Elite Traveler Summer 2024

elite traveler SUMMER 2024 137

1 Hotel Mayfair GREEN PARK PENTHOUSE

The antithesis to the city’s old-school glamour, 1 Hotel Mayfair has a style all its own. Decidedly cool and laid-back, the hotel is within walking distance of Green Park, Regent Street and the West End, and so attracts a smorgasbord of guests: fi nance bros, hipsters, well heeled tourists, fashionistas and theater darlings. Remarkably, the eco-conscious hotel has a number of living green walls as well as 1,300 plants, shrubs and trees — there are even plants in the ceiling of the elevator and rosemary growing on one of the suite’s terraces. More greenery can be found in the Signature Suites — the Garden Terrace Suite, a 1,873-sq-ft, one-bedroom haven, is just made for summers in the city. Its 1,097-sq-ft private terrace has an alfresco dining space and huge L-shaped sofas arranged around a trio of woodenco ff ee tables, plus views across the city’s skyline. The Green Park Penthouse is the top key (which is made of wood, in keeping with the hotel’s green ethos) and spans a humongous 2,949 sq ft. Named for the park it overlooks, the suite feels like an extension of the verdant park with its natural color palette, live tree stump bar, raw timber dining table and, of course, even more plants. The one-bedroom penthouse also comes with a two-person sauna and has a stunning double-height living area with a two-sided fi replace and a spacious terrace. Both suites have fi ltered-water taps nestled among a live garden wall; guests receive their own branded water bottle to re fi ll. Be sure to book in at the Bamford Wellness Spa; the Bamford Body Signature Treatment is particularly lovely and features 90 minutes of a plethora of massage techniques (Japanese shiatsu, Swedish and Indian) using a fragrant rosemary oil. (Ask for Grace.) The treatment will leave you feeling remarkably supple and more fl exible — not just immediately after, but for the days following, too. Dovetale, the hotel’s restaurant, is led by Tom Sellers, whose London venue Restaurant Story has two Michelin stars. Order the Burgaud duck tortellini in brodo and the juicy steak; wash it down with one of the cocktails that uses repurposed ingredients — the Purple Roy combines The Macallan 15-year-old Double Cask, Mancino Rosso Amaranto and purple carrot tincture. It’s practically healthy. By Samantha Coles Green Park Penthouse from $18,815 per night. Contact 1hmf-reservations@1hotels.com, +44 203 988 0055, 1hotels.com

Photos Simon Brown