The Shangri-La at the Shard’s billion-dollar views of London from the bathtub
The five-star Shangri-La Hotel occupies the 34th to the 52nd floors of architect Renzo Piano’s world-famous building, The Shard in downtown London, England. My husband, son and his girlfriend recently experienced this hotel first-hand. It was an urban experience we’ll never forget.
The view
There is simply no other more accurate way of describing the hotel’s defining feature, the 360-degree views of one of the world’s most beautiful cities, than to say it will take your breath away. For an idea, visit the hotel’s website and watch the aerial video, but note that it won’t do the scene you’ll take in justice when you visit in person.
The lobby is located on the 32nd floor of the building which is infinitely easy to find because it can be seen from most anywhere. After a quick x-ray of handbags, we were whisked away in a high-speed elevator and collectively gasped as the doors opened. After a few moments of taking in the London view from the floor-to-ceiling windows, we completed check-in and were escorted to our rooms.
Oooo, that bath
Elegant, posh, sophisticated and in excellent taste were words that came to my mind as I explored the room. For our Shangri-La night, we opted for a girls’ room and a guys’ room. We girls chose the room with the gorgeous stand-alone tub. The room seemed built around the bathing experience. Sumptuous bath salts were laid out along with a book rack for reading. After warming up the soft towel on the heated rack, I sunk into the warm water and tried to believe the scene in front of me was in fact, real. Real! Our room featured floor-to-ceiling glass in place of exterior walls, including the bathroom. From high up and through the mild rolling fog, I watched the lights come on in clumps as dusk crept in. Unlimited hot water kept my bath warm and I stayed in until I became too drowsy to stay. It was the best bath of my life and I look forward to the day I am back in the bathtub at the Shangri-La London.
Don’t forget to go off the beaten path
The men made use of the many TV channels to watch movies to relax, but even they ended up turning off shows in favor of the view. The beds in both rooms were of the highest quality, wrapped in (my favorite) Frette linens. Italian linens are simply incomparable in terms of comfort. Each room is equipped with a pair of binoculars for study of the landmarks on display below. My room faced the Tower Bridge which crosses the River Thames and London Tower, which we visited the next day (they are an easy walk away). The hotel’s location is perfect for planning in tandem with spending the day at the infamous Tower of London, but don’t forget the lesser-known sites like The George Inn, a former medieval coaching inn built in 1543 and frequented by Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. This historic find is a ten-minute walk away from The Shard and worth it (try the fish and chips).
My recommendation
My only regret is that we were only at The Shangri-La for one night. We didn’t visit the 52nd floor infinity pool and really should have. However, the bright side is that it will be there for our next visit. I dearly hope next time will be soon. Until then, I’ll be dreaming about that bath at the Shangri-La.
