Home Hotel reviews One Aldwych hotel, London: Covent Garden luxury

One Aldwych hotel, London: Covent Garden luxury

by Sarah Bridge
One Aldwych

A stay at One Aldwych

Hotels in London don’t get more central than One Aldwych, the imposing luxury hotel on The Strand, one of London’s main roads which flows from Trafalgar Square to Aldwych past Covent Garden.

one aldwych exterior

One Aldwych is right at the heart of London’s West End

It’s also the closest hotel to the Lion King at the Lyceum theatre in Covent Garden. I could see the theatre entrance from my bedroom window and it made for a really lively buzz about the area.

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lyceum theatre lion king

The view from my bedroom at One Aldwych hotel in Covent Garden

I peered down on the crowds as people started gathering for the evening’s performance, safe and unseen in my warm sanctuary…that is, until I realised that I was being spied on in turn, by people peeping out of their window at the very top of the theatre. It was time to stop people-watching, and retreat to the One Aldwych spa.

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Where is One Aldwych hotel London?

One Aldwych is situated in the heart of London on The Strand close to Covent Garden, the Strand, Holborn and Trafalgar Square. It’s just around the corner from Waterloo Bridge and nearby tourist attractions include the Lyceum theatre, Royal Opera House, the South Bank and Somerset House.

In spite of being on the corner of one of London’s busiest streets, the hotel itself is an oasis of tranquility, particularly in its subterranean health club and spa which includes an 18-metre swimming pool, a real luxury in a London hotel.

One Aldwych spa

The heated swimming pool at One Aldwych was one of the best hotel pools in London I’ve seen. It was a proper sized pool, not just for plunging but also for swimming, and the many loungers dotted around the edge made it an ideal place in which to relax and recover from jetlag or a hard day’s London shopping.

There were also nice touches such as underwater music, which made me think of the mermaids in Harry Potter, and a massive video screen at the end of the pool which displayed footage of fish and other sea life.

one aldwych indoor swimming pool

You can swim with the fishes, listen to music underwater or just snooze away next to the pool at One Aldwych hotel

one aldwych gym

There is also a well-equipped gym, a sauna, steam room and treatment rooms

Bedrooms at One Aldwych

My room-with-a-theatrical view was immaculate – lovely bed linen, a well-stocked mini bar and room extras such as reading lights, umbrellas, free sweets and a shoe-cleaning service which saw my boots taken away and polished in the time it took me to have a shower.

Book One Aldwych at Booking.com

Visit One Aldwych on Tripadvisor

one aldwych twin bed room

Bedrooms at One Aldwych were large, luxurious and immaculate

There’s free wifi, Smart TVs and tonnes of natural light throughout the hotel.

Afternoon tea at One Aldwych

Afternoon tea is always popular here at One Aldwych and it’s always a good idea to book, and for people looking for a quiet retreat or just some posh cocktails in the heart of the West End, One Aldywch will always be a firm favourite.

Lobby Bar at One Aldwych hotel London

After a very pleasant massage and several trips to the steam room and sauna, it was time to change for pre-dinner cocktails at the high-ceiled, old-style-glamour Lobby Bar, which is also a popular place for afternoon tea and which has been called one of the most beautiful lobby bars in London.

one aldwych lobby bar

The Lobby Bar – perfect for both afternoon tea and evening cocktails

The cocktail list was extensive but not overwhelming, the service quick and friendly, and after very pleasant Martinez and Marguerita cocktails we were given dinner menus for the Indigo restaurant, which floats above the Lobby Bar on a mezzanine floor. (The hotel also has the Axis restaurant, several floors below.)

Indigo at One Aldwych

Located high above the bar, Indigo restaurant has great views of the roads surrounding the hotel, so as you watched the buses wend their way over Waterloo bridge you felt as if you were at the very heart of London but insulated from the associated noise and chaos.

indigo restaurant at one aldwych

One Aldwych’s Indigo restaurant overlooks the Lobby Bar

The menu, along modern European cuisine lines, wasn’t the most innovative but all the classics were there, from smoked salmon starters to chocolate mousse to finish, by way of rib-eye steak, sea bass and lemon sole mains, ranging from £16-£27. It did also offer a ‘create your own salad’ option which was a nice touch.

After starters of smoked salmon blinis (which came with a decent amount of salmon but just two tiny blinis which was slightly unbalanced) and an excellent Colchester crab bruschetta,we had the haunch of Highland venison and and the pot-roasted Yorkshire pheasant.

The meal ended on a strong note with a original-looking Creme Brulee and a Floating Island with pink praline and caramel.

One Aldwych breakfast

Breakfast at One Aldwych included the best Eggs Benedict I have tasted for years, with a deliciously light, toasted muffin and a superbly piquant Hollandaise sauce. Orange juice and coffee exactly how I ordered it were delivered promptly to my table, there was a whole selection of newspapers to choose from and I could see why it is a popular spot for breakfast meetings with the suited City types around me.

Eggs Benedict at One Aldwych

My perfect Eggs Benedict at One Aldwych

one aldwych entrance

The entrance to One Aldwych hotel

Hotel information and to book One Aldwych

One Aldwych, 1 Aldwych, London WC2B 4BZ

Book One Aldwych at Booking.com

Visit One Aldwych on Tripadvisor

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