London Hotel Review: The Halkin by COMO

This is the first in a short series about my travels to London, England.  When I was trying to plan this trip, I Googled “London Hotel Reviews” and came up with very little.  It’s impossible to travel to another country without some scoop on where to stay.  I’m hoping reviews of the three hotels I stayed in will help you in planning your trip to London (someday!)

The Hotel:  The Halkin by COMO

• Location:  The Belgravia district of London… not too far from Harrods and Buckingham Palace.  This quaint, luxury 41 rooms/suites hotel is located off a major road on a quiet side street.  It’s a 45 minute drive from London Heathrow Airport.  Here’s the company I used for airport transportation:  https://www.the-chauffeur-company.co.uk.  I stayed three nights here in early November.  The weather is often rainy at this time of year, but I got lucky- no rain!

The room:  I stayed in a Deluxe Room (shared with a friend):

• The lights, temperature control, privacy sign, service sign etc. are all controlled by an electric panel by the entry door.
• I loved that they have a USA electrical outlet available in the work desk area (since I forgot mine!)
• Housekeeping left us nuts and chips every time they cleaned the room.
• The beds are VERY comfortable.
• The closet is large and lighted.  There is a safe for valuables too.
• The room we stayed in was so quiet that it was really easy to sleep.
• And there are darkening shades you can draw down over the blinds if you really want to sleep!

The living area is opposite the bed.  The room is spacious for two people.  There is an espresso machine in the room along with a writing desk.

The bathroom is large by European standards!  They include fluffy bathrobes and slippers.  A blow dryer is available in the room too.

Here’s what it looks like as you walk down the hallway to your room.  The rooms are “hidden” behind the doors flat to the wall.  You almost don’t even see them!

If you need to have an area to spread out your things or work on a desktop computer and do some printing, this sitting/work area is available on each floor.

The Fitness Room:

• I was so happy to discover such a nice fitness room.  There are treadmills, bikes and elliptical machines.  Every machine is equipped with a fresh towel and a bottle of water for you to enjoy.  There are weights, mats and stability balls in the room too.  A basket of apples is there for the taking, and they have a music station set up so you can turn on tunes while you exercise.

Breakfast:  yes!

• I’m going to talk more about the restaurant in the hotel later in this post.  They do offer a really nice choice of breakfast options in their restaurant (Ametsa).  It’s in a light and bright room lined with windows… overlooking a charming courtyard of the housing complex next door.

The neighborhood:  Belgravia District

• I didn’t really know what would be in this area when I booked my stay at the Halkin.  I’ll just mention that it’s in a great, centralized location of London… close to so many things!  Take a short walk down the street, and you’ll find that this is a really nice area of town.  The apartments are unique and nicely kept.  Green Park, St. James Park and Hyde Park are all within close walking distance.

Harrods is a very short walk from the Halkin.  It was my first time in Harrods… and I so enjoyed looking around.  That’s about all you can do is look around since the prices at Harrods are sky high.  While in London, I learned that there are often celebrity sightings at Harrods… though I didn’t see any.  On their higher end floors, all of the high end designers have their own “room” for shopping.  The shoe department is unlike anything I’ve seen before.  And their Christmas shop was charming.

There is a lovely place to eat lunch in the neighborhood too:  L’ETO Cafe.  We ate here TWICE!  I learned that they have a few locations around the city.  You can order from a menu, but we enjoyed choosing from their array of salads on display.  You can pair a piece of protein like salmon or turkey with your salads.  Their dessert display is amazing too!  We ate outside, and they gave us cozy throws to keep on our laps to keep us warm!  Check out the market next door for more goodies to bring back to the hotel.

The Halkin Hotel’s One Michelin Star Basque Restaurant:  Ametsa

The restaurant is beautiful!

My companion and I chose a tasting menu for our dinner at Ametza.  There were so many delightful bites.  Everything was very interesting and I enjoyed the experience of trying it all.  My absolute favorite thing was the first one pictured here:  Scorpion Fish wrapped in Japanese noodles.  It was quite unique and so good!  For a real treat, check out the Chocolate Truffle Dessert– covered in sugar and dusted with cocoa powder.  I posted a short video of the dessert on my Instagram account (click it to view), and the way they served this dessert is the most fascinating thing to watch!  The whole dinner was an experience that we talked about for days.  So fun!

On our 2nd day at the Halkin, we chose to ride one of the double decker tour buses:  The Big Bus- Hop On Hop Off.  The concierge at the hotel was able to purchase the tickets for us, and we simply walked to one of the pick-up areas.  There was so much traffic while we were there that it was difficult for the bus to get from stop to stop in an efficient manner.  My advice would be to start early in the day so you have enough time to hop off and see things.

A few stops on our bus tour…. Trafalgar Square…

…. the obligatory red telephone booth photo with my friend Sandy…

… fish and chips at The Queen’s Head Pub in the Piccadilly Circus area.  I totally and completely recommend this place for the best fish and chips ever.  We just hopped off the bus in Piccadilly Circus and it was right there off a little side street.

…The Tower Bridge…

…the Tower Castle…

…and the London Eye!  The bus drives right by the other big sights too.  Get off and on the bus at a bunch of designated stops around London.

The Halkin Bar:

• There is an afternoon tea menu, tapas and cocktails.  It seemed to be a good meeting place for business people in the neighborhood.

We enjoyed wine and snacks before heading off to the theater…

… to see Billy Elliot.  We just happened to choose a show at the Victoria Palace Theater, which is very close to the hotel.  If it were summer, we’d have walked it.  Instead we took a short cab ride.  It was an excellent show in a beautiful theater.  I bought tickets online ($100 each).  You can buy tickets much cheaper than that, but these were premium seats directly in front of the stage.  If you are going to a theater that is some distance from the hotel, be sure to plan for enough time to get there (traffic is awful).

On our final day, we walked over to Buckingham Palace (10 minute walk) to watch the changing of the guard.  It’s important to note that everyone who is a tourist in London wants to see this, so go early to get a good viewing spot!  The concierge will help you with timing and directions.

We walked around the neighborhood surrounding Buckingham Palace for a while and found this adorable place.  There are some really quaint residences with pubs and cafes mixed in.  It’s worth the wander.

I sure appreciated that all over London, there are reminders on the ground telling you which way to look before you cross the street!!!

My final thoughts:

I definitely recommend the Halkin by COMO in London.  We were so delightfully surprised with what a nice stay this hotel offers.  The staff is extremely friendly and helpful in every way.  And the location is perfect if you’re there to see the sights!

The Halkin by COMO, Halkin Street, London SW1X 7DJ
https://www.comohotels.com/thehalkin/

Let me know if you try it out!

Disclosure:  The Halkin by COMO provided a complimentary one-night stay + breakfast and dinner so that I would be able to experience the hotel and share my experience with RecipeGirl readers.  I chose to pay for an additional two nights at the hotel. RecipeGirl.com maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for food and travel are entirely my own.