Something For The Weekend: A touch of grandeur at the Great Eastern Hotel...

Her Daddy might not be too impressed to hear that Paris chooses to stay here instead of blagging a room at the Hilton when she’s in London, but such is the charm of this old Victorian hotel. You can hardly blame an heiress for checking out the competition. However, as we’re giving two lucky peeps the chance to win a weekend at the Great Eastern hotel, I was intrigued to know exactly what it is that’s attracting the celebs to this Liverpool Street slice of splendour. Well, Sadie Frost seems to like it too, and to be honest, I definitely sensed something special in the air as I walked the endless grounds of this gorgeous building.

Perhaps it’s the fact that much of the Great Eastern hotel remains as it was in 1884, when it opened. Being a romantic, there was something about the dark wooden floors and wide corridors, the polished marble walls, the statues, artwork and original Victorian banisters that drew me in and made me want to touch everything; to soak up some of its history with one little stroke of an ancient painting. (I didn’t though. Can you imagine the polishing afterwards?)

In Victorian times, travel was for the privileged few, and if you could afford such luxuries you were well acquainted with style. This place has it in bucket-loads, and even the rooms are kitted out to impress – I couldn’t wait to raid the minibar, in house CD and DVD collection, and step inside the giant tub in one of the hotel’s 267 bedrooms! It’s the old against the new which makes it interesting – a three year refurbishment saw the joining of the east and west wings and an impressive, modern central axis creates a swirling six storey rotunda, labelled fondly by staff as the Baby Guggenheim.

Lounging on the Egyptian cotton sheets, flicking through the TV channels, wondering whether to order a cocktail from room service was a fun enough time-waster, but a stay in a hotel is no good unless you try all of the facilities. If keeping fit floats your boat, this place has the most impressive gym you’re likely to find in London – where else can you lift weights on your back in an Egyptian temple? (Outside of Egypt, of course). If keeping fat is your thing, or at least eating well, there’s enough in the four hotel restaurants and three bars to prime your palate for that post dinner cocktail. Fancying fine dining under a beautiful, stained glass dome? Aurora will impress – it’s also got an original, pure pewter bar that takes hours and a lot of man-power to clean. Just remember to wash your mitts before you prop this one up!

How about a brief encounter in Terminus over breakfast? You can look out at the bustling commuters on Liverpool Street and be glad you’re not one of them. Or if fish is your favourite dish, there’s none fresher than in Great Eastern’s seafood dining room, centred around an altar of crustacean delights. For sushi, hit Miyabi and order a bento box, or get back to British with George – an English bar and dining room with real-ales and the kind of fish and chips that would make your gran say things like, “cor, they don’t make it like this much anymore’.

Whoever wins this weekend of all-things-wonderful will be more than impressed, and a very lucky so and so indeed. One could get used to living like a Victorian princess in such a palace of luxury, lemme tell you. I’m just glad they don’t make us wear corsets anymore. - Becky Wicks

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