Never judge a book by its cover as the old saying goes, and this most definitely should be applied to the Mandrake Hotel. Do not judge this hotel by its unassuming exterior façade, for what lies beyond the exterior is a unique and totally new hotel concept by Lebanese-born, London-based Rami Fustok, and his personal stamp is evident throughout.
The Mandrake Hotel is located in the heart of London?s west end, in swanky Fitzrova, and is a stone?s throw from the city?s shopping mecca Oxford Street. Ten out of ten for location, you couldn?t be better placed to access all that London has to offer in terms of shopping, culture and all the bright lights of the big city.
The mandrake is a medicinal plant and the hotel pays homage to healing, positive energies and intrigue, which is the theme throughout.
The double fronted entrance is manned by a doorman decked out in a dandy style uniform, he leads you down what seems like an indoor alleyway, dark and gloomy, into a burst of light to the reception area. From here on out you have entered an ethereal world, it is almost jungle like.
I arrived at the hotel in a bit of a tizz, I had accidentally left my cell phone in the taxi on the journey from the airport to the hotel. Elena and Gabriel at reception were very sympathetic and Gabriel assured me they would do everything in their power to re-unite me with my phone. I am pleased to say that they managed to track down the driver and thankfully he returned to the hotel with my phone. Gab...