In the heart of London, amongst cobblestoned streets set in a quiet courtyard location in the legal heartland of Fleet Street sits the Apex Temple Court Hotel.
Apex Hotels opened in Edinburgh in 1996 and is an independent family run business with a collection of ten hotels across the UK. This creates a much more personalised experience than you might get from a global hotel chain.
Temple Court is just 10 minutes from Covent Garden and St Paul’s Cathedral; it is the perfect spot for easy transport links into and out of London.
How will you know you are in the right place? The large green elephant outside the reception entrance is a dead giveaway! In fact, I grew quite fond of him during our stay.
The hotel interior is bold with red gloss walls, vivid textiles, stunning light fittings and velvet sofas, showcasing a modern British design. There are plenty of seating areas as well as a bar and restaurant.
Staff were extremely welcoming when we arrived, our room for the night was the Grand Suite. It sounded grand, but nothing prepared us for what was about to be revealed behind the door…
A pretty sweet suite…
With its own lobby entrance, the impressive 115sqm suite is more like an elegant city apartment.
The living area is stylish and contemporary with a huge velvet green sofa, freshly cut orange roses, a kitchen area with a Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine, and a 65” LED TV with Sky.
The green theme continued into the bedroom which came complete with a king-sized bed, luxurious linen, plenty of wardrobe space and just in case one wasn’t enough, another 65” LED TV.
Lastly, the marble bathroom comprises of a walk in rain shower with three settings, large bathtub, a range of gorgeous smelling Temple products and a state of the art non-steam vanity mirror with its own TV built into it, what more could you need from a bathroom? The only down side… it took my husband even longer to get ready with the TV on!
Also included with a stay in the suite is the option of an in-room continental breakfast and a key card to the club lounge where drinks and snacks are available within the room rate.
Lazy Ballerinas…
A short walk across the quaint courtyard sits the Amicable Society of Lazy Ballerinas.
We couldn’t take our eyes off the original stunning marble walls.
Although seven months pregnant, and disappointingly not being able to sample any wine, my husband Sam was only too happy to help and stepped in.
He had a wine flight consisting of a trio of white wines, which included Vinho Verde, Picpoul de Pinet and a Sauvignon Blanc, whilst I sipped on a Seedslip cocktail. This was followed by a selection of small plate food from the menu.
Using simple, quality ingredients three small plates per person are usually recommended. There is also an artisan cheese selection and charcuterie for those who would like something a little more special.
We selected the tomato bruschetta with basil, olive oil, shaved fennel and courgette with lemon, mint & chilli, salt-baked beetroot carpaccio with goats curd, toasted hazelnuts, hand-picked crab with herb mayonnaise and melba toast and the octopus sweet potato mash & smoked paprika.
It’s my favourite kind of eating, perfect for picking and sipping. These dishes were flavoursome, fresh and definitely moreish!
My only regret was not being able to try a dessert – they sounded mouth-watering, however we had a date at the Apollo Theatre in Victoria to see a performance of Wicked, booked with buyagift.com and time escaped us.
Lazy Ballerinas is the perfect place to escape for an afternoon or evening drink and snack and is open Monday to Friday from 12pm.
There are also two private rooms for functions and meetings and it has its very own wine cellar, once a bank vault! There is a lot of history in this venue!
During the summer they will have the addition of al fresco space in the courtyard where the team will be serving up your favourite wines of the world under an enchanting grape vine pergola.
Now that was a good nights sleep…
After a fabulous evening at the theatre, it was time for bed. The room had been turned down and we were left some fresh fruit and some Walkers Shortbread Biscuits.
It had been a very long day and I couldn’t wait to jump in the shower, but once in I didn’t want to get out!
As I managed to tear myself away, I chucked on one of the white fluffy dressing gowns, and whilst watching a movie, I gave myself a little pamper session with the Temple products available.
A spritz of room fragrance set the mood, followed by a facial cleanse and peppermint foot rub for my swollen ankles.
I drifted into the bedroom feeling refreshed and hopped into bed. As my skin made contact with the softest bed sheets I have ever felt, I was gone. It was (and I have never said this yet) the most luxurious nights sleep I have yet to have in a hotel room.
Bring on breakfast…
Breakfast is always one of my favourite parts of a hotel stay. We ate in the restaurant but also had the option to eat in the club lounge for a little more privacy as part of our package.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast starting with a granola and compote yogurt from the breakfast bar followed by scrambled eggs on toast and an omelette.
Service was quick and before we knew it, it was time to leave.
The Verdict…
If you’re thinking of heading to London, Apex Temple Court Hotel has a range of rooms, 184 to be exact, starting from £128 per night. You will be impressed with the personal service and little touches during your stay.
For that extra special occasion I would definitely recommend one of the Suites.
We really didn’t want to leave, which is always a good sign. Having enjoyed our stay so much, perhaps next time we will check out one of the other nine Apex Hotels.
Apex Temple Court Hotel
1-2 Serjeant’s Inn, Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1LL, England.
020 3004 4141
Website: apexhotels.co.uk
Lazy Ballerinas
50 Fleet St, Temple, London EC4Y 1BQ
020 3617 0067
Website: lazyballerinas.co.uk/
