Country & Town House magazine | June 2012

Best of British hotels:
The Corinthia, London

In this, the Queen's Diamod Jubilee year, we celebrate the best of British hotels, with a visit to The Corinthia in London's Whitehall. By Laura Ivill.

There’s been a buzz around the Corinthia since it opened in April and the excitement is justly deserved. Spacious, light-filled five-star elegance is hard to resist, but you’ll want to go back for more – to sit again at Massimo’s oyster bar and indulge in the biggest spa in the capital, which envelopes you with the warmth of a pearl.

With £300 million to spend, Corinthia Hotels could afford to get it right, with textured surfaces and artistic touches, but never straying into the overblown - the atrium’s £1m Baccarat crystal chandelier is vast yet simple. The building itself was a dust-covered jewel.

In a quiet location just off Whitehall, a stone’s throw from the river, it was built in 1885 as the Metropole Hotel but lay dormant as offices. What luck when they uncovered the original plasterwork and soaring marble columns.

Now the 294 rooms and suites ooze comfort, and all have bathrooms in white Italian marble with baths, rain showers and TVs. And they want you to indulge – you are free to have your room for a full 24 hours. Even then, you’ll want to go back for more.

Rates from: £450, room only

020 7321 3000; corinthia.com