Mr P is of the “work hard, play hard” school of thought, and my goodness, he works harder than anyone I know. He also spends more than anyone I know too. It’s oodles of fun being married to him because I don’t have the “work hard” part of the deal, but I always hang around for play time, n’est-ce pas? And birthdays? Well around here, birthdays= a good time indeed! We love staying at a fabulous hotel for our birthday festivities, so when the Savoy Hotel recently had a grand reopening after a £200 million renovation, it was the obvious choice. We booked ourselves in for two nights at one of the Edwardian suites. So come on my daaaaaaahlings, join us for a little birthday celebration…
For decades, the guest list at the Savoy read like the Who’s Who of Hollywood. Everyone stayed at the hotel, from Errol Flynn, Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor to Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles. Surely a housewife with delusions of grandeur and her uber picky husband should fit right in. I am, after all, the model guest (some might even say, a “supermodel”). Some of those guests, however, did bring their share of scandal. Elton John flooded his room when he let his bath tub overflow, and Marilyn Monroe…
Psssst… Marilyn daaaaaahling… booby spillage. This dress she wore to the Savoy caused a huge scandal at the time.
This housewife, however, knows how to act in a fine hotel. That is why I tried really hard not to whoop for joy when we were brought to our suite of pale yellow rooms by our lovely personal butter, and he offered to serve us tea and treats to help us get acclimated to our set of rooms. Yes, please!!! The darling man brought us up a sweet little tea service which included some fresh cookies and mince pies (it was Christmas time). Oh yes, this was something I could definitely get used to! Mr P and I have stayed at some really fab places, and I can tell you from the moment we got into the hotel, the personal service we received made this an absolutely exemplary stay. We had a butler before when we were staying at the Connaught last summer for my birthday, but we never saw him. Here, the butlers come and introduce themselves to you, they bring you snacks, they make pleasant small talk with you, and if you call a taxi, they even come to your room to escort you downstairs when your car arrives. It was marvelous. Every housewife should have a butler (especially if your husband is like mine and refuses to even butter his own toast). I think that’s going to go on my next year’s gift list. Yes, I want a butler trained in the intricacies of Indian street food so that I can have delicious chai, crispy samosas and mouth watering peshwari naan on tap. If he also happens to be skilled in making delectable gulab jamuns, so be it, but I am afraid that might put a cramp in my Operation: Supermodel plan. Every day he can greet me with the following comment: “Oh, Mrs Housewife, you are looking particularly slim and beautiful today! Can I offer you some freshly fried samosas and chai? You are looking too skinny.” My house is small, but I may be able to fit him inside my larder if I throw out my huge collection of fancy pants jams. What do you think, good idea?
This was our lounge area. The room is outfited with a desk area, a fireplace, and some beautiful period features which were kept intact during the refurbishment. The following is a detail of the fireplace:
Hey we are about to have tea, leave your crack alone. Go wash your hands now!
Luckily the bathroom has loads of gorgeous Miller Harris stuff to wash up with. I’ve got to be honest with you, I brought most of those goodies home (okay, I mean all of them). These amenities at the Savoy far out-shadow any of the toiletries I’ve “acquired” from the other fine hotels I’ve visited. In my book, they get major brownie points for that. I wonder if I will ever get to a point where I no longer feel the compulsion to take all the bath treats home with me and just use them in the hotel as they are meant to be enjoyed. Do you collect hotel bathroom goodies too? I’ve got a whole stash of the stuff. It is ever so slightly embarrassing.
These beauties came home with me 
.
But don’t worry, I had plenty of luxury bath time and shower time. I simply love bathing. I just used my own products LOL.
After a hot bath, there’s nothing so nice as a leisurely nap. Here is a photo of our bedroom:
There’s a lot you can’t see here though, like the super big closets with light sensors that come on when you are near, the flat screen TV, and the vanity.
Of course, I wouldn’t come to a grand hotel and not partake in my all time favorite sport: afternoon tea. Let’s go downstairs and get our tea on, shall we?
This is the entry hall to the Thames Foyer, where afternoon tea is served. They have a little shop there called Savoy Tea where you can buy little tea treats.
These are the lush surrounds of the afternoon tea, where sophisticated and super beautiful housewives can eat truckloads of food while pretending they are elegant:
If there is one thing that lets the Savoy down, it’s the food. I tried a few things during my two day stay: snacks at the Savoy Tea shop, room service, and breakfast. Breakfast was a huge disappointment. The breakfast pastries I got were tasteless and you could tell they weren’t fresh, not what I was expecting from such a grand hotel. The few cookies and the macaron (the same one which you see pictured below) that I bought from the Savoy Tea were really underwhelming too. So when it was time for afternoon tea, I actually considered cancelling it. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty as I usually do when dissecting afternoon tea, because the food was not incredibly memorable. It was tasty, but it was not memorable. The scones were very pleasant indeed, but the sandwiches were on the bland side. What was special were the comfy chairs, the plush yet subdued environment, the live piano music, and the excellent service of the wait staff who kept offering to refill our tea stand with goodies. In my book, however, the afternoon tea only rated a 6/10. Despite that, I ate like a freaking trucker. Why do I do that? There’s only one reason I guess: because I can. This is why I should NEVER be allowed to set foot into any all-you-can-eat establishment. I literally will eat all I can eat. I will eat until I am rolling around the floor and gasping for breath. My name is Heavenly Housewife, and I am most definitely a nom-nomaholic.
The petit fours and cakes looked better than they tasted. On top, was my favourite of the treats segment of afternoon tea, a yummy apple cinnamon cake. Below that there are a few petit fours: a glazed chestnut and praline mille-feuille, a gingerbread and candied orange macaron, and a mini mince pie. Lastly, you can see a very striking rich chocolate and pistachio mascarpone cake. Unfortunately, after a few bites, that one got a bit sickly.
As far as afternoon tea is concerned, there were some hits and misses. Despite me not liking everything, I did leave feeling very full and happy… until about an hour later when the sugar coma took hold, rendering me completely immobile LOL.
The Savoy was a huge success with Mr P. It is now his favorite hotel. I am sure the Savoy will be very pleased to read that they can now add his royal warrant to their list of illustrious patrons. He is already planning his next visit, and anxiously anticipating getting another shoe shine (yes, really!). As a whole, a weekend at the Savoy is a marvelous experience. It is the place to go if you want to feel encapsulated in your own little bubble of luxury… you just might want to bring your own snacks .
The room looks amazing! too bad the food wasn’t great.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Tuesday!
Such a bummer with the food, but that hotel looks phenomenal! Your room looks fantastic and so glad you and Mr P had a great time for his birthday!
Happy Birthday to Mr. P…What a divine weekend!
I just kept staring at the black and white floor, the fabulous furnishings, soft blue plates, yellow walls, silver cake stand….all the things I just adore in design. I love glam mixed with antiques and a splash of something modern like the gorgeous black in the room with tea. It is so beautiful. Too bad about the food but with that beauty it is worth a ‘6′ rating. Yes I too love to bring home the toiletries, I have large glass apothecary style jars & baskets filled with them..brings back the memories when I look at them.
Have a lovely week
xx
Bunny
Beautiful photos…love it…sorry that you did not like the food. Happy Birthday to Mr. P!
Mmm just so envious.
HH I think you should send them photo’s of your afternoon tea – I think visually my expectation levels would be higher for the Savoy. Did you forgive them?
The weekend must have been a dream.
A very very Happy Birthday to Mr.P!
A grand and and dream destination to make memories!
Oh, so lovely. Like you, I have quite a stash of hotel toiletries. I just love them. I keep them in a jar and when have overnight guests, voila! they have their own personal items.
Happiest of Birthdays to your hubby!
We are heading to London from NY next weekend and were considering the savoy, but think we’ve plumped for the metropolitan instead – lunch at scotts – not quite tea at the savoy but still….
gosh i haven’t seen miller harris products since i was a wee one! what memories come flooding back. wow. fabulous post darling. just love it.
Savoy is such a luxurious hotel! I remember passing by the one in Paris and thinking Oh La La! Too bad that the food and teas were less than superb, but it sounds like those factors are forgivable.
OMG That room is amazing! I am jealous and I need to find a rich husband now.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience at the Savoy – what a beautiful place even if the food wasn’t exactly all that! I, too, always abscond with whatever toiletries are not nailed down and I just love Miller Harris products. I’m glad to hear Mr. P enjoyed his birthday weekend – love how you two roll!
Now, THAT is one glam time. Thanks for sharing it all. I feel like I’m almost there amid all that elegance and refinement. Ahh, if only!
What a wonderful place to stay in!! The room is big, pretty & looks just STUNNING, my dear!!! What a glamorous place!!! Lucky husband!
Too bad that the food & desserts weren’t up to scratch!! Maybe, you will have better look next time,…A Happy Belated Birhday to your husband!