Mandeville Hotel

Entrance
Once through the Victorian porch of the Mandeville hotel you immediately forget the classic British brick and stucco façade as you are swept into the resolutely contemporary design of the hotel lobby: white marble floor, walls clad in bronze leather and, in the centre of the room, red leather sofas sitting back to back between two mirrored pillars.

The lobby is not actually very large for a 140-room hotel, but there is a constant buzz, especially around the two reception desks between which a beautiful bouquet of flowers sits proud. To the left of entrance is the concierge’s desk leading onto the access to the bar, tearoom and restaurant.

Fresh with a nightclub feel, the deVigne bar makes use of crystal, mirrors, electro pop colours of red, green, yellow and silver and white marble on the floor. The changing colours of the arabesques of the bar frontage and the brown velvet bench seating dotted with cushions, above which hang Tudor-style portraits in clear plastic frames, are the signature features of this cocktail bar, which attracts locals as well as hotel guests.

Sitting on the corner of the building, the deVille restaurant offers a highly original mix of vibrancy and warmth. Against an almost restrained backdrop of large floral print wallpaper in white and brown, beige carpets and nubuck banquettes, come some astonishing pink leather panels, works of art verging on the spatial, mysterious Venetian masks, huge black vases and an orchid hothouse to add a slightly offbeat, sensual note. There is a small sitting area between the bar and restaurant where you can enjoy a pot of tea or why not a class of champagne.

If shopping or the hectic buzz of London have not completely exhausted you, the hotel also has a gym.

The rooms
They are all fairly similar in style, more restrained than the public areas, with a simple, cheerful and extremely relaxing contemporary décor.

Although the décor is based on light neutrals, with beige carpets and fine fibre wallpaper in a shade bordering on gold, the Japanese straw on the wall behind the bed in mauve, pistachio green or a light orange adds a gentle touch of colour, which is continued in the pattern of the curtains and the self-coloured throw covering the white duvet. The cosy feel of the room is reinforced by soft indirect lighting.

The furniture continues the same theme of elegant lines but always with a quirky little detail such as white leather, mirror-framed headboards, low chrome tables, prints from the Jazz Age or mirrors fixed to the fronts of drawers and bedside tables, all contrasting with the dark wood wardrobes and the shiny black mica top of the desk.

The bathrooms, decked out in marble and sand-coloured tiles, are well- equipped and practical with designer fittings.

There is an evening turndown service and light meals are available from room service 24-hours a day.

Room types
The hotel has four types of room: Petite, Superior, Deluxe and Junior Suite.

The Petite rooms are single rooms with a large single bed and are of acceptable size for single rooms in London. Size is what distinguishes the other categories and, from the Deluxe upwards, there is a small sitting area, bathroom with shower and bath, slippers and bathrobe.

Only a few rooms have a mini-bar. The rooms overlook either the road or a fairly uninteresting courtyard and are pretty quiet. Naturally, the rooms on the courtyard side are particularly calm.

Breakfast
Served in the full glamour of the deVille restaurant, there is a choice of continental buffet, traditional English or Champagne Breakfast plus a selection of dishes from the menu, such as eggs Benedict or eggs Florentine. The buffet offers an appetising array of the usual pastries (croissants and pains au chocolat), cured meats, cheeses, muffins, little cakes, fruit and diced fruit, dairy products and cereals. The fruit juice is freshly-squeezed.

The Champagne Breakfast of course comes with a glass of champagne in addition to the traditional fruit juice, toasted muffins, porridge and eggs dishes cooked to order.