What a blinding show. What an arresting array. What splendor and opulence. And undeniably distinctive. For L’oscar London is a resort named in honor of Oscar Wilde, the Victorian poet, and playwright.
How efficiently it displays his glamorous pursuit of style and pleasure, his Bohemian and decadent spirit. And all carried out with such romance and such theatre.
Opened two years in the past, the resort is about within the former London headquarters of the Baptist Church in Holborn. In the course of the Second World Conflict its fourth ground was broken by a bomb and by 1961 there have been solely 12 worshippers left. It’s nicely positioned within the coronary heart of London close to iconic landmarks such because the Royal Opera Home and the British Museum and inside simple strolling distance of Theatreland, Covent Backyard, and the West Finish.
Outdoors Union Jack flags flutter, and the resort’s title beckons from above from its neon lighting. A sign of the fabulously flamboyant world awaiting me inside. The unique marble flooring is the canvas on which the imaginative inside has been drafted by Jacques Garcia, the French designer famed for his Hôtel Costes in Paris, La Mamounia in Marrakech, and New York’s NoMad.
The wealthy inside follows a purple and gold theme. What a confection of each Baroque touches and Artwork Deco magnificence.
The ornate plastered ceiling and oak panels have been restored to their authentic glory. There are many silks and velvet in addition to a lot of purples and mustards. Plenty of deep carpets in addition to a lot of tassels and plush furnishings. Assouline and Taschen’s books are scattered right here and there. The lobby has a library, cherubs, and drapes, and the reception desk is backed by a superb display. The dayroom comes with studded panels and a cupboard encased with colourful unique butterflies. All through the inside has distinctive ending.
The 39 bedrooms, with a beginning charge of $690, come as Superior (with a marble toilet), Deluxe (a personal hallway), Junior Suite, and Duplex Studio (on two flooring) in ascending order of grandeur. My bed room had black furnishings, crimson partitions, and a gold headboard as a part of its luxuriant, daring theme.
Crystal hummingbirds swooped round my bed room perched on high of lanterns. The thick drapes that adorned my room gave me a splendidly deep sleep.
The resort’s L’oscar Restaurant continues its theme of opulence and theatricality. My dinner expertise felt each cosy and spacious and its twelve tables are additionally the place breakfast and a bistro-style lunch are held. It’s additionally the place sandwiches, truffles, and scones are served as the normal parts of a quintessential English Afternoon Tea.
Right here an illuminated onyx bar glows from the within and the mirrored ceiling, dotted with lattice orange lights, displays upon the room. It’s filled with potted palms, darkish aubergine chairs with their deep golden backs, and peacock feather cushions. It appeared extremely subtle, like a Parisian café, with its positive bone china and its hollow-stemmed champagne glasses, from which I loved Jeeper Brut Rosé from the proprietor Michel Reynier’s winery. For dinner, I had Cornish crab salad with endive, mango, avocado, and chili which set me up completely for the tuna tartare and crispy nori wearing wasabi soya to observe. It was efficiently paired with a glass of Sauvignon de Touraine, ‘Fleur de Printemps’. The night felt very atmospheric and transported me to a world of regal fantasy.
Up the strong staircase, I went with its seven-story birdcage chandelier and previous the life-size statue of a unadorned woman in full and joyful abandonment. For right here, and hidden away, is the spectacular, hovering octagonal former chapel. It’s now the resort’s cocktail bar, The Baptist, adorned with oak paneling, crackled glass, and plush velvet furnishings. It struck me as an ideal spot for romantic ceremonies and for marriage ceremony receptions. The cocktails have Biblical names and visiting musicians play reside at weekends. Close by people who smoke can discretely get pleasure from their very own small, secret backyard, referred to as Blue Tree as they shelter beneath a copper tree in full blossom.
Oscar Wilde would have appreciated that this place of reverence has now been remodeled right into a lavish boutique resort. He as soon as quipped that moderation was a deadly factor. The resort has taken him actually to make this a luxurious, resplendent feast of superlatives.