Sea Containers London
"How did it strike you on arrival?The hotel is a glamorous riot of copper and brass marooned on the South Bank. The location is extraordinary—you can tick off Tate Modern and The London Eye before the rest of the tourists have finished their morning tea and toast. Upon arrival, you get the message that this is a hotel that doesn’t take itself too seriously—a great copper hull, based on the 19th-century clipper the Cutty Sark, has crashed into reception, which is next door to Lyaness bar with mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana A.K.A Mr Lyan at the helm. Nice. What’s the crowd like?A mixed bag of pleasure-seekers and pretend work-trippers. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.Roughly a third of the 359 rooms have river views. The cabin-style standard rooms are snug, but they’ve been cleverly designed with plenty of room for your things as well as a Tom Dixon chair. The grey and hot pink color scheme remains the same through all room categories, but furnishings get increasingly exciting, with copper pendant lights and the like in suites. Please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.Slick monochrome bathrooms have rain showers. Suites also come with a freestanding bath. Maybe the most important topic of all: Wi-Fi. What’s the word?Free. Anything stand out about other services and features? Whether it’s childcare, gyms, spas, even parking—whatever stuck with you.The basement Agua Spa is a dream, with a bathhouse-style thermal suite and treatments from a library of wellness approaches to pick from. The restaurant is relaxingly informal, and drinking in the rooftop bar, 12th Knot, feels like partying on the deck of a ship. Bottom line: worth it, and why?Sea Containers doesn't look like anywhere else—it's glamorous without being pretentious." - Laura Goulden
