The Arch London
A luxurious Georgian townhouse hideaway in the heart of central London
By Beverley Uddin-Khandakar
This officially rated five-star property is a regular resident amongst the top 20 luxury hotels in the UK on TripAdvisor and has earned the 2017 Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Award. The hotel is tucked away on a calm residential street in Marylebone, a stone’s throw from Bond Street, Hyde Park and the West End, and spans seven Grade II-listed Georgian townhouses and two mews homes.
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Upon entering reception, a roaring open fireplace provides a warming welcome to travellers. The interior throughout is quietly glamorous, boasting marble and glass, and a specially curated collection of art, including a moving art installation illuminating the reception desk. English heritage is fused with contemporary boutique design, with walls adorned in eye-catching artwork by British talents. The corridors have also been permeated with character, and the black and white ‘Alphatecture’ series of prints span the length of the gallery-inspired hall leading towards the Martini Library.
April/May 2018 | salutions.co.uk
A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ and Pride of Britain, the hotel boasts 82 bedrooms, including eleven sumptuous suites spread over six floors. Floors are considerately numbered 1, 2, 3 and 5, as the number 4 is considered unlucky in Asian cultures. Spacious interconnecting rooms are on offer for families or larger groups.
appetizer, so that we could sample his talents. And delicious it was. We both opted for a starter of Dorset Crab with Braeburn apple, fennel, sesame and poppy seed toast and curry mayonnaise (£9.95), followed by a main of Rose County 28 day-aged Rib-eye, hand-cut chips, grilled mushroom and tomato and béarnaise sauce (£25), plus a side of Spinach (£3.95).
The hotel is dog friendly, with an ethos to treat pooches to the same indulgent experience as their owners – there are luxurious dog beds, bowls and a delicious doggy menu cooked to order by a chef. Dog walking services are also available, allowing owners to relax whilst their furry friends are exploring the 350 acres of nearby Hyde Park.
After a long break and a light, refreshing bottle of Bolla Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene Brut NV IT (£40), we were ‘persuaded’ to indulge in a delicious dessert of Clementine and Gingerbread Trifle and Sticky Toffee Pudding with caramelised banana ice cream (£6.50 each).
The Hunter 486 restaurant is named after the 1950s dialing code for Marylebone and offers a ‘Best of British’ inspired menu, carefully developed by Head Chef Gary Durrant. Our waitress informed us that chef makes the best pizza bases ever, so we asked if he’d make us a garlic bread
We sat in a booth, which was semi-private and makes for a lovely romantic dinner. The waiters are warm, helpful and polite, the food is delicious and the prices reasonable. Hunter 486 has an extensive wine and Champagne list (27 available by the glass)