When working on my trip to Provence with Meghan, I realized I was going to need to fly through London or Paris since there were no direct flights to any of the southern French airports. Instead of stressing myself out trying to make a connection after an overnight flight, I decided to do a brief stopover in London and stay a couple nights to enjoy my favorite city before jetting off to Provence. In addition to acclimating to the climate change before the biggest part of my trip, this time in London allowed me to catch up with some friends and visit a few of my favorite London spots!
Because it was such a short trip (two nights!), I decided to treat myself with a stay at a hotel I’ve always wanted to experience for myself: the Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone. I’d been to the bar and restaurant a number of times before on previous trips, but had never actually stayed there! Because London is very pricey and Chiltern is a luxury hotel, I booked the smallest room available.
my stay at chiltern firehouse
From the very moment I stepped out of my taxi from Heathrow the service was impeccable. The entire staff is so friendly and eager to assist you, even at 4 in the morning (that’s when I left for the airport Thursday)! I was surprised and delighted to discover the hotel had upgraded me to a SUITE! I’m not sure if they even knew I was a blogger or not, but regardless they chose the right person to upgrade because here I am talking all about it and sharing my experience. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! I didn’t actually find out I’d been upgraded until I was led to my room and told the attendant I hadn’t booked a room this large (I’d seen the photos online), and he delivered the good news. The room was huuuuge, especially for London standards! Giant marble bathroom with TWO vanities, several large closets (they know their audience, amiright?!), and a cute little fireplace I used more than once on my visit. The room was well-appointed and super cozy! While the hotel doesn’t have a gym, there was plenty of space within my hotel room to do my BBG arms workout. It was perfect!
The Chiltern Firehouse restaurant and the hotel bar are two of London’s biggest hot spots. You’ll often see celebs and other big wigs grabbing breakfast on the patio, enjoying dinner in the restaurant or grabbing happy hour in the gorgeous bar! Since it was such a short trip for me, I only managed to grab lunch in the restaurant this time – delicious, per usual. I did order a room service breakfast of a fruit plate and fresh coffee the first morning, and it did not disappoint! One thing I was excited to do as a guest at the hotel was to go to the bar after hours – it is only open to hotel guests after 9pm, so I invited my friend Heather to join me after dinner! While I didn’t stay up this late, the bar was hoppin’ until nearly 4am, according to the front desk when I was checking out. The bar must be sound-proofed, because I heard nothing while I was sleeping upstairs!
Needless to say my whole experience at Chiltern Firehouse was so lovely and I definitely believe it is worth the hype and the price! Plus, Marylebone is such a cool neighborhood – the hotel is just a short walk to Hyde Park, such amazing shopping avenues (Bond! Oxford! Regent!) and a number of fabulous museums (my favorite of which is The Wallace Collection). I highly recommend considering staying at Chiltern Firehouse on your next visit to London!
PS: this was NOT sponsored or comped at all. I booked and paid for the room myself and they just so happened to upgrade me to a bigger room at check-in!
