the Waldorf Hilton London

the Waldorf Hilton London was home the whole time we were in London.  it took me a loooong time to decide on the hotel because I was looking at rates (in our case, how many points it would cost), location, and amenities.  i finally decided on the Waldorf because of it's central location, proximity to restaurants and sights, access to the executive lounge and the indoor swimming pool. 

front of the hotel. (taken from the hotel's website, not my photo)

hotel lobby. pretty small by american standards but the front desk staff were efficient and friendly.
photo from the hotel website

before making the reservation, i sent them an email via facebook and checked with them if they store bags for returning guests and they promptly respond to my question.  they stored a couple of our bags free of charge while we spent several days in paris and they delivered it back to our room after we returned. 

our stay at the hotel included access to the lounge where breakfast, tea, and appetizers/drinks are served in the morning, afternoon, and evening - respectively  (all the food and drinks were included in our rate).  we enjoyed our hot breakfast at the lounge every day.  there was scrambled eggs, English bacon, sausages, pastries, and fruits.  it is the same breakfast every single morning but we weren't there for too long so we didn't mind the lack of day to day variety. 

latte!

the tea service in the afternoon had a beautiful assortment of little sandwiches, scones (i love scones!), and cakes and teas!  i didn't have to pay extra for the English tea experience! 

i wish we took more advantage of the drinks and appetizers in the evening.  beer and wine was free along with a few hot appetizers.  the evenings are also more crowded in the lounge which only seats about 35 to 40 people.  the treats from the lounge must be consumed in the lounge but on our last night in London, there was no room for us to sit so i asked the staff if i can take a couple of glasses of wine to our room instead and she gave me the thumbs up. 

the service at the hotel was great!  the door man always had a smile and a friendly greeting for us.  the concierge and the bellmen were all very helpful and the housekeeping staff kept our room clean.  we left a tip for housekeeping when we left for paris and also when we left to head back home.  we tipped the bellman a couple of pounds for delivering our luggage to the room.  you are not required nor are you expected to tip in Europe but since we are so used to it, we just decided to tip a little bit as appreciation for their hard work. 

the bedroom was spacious and the beds were comfortable

michelle enjoyed hopping from her bed to ours. she can only jump on hotel beds.
bed-jumping not allowed at home.

we used the hotel pool only a couple of times because we were too exhausted from all the walking we did during the day.  the pool also closed early (around 6:30 or 7 pm) which was around the time we got back to the hotel each night after having dinner.  on my first visit to London with a couple of my friends, our hotel also had an indoor pool which was open until 11 pm so each night before bed, we would take a plunge in the pool and relax in the warm water...that was a nice treat.  i hope the waldorf would do the same.  =D

we were not able to take pictures while in the pool
this photo is more beautiful than it actually looks. it was pretty dark in the pool.
photo from the hotel website

over all, i would highly recommend the Waldorf Hilton London.  if you only need to add a few extra dollars for access to the lounge, go for it.  the hearty breakfast we had every morning provided the fuel for our walks and sight seeing throughout the day.  we usually had a late and light lunch while in London.  the tea service was a wonderful treat and the free wine and beer at night will help you relax and sleep well.  

this is bedroom number 2, we spent our last night in london here after we got back from paris.  

this is a little smaller than the first room we used.