WHAT singles out the Milestone Hotel from a clutch of other five star luxury London hotels is the staff. Two to one ratio is amazing, but what really stands out is not quantity but quality.
From the beaming butler who showed us to our junior suite, the chatty barman who dispensed cocktails and nightcaps with panache, the wise waiter who knew exactly what time we had before our show started, the smiley Spanish waitress who served our full English breakfast – including baked beans and black pudding – and the canny concierge working out the best route to avoid those dreaded planned weekend engineering works on the railways to the Usain Bolt of a doorman who chased me down the street when I’d forgotten something at check-out, all are at the top of their game.
And then there are those lovely if eccentric touches: traditional wrapped sweeties on the dining table, a regular treat of prunes by the bedside – much healthier than chocolates, a gift of sandalwood soap and a little savoury dish on our return from the Royal Albert Hall.
Sumptuous Grand Master Suite; below, a Deluxe King
If only we could have spent more time in our suite with its silvery grey and crimson décor and luxurious fur throw under which to snuggle as we drifted into dreamless sleep on down pillows
But we were on a mission to attend an evening performance of the spectacular Cirque Du Soleil-Kooza down the road at the Royal Albert Hall, one of the many packages dreamed up the Milestone Hotel to enhance a stay in the centre of London, in pole position for culture, retail therapy and Kensington Palace and Gardens.
Upcoming treats include learning how to slice the cork off a Champagne bottle with a sword and lessons on English etiquette. For royal baby watchers there’s a Babymoon offer – running till the end of April – for expectant parents to soak up some spa action and enjoy a show during their stay opposite the royal apartment at Kensington Palace where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge await the springtime birth of their second child.
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Fact file
Gill stayed at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington, London, located opposite Kensington Palace and Gardens and within close proximity to the Royal Albert Hall. Rates for a Superior Queen room start from £354 per room per night.
A SPECIAL BABYMOON PACKAGE
In anticipation of the next royal baby, the Milestone is offering expecting parents a special Babymoon package. Expectant parents can enjoy time to relax in preparation of their new arrival in the luxurious comfort – in a location opposite Kensington Palace and Gardens.
This offer includes:
A two night stay in a Deluxe King Room (overlooking the Palace, subject to availability); full English breakfast daily; chauffeur car transfer to and from the airport; a tour of Kensington Palace for two people; shopping vouchers to the value of £100 for The Little White Company; Royal Afternoon Tea for two (inc half bottle Champagne); a 90 minute spa treatment for the expectant mother; table d'hote dinner for two in Cheneston's Restaurant; two tickets to a show at the Royal Albert Hall (subject to Hall programme and availability with advance booking essential); after your baby has arrived, return for a future stay and receive a complimentary upgrade to a spacious family room.
Prices start from £1,750 (incl. VAT) based on two adults sharing a Deluxe King room for two nights. Additional nights would be at the hotel’s Best Available Rate. Terms and conditions and black-out dates apply. Valid for stays until April 30, 2015.
