More about Athenaeum Hotel and Apartments
Stylish dining on Piccadilly at Athenaeum
by sue_stone about Athenaeum
Athenaeum is a stylish restaurant within The Athenaeum hotel, located on Piccadilly, near to Hyde Park Corner. We dined there one night with friends. It sounded like somewhere a little special, plus they had a good value special offer deal of 3 courses and a glass of champagne for £21 each!
The décor is quite plush, with high back chairs and small circular booths making it a good place for an intimate meal. Service was a bit hit and miss. Started out ok, but just didn't do it for us. We enjoyed our glass of champagne while checking out the menu. To start, Sarah & Steve both had the Mussels cooked in White Wine, Shallots & Crème, while Alex had the Venison & Duck Liver Terrine with Fig Compote. They were all happy enough with the flavours, though it was nothing special.
For main course, Alex, Sarah & I all had the Braised Lamb Shank with Mixed Bean Ragout and Red Wine Sauce, while Steve had the Roast Veal with Green Peppercorn Sauce. The Lamb Shank was actually quite tasty and the beans were delicious.
Dessert for Alex was the Plum & Ginger Crumble with honey ice cream, and Sarah & Steve both had the Bitter Chocolate Tart with vanilla ice cream. The crumble wasn't great, the Choc tart was better.
All in all, although we had a good evening, and some of the food was tasty, I won't be rushing back to Athenaeum.
Prepare yourself...not a rave review !
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at the Athenaeum Hotel on a weekend deal with lastminute for £106 p.p. in February 2005. We were really looking forward to experiencing the 5 Star luxury talked about in most of the reviews...I would have to say the hotel was fine for a weekend break but not deserving of such adulation.
We obviously got one of the rooms used for cheap deals, described by a previous reviewer, as it was small and had a view over a back alley. The bed was a real feather bed and was so comfortable but it was short and our feet did hang off the bottom.
The location is upmarket but dead at weekends, we couldn’t get a beer after 10.30pm and there were no shops nearby for a friend to buy cigarettes.
Checking out on Sunday morning, the receptionist produced a bill for two breakfasts which was something around £35, I think, I was so shocked I didn’t really look at the actual figure, I was just trying to work out how a hotel of this standard can allow this to happen. We certainly didn’t have the breakfasts so someone had given our room number and got free food. I felt I had to defend our integrity and showed my signature was nothing like the squiggle given by the person receiving the food. It was horrible feeling like because we were on a special rate, we would be dishonest! The couple with us stayed in the identical room above us and had their bag rummaged through and left open but thankfully they had used the safe.
The hotel did the job for the rate we paid but that is it! Kensington or Knightsbridge is more suited for a shopper’s weekend.
Lovely London Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member NYGirl76
We stayed at the Athenaeum for a week while in London recently. It was wonderful. The room was clean upon arrival. There were nice touches, such as a towel warmer in the bathroom, good water pressure and consistent temperature in the shower, lights that come on as you enter the room, turn-down service, newspaper delivery and a cute fitness room and jacuzzi with sauna and steam rooms. Donald, the concierge, was most helpful with sightseeing plans and routes. Room service and housekeeping were fast and efficient. We enjoyed a delicious meal in Bulloch's Restaurant and cocktails in the Windsor Lounge. The location was excellent as it was close to the Tube and in a nice neighborhood for walking while not being too noisy or overcrowded. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a nice place to stay while in London.
Five star class
by TripAdvisor Member Kentishlady49
We have stayed at the Athenaeum four times and are heading back soon at the end of November - it is a lovely hotel! We feel at home the moment we walk in the door. The staff are wonderful and everyone remembers us - from the doorman to the maitre d. The facilities are top notch - just how a top class London hotel should be, but without the stuffiness. A great location too - you can walk everywhere. Can't wait to be back on the 26th!
Almost perfect
by TripAdvisor Member Tom_Morgan
WoW! Why isn't this place higher on the list? I stayed here for one night this week doing some business in London. It was almost perfect. I wanted a place that wasn't full of flowers & chintz. The Athenaeum is as sophisticated and stylish as any hotel in the world - the perfect antidote to an overdose of Laura Ashley. Service was excellent.
a treasure of a hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
This is a gem of a hotel. It is a small, boutique hotel that has a prime location - across from Green Park, a short walk to Buckingham Palace and Shepherd's Market. It is located in the area of Mayfair which boasts some of the finest shops, art galleries and antique stores. The service was impeccable from the concierge to the waiters in the restaurants. Our family stayed in the apartments, situated next door to the hotel on a quiet and charming street. The apartment was beautifully appointed with fine English decorations, furnishings and draperies; the television in our living room was large with flat screen and offered many options such as internet access and movie viewing. We saw other apartments that had different decore; one next door had a bachelor theme with modern furniture. Tea is an understated tradition served in the living room area with wonderful delicacies that my nine year old daughter Rachel was delighted with! Breakfast was superb with a range of fresh fruits, baked goods and delicious eggs and omelettes. The whiskey bar was intimate and a great refuge for my husband. I also used the exercise facilities, which while small in size, was adequate. The Athenaeum is highly recommended hotel that is small enough to give its clientele superior service and I will most definitely return!
Fantastic Christmas in London
by A TripAdvisor Member
Everything was better than my family and I expected. We had a magical Christmas (Dec. 2004) at the Athenaeum. In fact, I wanted to go back to London just to stay at the hotel. This was the first time we had our Christmas away from home but we felt so much at home at the Athenaeum. We had a one bedroom apartment which was perfect for our family of four because it has a completely separate bedroom with a king size bed and a very lovely bathroom. The living room is spacious, elegantly decorated, has a queen size sofa bed and with windows look out to a partial park view, not to mention the giant plasma display that my boys loved so much. In fact, my husband and I were able to go for English Tea twice thanks to the DVDs from the front desk. The petite and adorable kitchen has everything to make you feel like home, including a washer/dryer unit to take care of your daily laundry. I used the washer everyday (note: it is better to dry your clothes on a hanger than in the dryer.) We love having our English breakfast (included in the room rate) and our dinner at the restaurant. The food was exceptional and the service was absolutely outstanding. Donald from the concierge is friendly, helpful and humorous. I just wish there are more people like him at other five-star hotels. The compact gym is perfect for exercise and the rest of the spa facilities is very nicely done. We did make full use of it during our eight-day stay at the hotel. Lastly, I got a lot of help from the reservation staff to plan my vacation via email before we arrived London.
First Class
by TripAdvisor Member Tobes01
This is easily the best hotel I've stayed at (Jan 2005) in London. It's small, quiet (despite being on Piccadilly), welcoming, well-appointed and extremely comfortable. Very well worth staying here if you can (currently selling on lastminute for around £120 per night).
Fantastic proper 5 * accomodation
by A TripAdvisor Member
from the moment you enter this hotel you are greeted with a warm welcome.Its not stuffy like other 5 * hotels in London and you are not looked upon like scum if you have jeans on! Would definatly stay again easily the best hotel I have stayed in, in London. 3 minutes walk from Tube station and approx 10 minutes walk from piccadily and 10 minutes from Knightsbridge.Concierge are fantastic and cannot do enough to help.Should be higher up in rank of hotels.
pricey, but worth it
by TripAdvisor Member UrbanStrategist
This is a quiet, sophisticated hotel with a staff that is attentive without being intrusive. The bed was exceptionally comfortable, and the food excellent. I was there in July and the breakfast buffet included a wide choice of fresh, seasonal fruit--uncommon in big-city hotels in my experience. Deals that include breakfast are best, because the menu price is steep. While this is not an inexpensive hotel, there is real value for the price.
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