Luxury London breaks, with a Spanish flavour …

Luxury London breaks, with a Spanish flavour …

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Guoman





You don’t need to head to Spain to enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean lifestyle – just stay in one of our five luxurious London hotels and enjoy some Spanish flavour in the heart of the capital.

Read on for our pick of London’s Spanish restaurants and flamenco bars, and find out why a Spanish-born queen was the inspiration for our latest cocktail…



If the arrival of summer has you dreaming of the Mediterranean, you might be surprised to know that you can indulge your passion for Spanish style on a luxury break in London.

From sumptuous restaurants and tapas bars to fabulous flamenco clubs, the UK’s capital has it all – and we’ve tracked down some of its secret Spanish-style haunts to help you plan a stylish Mediterranean-themed break in London.

Tantalise your taste buds with tapas

Spain’s known for its delicious cuisine and, in recent years, Spanish food has become increasingly fashionable, with more and more restaurants and tapas bars popping up in the capital.

For a taste of Spain in London, try Cambio de Tercio in Old Brompton Street,

This delightful venue in South Kensington is part of a small chain of Spanish restaurants and has received accolades from many food critics and celebrities over the years. It’s rumoured to be one of Rafael Nadal’s favourite places to dine when he’s in London, so if you head there during Wimbledon fortnight, you might just see the Spanish tennis star enjoying some downtime.

The menu includes a wide range of tapas dishes, as well as traditional mains like monkfish casserole, roasted partridge and suckling pig. And don’t miss out on the desserts – the amaretto and cherry compote with the restaurant’s trademark chewing gum ice cream is a must-try.

Other Spanish restaurants and tapas bars worth visiting include:

• Salt Yard, (54 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4NA) – a chic, award-winning charcuterie and bar in central London, within easy reach of The Cumberland, one of our five luxurious London hotels. It serves Spanish and Italian-inspired tapas, and stocks an excellent range of wines and sherry.

• El Pirata , (5 – 6 Down Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 7AQ). Satisfy your appetite with treats like octopus brushed with olive oil and paprika, mushrooms in garlic, chicken wings in spicy sauce, and Spanish tortilla at this much-lauded tapas bar in the heart of Mayfair. El Pirata offers a range of menus including set menus and an a la carte menu, and in the summer, you can also enjoy dining al fresco for the ultimate Mediterranean-style experience.

Sip a sangria cocktail at the Charing Cross Hotel

When you think of Spain, you think of sangria. This wine punch is served at bars and restaurants throughout the country, usually by the pitcher, but for a more refined sangria drinking experience, head to Eleanor’s Cocktail Bar at the Charing Cross Hotel and try our refreshing new cocktail, Eleanor’s Castilian Sangria.

To make this delicious concoction, we leave Spanish red Rioja and V.S.O.P brandy to blend overnight, and then infuse the mixture with cinnamon, mint, a blend of seasonal fruits and fresh orange. The cocktail is designed for two people to share, making it the ideal option for anyone in London on a romantic getaway.

Eleanor’s Castilian Sangria was inspired by the hotel’s connections with Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I. When she passed away in Harby, Lincoln, in 1290, her body was transported to Westminster Abbey. In the years that followed, the King arranged for crosses – now known as Eleanor Crosses – to be erected marking the twelve spots where the procession stopped overnight during the journey.

Charing Cross is named after one of these crosses. Although the original cross was destroyed in 1647, a replacement was erected in front of Charing Cross Station in 1865, and has been renovated several times since then. Not only does the spirit of Edward’s love for Eleanor live on in the area’s name – and in the name of our hotel – we’re now honouring it with our Eleanor’s Castilian Sangria cocktail for two.

Feel the heat at a flamenco club

Flamenco is a dance of passion – so if you’re in London on a romantic break, there’s no better place to get into the mood than at a flamenco club.

Peňa Flamenca de Londres, the UK’s biggest flamenco club, holds regular shows in various locations in the capital, and non-members are welcome to attend. You can also try Costa Dorada, a Spanish bar and restaurant in Hanway Street, close to The Grosvenor in Buckingham Palace Road, which offers a varied programme of events including live flamenco shows and music events.

Do you know of any Spanish-themed places to visit in London? Which is your favourite tapas bar in the capital? Will you be trying our new sangria cocktail? Please leave a comment and let us know …


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