Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

Rooms and decor

The hotel sits inside a classic Edwardian building that opened in 1902 as the old Hyde Park Hotel, before Mandarin Oriental bought it in 1996 and renovated it into the 5-star it is now. Inside, the look is contemporary with an Eastern lean, and the giveaway is the Asian-style service that catches small details a Western hotel might miss. The Park-View rooms look straight out over Hyde Park — more than one guest review says the Hyde Park side is the whole reason to book here. Rooms facing the other way look onto Knightsbridge square and the domed roof of Harrods. At the top end, the Royal Suite has a private terrace with a view of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace in the distance.

Food and amenities

The Mandarin Oriental Spa is the headline — 17,000 sq ft with a 17-metre indoor pool, sauna, steam room, Vitality Pool, and an Amethyst Crystal Steam Room that uses real amethyst to throw heat. Heinz Beck at Apsleys serves contemporary Italian food at Michelin level in a Belle Epoque ballroom; Dinner by Heston Blumenthal used to be here and is still missed. The Aubrey is a cocktail bar done as a Japanese izakaya, a different mood from the British heritage bars elsewhere, and the Mandarin Cake Shop pours an afternoon tea that blends East and West. Butler service runs 24 hours for suites, with a Diamond-level concierge.

Location and getting there

The address is 66 Knightsbridge, facing Hyde Park and a 2-minute walk from Harrods. Knightsbridge Tube is the same two minutes away, on the Piccadilly line that runs direct to Heathrow. Buckingham Palace is a 15-minute walk through Hyde Park, the luxury shopping of Sloane Street is within walking distance, and the Victoria & Albert Museum is 10 minutes on foot. For anyone hauling bags back from Harrods, it is hard to beat.

Things to know before booking

Rooms start around $800 a night and run past $3,700 for the top suites, so this is firmly luxury tier. The building is the oldest part of the appeal and the catch — opened in 1902, it is about 70 years older than the Berkeley and Shangri-La. And Knightsbridge traffic peaks at rush hour, roughly 7-9am and 5-7pm, so the street-side rooms pick up noise; ask for a Park-View room if quiet matters.

Our take

Book this one if your London is built around Harrods, Hyde Park and a serious spa day. It scores 9.0/10, and the combination of an Asian-service Mandarin Oriental, a Park-View room over the royal park, and a 2-minute Harrods walk is a specific pitch — you are trading some of the newest hardware for a heritage 1902 address in the best shopping corner of the city.