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Hotel Heaven Words: Robina Dam THE NEWEST “BABY” of the Firmdale Group, the Haymarket Hotel, London, has been a labour of love for Kit and Tim Kemp and five years in gestation. Now the 50-bedroom hotel, which is set in the landmark building designed by John Nash (the architect behind Regency London who shaped [...]
Hotel Heaven
Words: Robina Dam
alt="Firmdale Group, the
Haymarket Hotel, London"
class="picleft">THE NEWEST “BABY” of the Firmdale Group, the
Haymarket Hotel, London, has been a labour of love for Kit and Tim Kemp
and five years in gestation. Now the 50-bedroom hotel, which
is set in the landmark building designed by John Nash (the architect
behind Regency London who shaped Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar
Square), has been wowing medialand, partythrowers and even jaded
travellers. This is partly due to Kit’s unerring instinct for design
zeitgeist. Contemporary elegance a specially commissioned
stainless steel sculpture in the foyer, for instance is mixed
with traditional touches antiques in the drawing room bar
and looks set to ensure that this will become the new
afternoon-tea hotspot for fashionistas and the beauty brigade. The
library bar is a welcoming drawing room with an honesty bar stocked
with mini-Krugs. Although hotel guests are given priority, it’s worth
checking it out at quieter times for that exclusive hangout feel. But
for that real “escape from London, yet stay in the heart of the city”
feeling, it’s the rooms that are hard to beat, especially those
overlooking the inner
courtyard or Suffolk Place. Even kids of the Big Smoke would be hard
pressed to guess that Trafalgar Square is less than a stiletto step
away. Small but deft touches make the Haymarket stand out, especially
for those who have grown accustomed to luxe standards. Miller Harris
toiletries are a big plus. A two-bedroom townhouse attached to the
hotel can be booked for long- or short-term stays and the shooting
gallery is available for private parties. Haymarket Hotel, 1 Suffolk
Place, London SW1 4BP, +44 (0)20 7470 4000; www.haymarkethotel.com
Concierge’s Corner
alt="Jersey" class="picleft">FIRST TIMER? The island
is steeped in history, so
head to Elizabeth Castle in St Aubin’s Bay and Mont Orgueil Castle
overlooking the harbour at Gorey to get an insight into Jersey’s
fascinating past (www. jerseyheritagetrust.org). But if you’re the kind
of person who’d prefer to get close to nature, don’t miss Gerald
Durrell’s Wildlife Preservation (www.durrellwildlife.org), which is one
of the world’s leading centres for conservation.
BEEN BEFORE? The Jersey War Tunnels (www.jerseywartunnels.com) are
fascinating and reveal Jersey’s resilience under occupation during
World War II. For something a little more lighthearted, go to the
capital, St Helier, where you can shop until you drop. Make sure you
dine at the fish market, where the fruits de mer will tantalise your
taste buds.
POWER LUNCH Try either the Bistro Central (7-11 Don Street, St Helier,
+44 (0)1534 876933), which offers a touch of Parisian style with
excellent French cuisine, or La Capannina (65-67 Halkett Place, St
Helier; +44 (0)1534 734602), which has fantastic Italian food combined
with impeccable service. TAKE A DATE Dorans (Kensington Place, St
Helier, +44 (0)1534 611111) is known locally as the candlelight
restaurant and offers excellent modern French cuisine. Overlooking Mont
Orgueil Castle and just a short stroll from the beach, there’s TV
detective Bergarac’s old haunt, The Old Court House Inn (St Aubin’s
Harbour, St Aubin, +44 (0)1534 746433).
TOP TIPPLE The place to be seen is Bohemia (Green Street, St Helier,
+44 (0)1534 880588), a stylish, modern bar. For those wishing to escape
to the countryside, The Old Smugglers Inn (Quaisnè, St
Brelade, +44 (0)1534 741510) offers good food and drink in converted
17th-century fishermen’s cottages.
TAKE HOME A piece of Jersey pottery, of course. The Jersey Pottery
(www.jerseypottery.com) company has a huge collection of hand-made and
hand-painted items to buy and you can even watch it being made in their
factory. VICTOR VARZEA is the concierge at the four-star hotel and spa
Photography: www.jersey.com Hotel de France, where he has worked for
over 35 years.
Books
One to watch
SPY NOVELIST CHARLES
CUMMING, TIPPED AS A FUTURE JOHN LE CARRÉ, REVEALS HOW HE
WAS REJECTED BY MI6 AND WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A REAL JAMES BOND
alt="CHARLES
CUMMING" class="picleft"> How
do you decide on what the subject will be? It
needs to focus on a topical issue but I’ve had stories overshadowed by
unexpected events, so it’s hard to get it right. My next book is based
in China, to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but I had to
travel into the far northwest of the country to find a meaty and
unusual topic. What do you think the life of a spy is really like? It’s
certainly not as exciting and glamorous as James Bond’s the
gadgets are definitely not as good. It has its moments, though, and it
must feel rewarding to work for Queen and Country. But it’s very
self-destructive, too, as you spend your day pretending to be someone
else and lying. Who are your favourite authors? Well, no one quite
tells a spy story like Graham Greene and I’ve tucked into many Le
Carré novels. It’s always a pleasure to read Ernest
Hemingway or F Scott Fitzgerald’s classics. What’s your advice for
aspiring writers? Have another job and be prepared for quite a lonely
life. I had visions of sitting in clubs all day, chatting with other
authors before going off to meet my editor. It turned out to be not as
romantic as you’d think. What next? My novel about China is
due to be published next year and the makers of the TV series Spooks
have bought the rights to A Spy By Nature.
WORD UP: CHARLES’ CV
alt="CHARLES
CUMMING" class="picleft">Born in
Scotland, Cumming, 36, was educated at Eton
and graduated from Edinburgh University with a First in English
Literature. He writes for The Week and occasionally contributes book
reviews for The Mail on Sunday. Penguin publishers bought his first
novel, A Spy By Nature, in a twobook deal in 1999 and his second, The
Hidden Man, was published in 2001. His third novel, The Spanish Game
(Penguin, £6.99), was published earlier this year.
Words: Emma Juhasz
Why do you write spy novels? After university I was
dabbling with the idea of working for the Foreign Office when I was
approached by MI6. The Secret Service sounded very exciting, so I went
to some interviews but I just wasn’t cut out for it. I think they could
sense it so they sent an attractive woman from the selection panel to
take me out to lunch. Within an hour I’d blabbed to her that I didn’t
want to work for MI6 and that was it I never heard from them
or her again! A fascinating experience, though… Absolutely, it’s what
inspired my first book, A Spy By Nature, and gave me the chance to meet
a lot of people in the trade.
Photography: Getty
Images, Shutterstock
