The Goring Hotel backs on to Buckingham Palace and members of the Royal family visit quite frequently for tea or dinner, using a discreet laneway to enter.
The family-run hotel was built in 1910 and is a paragon of Edwardian baroque. It was the most modern in the world at the time and the first to have central heating and ensuite bathrooms. It is a gentle place, but has plenty of amusing family-inspired eccentricities sprinkled around, including a life-sized artificial sheep.
A secret garden is one of the hotel's many surprises. It was featured in the Academy Award winning film Howard's End. Many of the 71 rooms overlook it and can be enjoyed by everyone from the Garden Bar.
The restaurant serves the best of British cuisine. The chestnut about "British" and "good cuisine" being contradictions has long gone. The elegant dining room was designed by the Queen's nephew, Viscount Linley. There are private dining rooms available.
The hotel was a favourite of the late Queen Mother and she had her last ever public engagement here. Her signature dish was eggs drumkilbo — lobster, shrimps, egg, tomato and mayonnaise.
The Goring is close to the theatres of London's West End, the shopping of Sloane Street, Hyde and Green Parks and other major attractions. A trip from the Goring along the Thames will take you to the London Eye, the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre.
Location
London, the capital of England
Cost
The Goring Hotel's rooms start at around $675 a night.
Emirates has flights to London.
| FROM | ONE-WAY FARE |
| Melbourne | $2375 |
| Brisbane and Sydney | $2393 |
| Adelaide | $$2959 |
| Perth | $2353 |
| Darwin | $3645 |
Valid for travel until March 31, 2009. Prices correct at March 6, 2008.
For further information:
The Goring Hotel
Beetson Place
London SW1W 0JW
Ph: +44 2073 96 9000
www.goringhotel.co.uk
Book through Small Luxury Hotels
www.slh.com
Emirates
Ph: 1300 303 777
www.emirates.com
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