The Rubens at the Palace

When you step off in front of the hotel, you are greeted by the doorman & a porter to assist you. Everyone is quite formal so you feel like you’re in a very expensive hotel. It’s decorated elegantly, clean, but showing wear & smells musty with age. However, I like its location, next to a new complex of various restaurants, the underground, & of course, the Buckingham Palace. So, I will definitely consider it again should I return to London.

We booked a night here to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. After a day of sightseeing we checked in, and during our conversation about our visit we mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary. An hour or so later a beautiful cake was sent to our room unannounced, a really thoughtful touch. The room was lovely. everything you would expect in a hotel like this. We decided to eat at the hotels own Curry Room and were not disappointed. Food and service was excellent, drink was a touch expensive but probably what you'd expect in a five star establishment. We're not used to staying in places like The Rubens, this was a special treat and it lived up to our expectations and more.

We have stayed there before but this visit was for about three weeks, so it became kind of a home. It was a wonderful experience. I'll start from the beginning. In planning for the trip, we had many open issues about our stay. I worked directly with Nikki Howard on our reservations through email. There were lots of emails and she was patient, answered my questions and helped me through everything. When we arrived, we were met by Maisy Gale of guest services and she became our friend. We spoke everyday she was working because she was so nice and really cared about our stay. Without going through all the names, the breakfast staff, the concierges, the desk staff, everyone was delightful. Despite the central location and the busy environment, it was almost like being in a small country inn. Frankly, it was a little like that because with our long stay, we made ourselves comfortable. The location was great, the food was great, and we had everything we needed. In three weeks we did see a couple of mistakes with housecleaning but these were fixed as soon as we asked. We also stayed at another Red Carnation property while we were there with the same result. We will be back again.

The Rubens is located just across the street from Buckingham Palace, between Westminster and Belgravia, and very convenient for Begravia’s shops and restaurants and the Royal parks. It is an extremely smart hotel and although it is rated 4 stars, the presentation and service are definitely up there with the best hotels in London. The public areas and the four restaurants are beautifully decorated, elaborate yet elegant and tasteful. Restaurants are excellent, particularly the new Curry Room. The guest rooms are tasteful, elegant and very well equipped. Bathrooms are superb. Staff are very helpful, attentive yet discrete. The hotel compares very favourably with many of the over-hyped 5 star hotels in London. Highly recommended

We had an amazing stay at Rubens at the Palace. This was the perfect central place to stay! Upon checking into our room we were pleasantly surprised to find it so nicely decorated and with everything that we needed. Breakfast each morning was a delicious hot breakfast or a selection off the buffet. The menu choices provided so many options and everything we had was delicious! The hotel's location excellent for walking to see a show, catching the tube, or heading out to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. You cannot beat the view from the Tea Room - We enjoyed the traditional English Tea one afternoon and had a delightful time in the Tea Room and watching the view outside on the street - directly across the street from The Royal Mews. The goodies at the Tea were delicious and the room is so lovely! Truly worthwhile to sit and relax and enjoy the Tea Room. On the evenings we were too tired from the day; we simply relaxed in the lounge to eat while enjoying the singer or ordered room service. Menu selection for both was great! Our room was cleaned and made up new again each day and the staff from the front desk to the concierge, to breakfast room and doorman we so helpful and friendly. I don't think I could come again to London without staying here again. Outstanding hotel for families or those just planning to stay and enjoy the sights!