Anyone for chess? The Adria is that kinda place. It encourages you to relax, to take a moment to slow down and stay a while. That, and it has a games room with a chess set.
This 19th-century grand residence retains much of its period charm, but with incredibly classy contemporary design touches throughout.
It’s the kind of set-up you see in interiors magazines and wish your own home could look as good. I seriously contemplating stealing the desklamp in my bedroom. (Then I remembered it’s just the light bulbs included in the room rate, right?)
THE VIBE
The Adria is one of those hotels that makes you feel like you’re really ‘in the know’. Partly because you do have to know to ring the doorbell to be let in. There are no costumed bellboys here; no supercars taking up the parking spaces outside; it’s properly discreet. This is more like visiting your wealthy great aunt’s townhouse.
The ‘winter garden’ room was my favourite of the many convivial spaces spread out across the ground floor. It has a wall-to-wall glass ceiling that lets plenty of natural light flood down onto a space that is essentially designed for sitting. I asked the receptionist what it was most used for – afternoon tea, perhaps? And she said ‘reading’. Imagine that? Having the time just to kick back and read a book? Leave your social media at the door, thank you.
THE ROOMS
Jonathan James Wilson
If you’re a details person, you’ve come to the right place. The bedrooms – complete with 16-foot ceilings and intricate, original cornicing – are a masterclass in what a five-star hotel should offer.
Needless to say, there are flatscreen TVs aplenty including one beside the bath; a contemporary four-poster bed; lush sofas; and beautiful hardwood floors.
I wouldn’t normally reference the mini bar in a hotel review, but this one deserves a quick cap doff. It really is well stocked – no sad packet of Maltesers here, but rather two different bars of Charbonnel & Walker; there are London lagers and Lanson champagne for good measure; and most impressive of all is a selection of pre-mixed cocktails from Avantgarde Spirits. Stored in sealed glass jars, choose from an old fashioned, a negroni, a vesper or a martinez to kick off your stay.
The bathroom was bigger than my first London flat, with enough marble to make a Carrara quarry blush, and even a purpose-made bath pillow to help you properly unwind in the giant tub. (And enjoy that Aquavision TV.)
Hotels should be about indulgence – and the Adria has a PhD in it.
Food & Drink
Jonathan James Wilson
Dining here feels more like eating at a private members’ club than a restaurant. Not least because there isn’t strictly a restaurant at the Adria. Instead, order in a feast cooked up by one of the Adria’s local partner restaurants whenever you feel like eating.
You decide what kind of food you want, where you want to eat it – either in your room or in one of the hotel’s many indulgent lounges – then your butler will do the rest.
It all adds to what is an incredibly personal experience and the enduring feeling that the Adria is there just for you.
Stay from £300 per room, per night for a superior bedroom on a B&B basis. For more information about the hotel or to make a reservation, call 020 7118 8988 or go to theadria.com
