heavy hitter in the fiercely competitive world of central London hotels.

Downstairs in the Langham, the ingenious use of space has created a thoroughly modern pool and gym with the latest equipment.

The pool has dedicated family swimming times, should they want to take the plunge.

The hotel’s location however, means that there are plenty of other distractions a short distance away.

Star treatment

The Little Prince and Princess package offers a choice of family ticket to London Zoo, or a £50 voucher to spend in Hamleys.

The options involve either taking a left or a right hand turn out of the hotel and for many, the difference between Hamleys at the weekend and a zoo will be negligible.

Children might have different ideas however and adults should keep in mind that there are plenty of treats ahead during a stay at the Langham.

On arrival, the family room is equipped with kids’ goodies appropriate to their age.

Such is the service at this famous hotel, every guest can be confident of receiving star treatment. In an instant, the oasis of calm removes the stress of life in the city.

Aside from its heritage, another advantage of staying in the solid seven-storey hotel is the insulation from neighbouring rooms and the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

The deal clincher for any stay at the Langham has to be a meal at the newly-refurbished Landau restaurant.

Every restaurant has raised its game and delivers high quality cuisine but the Landau provides that rare sense of eating as an occasion.

The service and the setting are only second to the food itself. There are several menus to choose from including a grazing menu, which ranges between £55 and £70 and five and eight courses, the a la carte menu and a pre-theatre menu.

There would have to be a pretty impressive West End production to match the theatre and flair of the dishes on offer, with starters including lobster salad, with celeriac, grapes, cardamom mayonnaise and curry spices.

Main courses include Anjou pigeon breast, seared Orkney scallops, saddle of French rabbit and fillet of wild Scottish halibut, each dish prepared in an exquisite way that would bedazzle the most accomplished gourmet.

The whole experience is heightened by the setting of the Landau itself, steeped in history.

Diners tuck into their foie gras and smoked duck in the very room where Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle and a forgotten publisher met and The Sign of Four and the Picture of Dorian Gray was commissioned.

All told, a weekend at the Langham is a combination of old school glamour with some 21st Century style.