Le Méridien Piccadilly

It's true, no one needs to spend this much on a hotel - believe me, I know this. I've camped in my day, I've stayed in hostels, and I've couchsurfed. I am not a snob.

But neither, I believe, should we be REVERSE snobs.

Sometimes, having a bit of time in a really, really nice environment can be so nice, and really do you good. It can add to your trip. It can give you a beautiful and quiet and peaceful place to think and rest, and it can remind you that regardless of all the craziness in your normal life, regardless of how much time you spend kissing up to your crazy boss, lugging kitty litter down a flight of steps and around a corner to a dumpster, biting your tongue, telling yourself no at the grocery store to simple things like nice coffee or smoked salmon for a bagel... ok, maybe I'm getting too personal here. But the point is this; there are a lot of disappointments in life. So every blue moon...

Splurge.

When I first walked into this hotel, I wasn't too impressed yet; sure, the lobby was fantastic, but so many lobbies are, and are not necessarily a precursor for the room or service to come. But here, this was not the case.

The room was so beautiful, and the bed was enormous. Simple huge, to a point against logic. The window opened a bit, and there were two lovely reading chairs, that over the course of the week I spend many a happy hour in doing just that.

The bathroom was fantastic. The heated towel racks kept everything nice and warm, so that after every shower you could dry off with perfect towels, hot and soft. Heaven.

The housekeeping and evening turndown services were fabulous, and the people that worked in the departments lovely. I enjoyed speaking and getting to know them all over the course of the week. Also, in keeping with the Starwood policy, you can let them know if you need new sheets or towels that day or not, so as to not be a part of wasting more water than is necessary as a longer term guest. I like that.

I also enjoyed the Mezzanine Lounge; this floor is open air onto the lobby below, as you watch people under you come and go... a great place to sit down with a highly overpriced pot of fantastic tea, smoke some fags, read more of your mystery book, and revel in the peace of it all.

Everyone was amazing that worked here. The people in the Lower Bar, the people at the front desk, all three Doormen, the two Concierge ... the people in the Mezzanine Lounge, and the housekeeping staff. I enjoyed them all.

While the area is right in the heart of a lot of the tourist things, there are some fine and reasonable places to eat, drink, etc. very close by that the tourist miss completely; just keep your eyes open and you'll be fine. There is also a food store just a block or so away to pick up some basic things to put in the fridge in the room to control some costs.

I stayed for a week, a much needed break at the end of a much needed trip. I was alone, although I met up with some friends here or there. Mostly, I let the peace of this place overtake me, enjoyed the long walks alone that I took through London, and the ease of the transport; the bus stop is directly out side the hotel and the Picadilly station stop is about 20 steps down the road.

Let someone else take down the trash for a week. The tea is hot.