Hilton London Bankside review: A perfectly pleasant stay near the South Bank
Attitude visits the Hilton London Bankside to take advantage of the pool and indulge in some gluttony.
It wasn’t until we arrive at the Hilton London Bankside hotel’s driveway entrance, which has a set of over a hundred iridescent caged light bulbs lined up over it that I realise I’ve been here before. About five years ago, I visited the hotel to meet their beekeeper that manages the rooftop beehives. But this will be my first time taking full advantage of the facilities and staying the night.
The hotel is conveniently located between London Bridge and Waterloo train stations and sits just a block behind the Tate Modern. It is also just a short walk to Borough Market, Covent Garden and Soho.
The lobby is giving mid-century New York City vibes with sputnik globe lights along with copper toned walls. To the right of the check-in desks is The Distillery bar with a bartender behind a marble counter and leather chair and sofas. We quickly check in and take the lift to our floor.
In our large suite, a hallway, with a cleverly hidden wardrobe, leads to a sitting room with desk, TV and floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows don’t open, but looking out at the nearby trains going along the tracks we realise the room is well sound-proofed. The bedroom has a king-sized bed with little swivel stick wall reading lights. The bathroom shower has great pressure, there is a separate bathtub, and the mirror is well lit and has a magnifier. Our night’s sleep proves the room is quiet and the bed is super soft.
Our room is perfectly pleasant, but the property is also home to London’s first luxury vegan suite which include a “leather” headboard made of pineapples as well as a vegan mini bar and bathroom products. Another room offers an in-room Peloton bike for those who want to sweat it out in the comfort of their own space.
For me, I was most excited about the indoor pool. In the lower floors of the hotel is a small gym area and changing rooms that lead to the pool. My heart sank when a family, all in dressing gowns and clearly going to the pool as well, got in the lift down with me. But thankfully, even with their clan and another family playing in the water there was enough space for me to swim one kilometre in lengths of the 17-metre pool without being disturbed by them.
After my work out, we went down to breakfast in the ground floor OXBO Bankside restaurant, which has timber clad walls with papier-mâché animal heads. There is a big buffet of healthy and not-so-healthy options – I just burnt a heap of calories, so of course I’m having cake for brekkie. There is also an open kitchen serving up cooked-to-order egg, waffle, and pancakes – all the above, please.
We walk off some of our breakfast taking in the galleries of the Tate Modern and strolling along the South Bank, before heading back to the Hilton’s OXBO restaurant for their Sunday roast. The roast is broken into four courses! Unlimited starters from the ‘Chef’s Traders Table’, so lots of salads and canapes. But we try not to fill up too much, as the next course is the open kitchen again preparing fresh egg dishes. Then the main event is a roast with all the trimmings. To finish there is a table of unlimited desserts. You can also add on a bottomless bubble to the brunch.
We head home well rested and very stuffed – signs of a good stay.