Flybe / November 2018

24 / 116

24 / Flight Time / NOVEMBER 2018
Take-off / Hotels
If you’re looking for luxury in the Eternal City, the historic Palazzo
Montemartini is an iconic hotel that stands out for its exceptional
elegance and its central location. A Radisson Collection Hotel, it
features 82 stylish rooms and suites, the exclusive Senses Restaurant
& Lounge Bar which offers local flavours and impressive views,
and a luxury spa. Adding to the ambiance are beautiful marble
columns, a central fountain and a peaceful outdoor garden.
With its proud address on Buckingham
Palace Road, The Rubens at the Palace
can feel justified in boasting just a bit of a
swagger. But it achieves in central London
a level of guest intimacy and sense of
belonging that are usually the preserve of
a country house.
At the Rubens, the good things began
at the moment of my arrival – or rather
even before it – as the bright and friendly
receptionist demonstrated an uncanny
knowledge of my likes and dislikes,
including my taste in cocktails and my
preferred newspaper. “It’s all in the guest
preference form you completed, Mr
Abbott,” she reminded me. I had quite
forgotten about that special little touch.
Outside, the hotel reflects its regal
nomination – it’s proud of being the
closest hotel to Buckingham Palace
– while inside it oozes both the best
of modern design and tradition: I
think there was one staff member on
perpetual duty polishing the brass lift
doors.
My room, however, was ultra-
contemporary, though not in the
annoying minimalist sense – and the
décor echoed my favourite colour, as
per the aforementioned preference
form. The bed was sumptuous, the free
Wi-Fi efficient and the iPod station ready
and waiting.
Unusually for a large hotel, each room
is individually decorated, with hand-
picked works of art and antiques.
The Rubens has recast its dining to offer
a choice of the two-Rosette English Grill
and the Curry Room, dishes from Durban’s
Curry Box in the intimate downstairs space
that used to be the Library Restaurant.
Meanwhile, afternoon tea in the Palace
Lounge remains an institution, while the
Cavalry Bar has morphed into the New
York Bar, complementing the brand new
Leopard Bar, with its 200 whiskies and 30
champagnes.
Although the wine list is extensive, the
hotel’s pride is its close association with
the Bouchard Finlayson estate in South
Africa, and I noted that the Rubens charity
arm supports the Amy Biehl Foundation,
which is involved in programmes aimed
at empowering young people from
impoverished townships in that country.
Corporate social responsibility extends
outdoors, where the towering end wall
was both a pioneer of the “living wall”
concept, and, at 350 square metres,
remains one of the largest in the capital.
The Principal Manchester,
formerly The Palace Hotel,
opens to guests this month
following an extensive £25m
renovation. The listed Gothic
Victorian Revival building was
originally designed in 1891
by Alfred Waterhouse, the
architect behind London’s
Natural History Museum, as the
headquarters for The Refuge
Assurance Company.
Many of the 270 guestrooms
contain listed period details,
from wood panelling and
fireplaces to tiled brickwork.
A variety of designs has been
applied to the bedrooms and
suites, all of them referencing
the building’s original purpose,
and making use of the double-
height windows on the lower
floors.
Notable features include
the original marble and bronze
Directors’ staircase and the
vast, neoclassical lobby where
guests arrive under a domed
stained-glass cupola, greeted
by Sophie Dickens’ specially-
commissioned sculpture of
a horse, which occupies the
former turning circle for horse
and carriage.
Housing the largest
hotel ballroom in the north-
west of England, which can
accommodate up to 1,000
seated guests, the hotel’s
largest event space features
an ornate design that has
been lovingly protected
throughout its upgrade.
manchester
M A N C H E S T E R
Take refuge
R O M E
Italian style
A royal
experience
STAN ABBOTT PA ID A VISI T
TO A LONDON HOTEL THAT
PR IDES I TSELF ON I TS REGAL
PEDIGREE…