Hyde Park hotels provide visitors to London with a unique experience in that they are located in what many consider to be the heart of the city. By booking a stay near Hyde Park, be it at Park Grand Hyde Park, Paddington or Lancaster Gate, you give yourself doorstep access to some of London’s finest tourism. Here are three reasons why Hyde Park is often considered the best location to stay in London.
The area’s namesake, Hyde Park, is a Grade I-listed major park in Central London. It is the largest of four Royal Parks in London, covering 350 acres. If there is only one royal park you manage to visit during your stay in London, you have done well if it is Hyde Park. Year round, it is packed with places to visit, sites to see, things to eat and beauty to behold.
1. History
If you consider yourself to be a “landmark” sort of traveler, who thinks of seeing sights similarly to collecting stamps, then Hyde Park will check a reasonably hefty number of those sites off the list. The historically significant landmarks come in the form of monuments, statues and fountains that you will find scattered across Hyde Park, which include:
- Diana Memorial Fountain
- Serenity sculpture
- 7 July Memorial
- Statue of Achilles
- Joy of Life Fountain
- Holocaust Memorial
- The Hudson Memorial Bird Sanctuary
- Cavalry Memorial
- The Norwegian Navy and Merchant Fleet
- Boy and Dolphin Fountain
- Animals in War Memorial
- Pan Statue
- Queen Caroline Memorial
- The Freeman Family Drinking Fountain
- The Bandstand
- The Reformers’ Tree
- The Huntress Fountain
- Apsley Gate
- Queen Elizabeth Gate
- Norwegian War Memorial
2. Dining
Once you have had your fix of ogling the bronze, marble and water features alike, you will be ravenous. There are plenty of dining options within Hyde Park itself. The Serpentine Bar & Kitchen, located lakeside on the Serpentine, serves breakfast, pizzas, salads and sandwiches which you can eat in their facilities, or order to go and eat as a picnic - weather dependent, of course. If you are after a slightly more classical dining experience, The Magazine serves contemporary European dishes in a futuristic art gallery - which you won’t want to miss out on exploring once you are suitably fuelled. Throughout the park, you will find pitstops for coffee, ice cream, beers, snacks and more at spots such as Colicci Cafe.
If you are staying near Hyde Park, there is no reason to stay within the designated area of the park itself when it comes to dining - not when there are so many options! If we start on the Paddington side of the park, where you will find Hyde Park hotels such as Park Grand Hyde Park, then Angelus Restaurant is the first one the list. This art nouveau-style brasserie serves excellent French cuisine which will have you making lists of compliments to the chef longer than their expansive wine list! Keeping a faint theme of European cuisine but adding an Asian twist, Zaman Restaurant offers fusion cooking in a plush and striking casino restaurant. Venturing towards the Notting Hill side of Hyde Park, the Ladbroke Arms is a tried and tested gastropub favourite for both locals and visitors alike. The constantly changing menu and bright, energetic decor make your visit one to remember long after you’ve digested your food.
We all know that a trip to London would be remiss without a couple of after-dinner treats, which, in Hyde Park, include everything from sheesha to rooftop cocktails. For classy cocktails, there is no better spot than Old Mary's, serving unique mixes amidst the exposed brickwork and to the soundtrack of smooth jazzy melodies. If you are feeling adventurous, head to The Beachcomber, which is known as the House of Agricole Rhum. The bamboo-decorated tiki bar will make you do a double-take, wondering whether you’re in the heart of London or a sunny beach in the tropics. Pergola Paddington is not to be excluded from this list, with its rooftop forest decor showing off to all who visit. Pergola has a “street food” vibe going, meaning there are lots of stalls selling everything from steak and chips to sushi and dumplings, but the real fun starts when the sun goes to bed, the music cranks up and the cocktails get shaking.
3. Ease of access
When making a list of the best parts of an area, it seems a shame to include things like public transport or ease of access. But when something is as conveniently connected and located as Hyde Park, it would be disingenuous to overlook. Dotted pretty much on the edge of the park, you can find Queensway, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner. If you are willing to walk about five minutes (tops!), you also have High Street Kensington and Green Park. Between these stations, you can access anywhere in London which finds itself on an underground network - which is just about everywhere you want to be visiting.
From Queensway, which is a Central Line station, you can find yourself in Bethnal Green’s Young V&A Museum in half an hour, with no changes required. Young V&A, formerly the V&A Museum of Childhood, is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Located in the East End of London in the much-loved area of Bethnal Green, the museum specialises in objects by and for children but is fun for the whole family.
From Hyde Park Corner, you can jump on the Piccadilly line and find yourself in the middle of Leicester Square in no more than 9 minutes - just in time to catch a show on the West End. Did you know that The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the pandemic brought it to a standstill? Be sure to add a viewing to your list of things to do, and then you can reasonably say that you have engaged in the same entertainment as someone from the 50’s!
You are, of course, also so conveniently located by staying in Hyde Park that if you are willing to walk in any direction for anything up to half an hour, you will find yourself in a new, culturally significant and exciting part of London, from Oxford Street to Portobello Road. The only thing left to do is book.
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