For some, it’s a silk sheeted emperor bed, for others a Lichtenstein painting in the lobby, or edible gold flakes on fancy restaurant entrées. But for me, what makes a hotel truly memorable has nothing to do with what actually goes on inside. You can wave ergonomic pillows and fancy toiletries my way, but I will not be distracted, oh no! I’ve got my eyes fixed firmly out the window.
For me, it’s the view from a hotel that can make or break a holiday. We all know that sinking feeling that descends when you check into your room only to find that the window overlooks the wheelie bins in the car park out the back. A knockout view, on the other hand, can bring unadulterated joy, allowing us to feel as if we’re exploring a destination without having to step out of our room.
As a travel journalist, I have spent the best part of a decade opening my curtains to exciting views. I’ve eaten room service burgers while watching fireworks erupt over Sydney Harbour Bridge. I’ve gawped, foaming toothbrush in hand, at killer whales charging past my window in Canada. I’ve seen the northern lights from bed in Tromsø; I’ve marvelled at the Chrysler Building; I’ve gazed at La Sagrada Familia. All with my nose pressed up against the glass from the comfort of my hotel room.
Lizzie Pook and her husband Rob enjoy the panoramic views over Hyde Park, and the view over Hyde Park from the London Hilton on Park Lane
Most sightseeing happens on foot, of course, or in cars, on boats, or buses. But it can also happen in bed, from an armchair or, for the very brave, from a walk-in shower with glass walls.
It is with this sightseeing ethos in mind that I check into the London Hilton on Park Lane. Overlooking Hyde Park, it’s primely located for the capital’s showstopping views. When I arrive, I have hopes of perhaps spotting a familiar landmark or two, but as the lift climbs steadily towards my room on the ear-popping 27th floor, these hopes sprout wings and soar even higher. And when I stand, slack-jawed, in front of wall-to-wall windows, the iconic skyline stretched out in all its glory, I am as invested in my home city as a Beefeater on a red London bus.
London’s skyline has been changing for centuries, ravaged by wars, fires and plagues, rebuilding itself time and time again. The Hilton on Park Lane was the first skyscraper hotel to be built in the city, and has hosted some of the world’s most famous faces, from Queen Elizabeth II, to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. To look out across the city from here is to stand within history and see the sites of some of London’s most defining events – there’s The Mall, where Charles and Diana paraded in their open carriage after their wedding; the Houses of Parliament, under which Guy Fawkes stashed his 36 barrels of gunpowder. From the right angle, you can even glimpse the manicured grass of Buckingham Palace’s gardens, where the late Queen would walk her corgis and host summer parties.
Looking farther, there are the historic relics of London as it would have been seen by the likes of Charles Dickens and Samuel Pepys: St Paul’s, which was razed to the ground by the Great Fire of 1666 to be redesigned by Christopher Wren; the flinty River Thames, which has snaked through every part of London’s history since the Romans built their first settlements here. Then there are the high and mighty buildings that give modern London its iconic silhouette – the Shard, the London Eye, the Gherkin – rising above all else like architectural giants.
London’s buildings weren’t always so lofty, of course. In fact, until the middle of the 20th century, the city was actually rather flat. In 1894, the London Building Act had been passed prohibiting any building more than 80ft (24 metres) high (the BT Tower stands at 177 metres). The law was initiated after construction of the 100ft high Queen Anne’s Mansions in Westminster, which prompted complaints from, among others, Queen Victoria. She was reportedly unhappy that the high-rise flats blocked her view of the Houses of Parliament from Buckingham Palace. Once the law was relaxed in the 1960s, brutalist, high-rise structures began to shoot up – including the Tower Wing at Guy’s Hospital, which stood as the tallest hospital building in the world at the time.
The 10° Sky Bar, boasting floor-to-ceiling windows, Pook and her husband Rob taking in the sights via telescope, the couple enjoying their time at the Galvin at Windows restaurant, and the impressive seating arrangements at the restaurant
I continued my skyline ogling once night falls and London lights up like a Christmas tree. From the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows restaurant on the 28th floor of the hotel, my husband, Rob, and I drink in the night-time view alongside our dinner of Portland crab and glazed duck – the dome of St Paul’s strikingly illuminated, the carriages of the London Eye glowing purple, the gleaming face of Big Ben watching over everything like a bright harvest moon.
Next door at the 10° Sky Bar, we make the most of the telescope on offer, picking out the individual letters on the Centre Point building and watching theatregoers streaming in and out of West End shows. Watching over London from up high like this makes me feel like someone very powerful indeed – a politician perhaps, or a red-lipped gang matriarch in a slick Sky Atlantic show.
With a view, that exploring doesn’t have to stop if you’re confined to your room by sleepy children or aching feet either.
And while the fancy champagne will run dry eventually and checkout time will always come round in the end, a truly remarkable hotel room view will stay with you forever.
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