By air, by land – London stories and places.
Features reporter Nicole Neugebauer.
We checked in at the “Dukes” a famous James Bond Hotel.
The hotel is located in St James Place, between the grounds of Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly.
This area is one of the most exclusive areas in London and was several time James Bond set.
Take a look: Vesper Martini by 007.
The Piccadilly are itself has lots of shopping with many famous names such as Mason, used by the late Diana Princess of Wales and just on the northern side is the sought after area of Mayfair.
Even closer to the hotel is St James’s Palace (home to the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother. On the other side of St James Palace is Green Park, St James Park and Buckingham Palace. Most of London’s attractions are easily accessible from here, many within walking distance. The hotel is at the West end of Pall Mall while at the East end of pall Mall is Trafalgar Square, famous for Nelsons Column and the now removed pigeons.
This hotel can be a place for a night, a stage for stylish lifestyle, a gourmet’s playground.
Amazing how different this hotel can be.
It provides an intimate, traditional and charming environment (much like a country house) in a prime location.
The Dukes Hotel St James’s feels much like a discreet gentleman’s club and is a modern luxury boutique hotel.
Its just a short walk to London’s nightlife and its theatreland which centres around Piccadilly Circus.
The hotel is in a small and quiet side street that is a dead end, meaning traffic noise is lower than other central areas.
Our bar tip:
Lets go James Bond at The Dukes Bar and try a Bond Martini.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana have been amongst the famous people who have taken Martinis’ here.And by the way, it was in the hotels bar that James Bond author Ian Flemings came up with his legendary bond phrase, “shaken, not stirred” for his Martini.
Just great!
Furnished with velvet sofas with a marble fireplace and mahogany bar top.
Or even better when you are in the mood, enjoy a glass of champagne.
The Bar has some famous cognacs some over 150 years old which have been collected by the hotel. Open to both guests and locals. Furnished with blue velvet chairs and portrait paintings from the hotels collection.
Resto tip:
The “Thirty Six” restaurant:
This restaurant denotes good luck in Chinese astrology and further 36 is the number on Little St. James where the Dukes Hotel has an entrance. The restaurant serves refined, British cuisine where old traditional methods are used to prepare the dishes which are also made with the finest, local ingredients. Its yummy believe us.
If you are bit in tourist mood -The London Eye- is one of the funky iconic sights of London.
The wheel is a metaphor for the turning of the century, there are 32 capsules attached to the wheel which travel gently, each rotation takes 30 minutes in which time you can view a bit of London.
