insideKENT Magazine Issue 81 - December 2018 | Page 106

GETAWAYS
Quite possibly the perfect luxury hotel…
BULGARI HOTEL LONDON
I ALWAYS FIND IT INTERESTING – AMAZING EVEN – WHEN BRANDS MANAGE TO BRANCH OUT INTO
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SECTORS, AND MAKE A SUCCESS OF EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH. IT’S
ESPECIALLY IMPRESSIVE WHEN THESE BRANDS START NEW VENTURES AND EVERYONE THINKS, AH
YES, THAT MAKES SENSE. TAKE VIRGIN FOR EXAMPLE. MUSIC, AIRLINE, BROADBAND, SPACE TRAVEL.
FOR A MILLION REASONS, IT WORKS.
THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR BULGARI. IT ALL STARTED IN ROME IN 1884, WHEN A SILVERSMITH
NAMED SOTIRIOS BULGARI OPENED HIS FIRST STORE ON VIA SISTINA 85. SINCE THEN, THE BRAND
HAS GROWN INTO A WORLD-RENOWNED LUXURY JEWELLERY AND ACCESSORY DESIGNER,
WATCHMAKER AND PERFUMER; AND STARTING WITH ITS FLAGSHIP MILAN HOTEL OPENED IN 2004,
BULGARI HAS VENTURED INTO A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF LUXURY. AND WHAT A LUCKY BUNCH
WE ARE TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE THIRD IN THEIR FAST-GROWING FIVE-STAR HOTEL COLLECTION,
JUST A QUICK TRAIN JOURNEY AWAY IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE, LONDON. by Donna Martin
With only 85 rooms and suites, the Bulgari
Hotel London is quite small compared to other
luxury London hotels (the Savoy having 268
rooms and suites, the Dorchester 299). Because
of its size, I felt like everything was just a little
less rushed, and I was just a little more
important. Oh go on, admit it. You like to feel
important too every once in a while.
The hotel has nailed the whole ‘unpretentious
luxury’ thing, which I must say was surprising
for a hotel of its stature. When you think of
Bulgari, images of famous celebs, expensive
Champagne, posh parties and gigantic jewels
come to mind; but the hotel is fabulously un-
blingy – almost masculine – with rich colour
schemes, swanky wood panelling lining the
walls (there isn’t a single painted wall in the
entire hotel), sumptuous textures and lots of
comfortable touches. The only ‘bling’ you’ll
find are sneaky little shouts out to Bulgari’s
silversmithing history, like the bedside lamps
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that were designed to mimic some of Bulgari’s
original silver candelabras.
We stayed in Bulgari Suite II, an enormous
suite featuring a double-sided fireplace, dining
room, kitchen, freestanding bath and walk-in
shower surrounded by Marquina marble,
separate dressing area and bedroom, full bar
and even a library. It was one of those
rooms where you honestly don’t see the point
of going anywhere else during your entire
stay, but alas, we had to leave eventually; there
was glorious food to eat and relaxing massages
to be had!
The hotel was built from the ground up, or
more specifically, the underground up, as it
extends five floors under street level where
the spectacular spa can be found. It seems
unsuspecting enough when you walk into the
Bulgari Spa lobby, until you turn the corner
and spot the crowning glory of the hotel: the
25m swimming pool lined in shimmering
green, and the vitality pool covered in gold
leaf tiles. It’s one of the largest and most
exclusive spas in central London, and I’m sure
will squeeze a ‘wow’ out of even the most stoic
customer. My hour-long personalised ESPA
massage was just what I needed to get me
into the right frame of mind to enjoy the rest
of what Bulgari London has to offer.
Of course I could only be talking about the
food and drink. The hotel’s glamorous Il Bar
was my first port of call after a lovely steam
shower in my suite, where I sipped on a
Bulgari Cocktail (Bombay Sapphire, Aperol,
fresh orange juice, pineapple and lime juice)
while also drinking in the atmosphere, waiting
for my 8pm reservation at Rivea London.
Rivea by Alain Ducasse “reveals the pleasure
of simple things from the French and Italian
Rivieras,” (as Alain himself explains). The menu
has been inspired from Alain’s travels to the