After our Virgin Voyages cruise in Iceland, I had the opportunity to stay at the NoMad London for one night. Thanks to booking through the American Express Fine Hotels program, my family and I were upgraded to the Royal Opera Suite(!)
Here's my review of the Royal Opera Suite at the NoMad London. It had the perfect amount of space for 4 people and was wonderfully located for shopping and catching a show.
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| Yes, that's a bathtub looking out the window. |
The NoMad London location
The NoMad London is very conveniently located on Bow Street in Covent Garden, just a 2 minute walk away from the tube station. The hotel property was formerly the Magistrate's Court and a police station, and is situated right across the street from the Royal Opera House. The historic building even contains a hidden police museum for visitors to check out!
We had tickets to see Totoro at the West End's Gillian Lynne Theater, with dinner after at Bloomsbury Street Kitchen; the NoMad London had us perfectly situated within walking distance for these plans. There is also great shopping nearby at Covent Garden.
Upgrade offer
About a week and a half before my stay, I received an email from a Reservations Agent at the NoMad London. In the message, they confirmed my booking details; I booked the Grande Double room for 4 adults since I was traveling with my grandparents. The agent requested the names of all guests, my arrival time, and milk preference for tea/coffee, but also offered a complimentary upgrade to the Royal Opera Suite. I accepted!
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Lounge in the NoMad London lobby
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Check-in process
After debarking Virgin Voyage's Scarlet Lady at 9AM, we arrived at the NoMad London at about 11AM. We were greeted at the door by a gentleman in a snazzy black and gold jacket who helped with our bags. The lobby was dark, a bit moody, but absolutely gorgeous. There's a lounge to wait in or take afternoon tea.
Much to my surprise, the line at the check-in desk was about 4 people deep, but a Concierge team member beckoned me over.
She confirmed the dates of my stay and that I had the Royal Opera Suite for one night. Given our early arrival time, our room was understandably not yet ready, but she offered to take our bags and text me when it was.
We shopped and grabbed a bite to eat at Covent Garden until I received the "room ready" text at about 12:45. When we returned, the front desk queue had been cleared, and we were given 4 beautifully-presented keycards. I was also presented with a welcome sheet that listed all of my American Express Fine Hotels benefits, and the check-in agent asked if now was a good time to send up a bottle of complimentary champagne to the room (the answer was 'of course').
I also received a welcome card, fresh fruits, a bar of chocolate, and 2 bottles of water in the room.
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| Main bedroom bathtub and fireplace |
The room
We were floored when we walked in to the 1 bedroom suite. It opened into a small entryway that led to the bathroom on the left, bedroom straight ahead, and living room + dining room to the right.
The bedroom contained a king-sized bed (see photo at the beginning of this post), a bathtub, writing desk, and fireplace. The bathtub placement may seem out of place, but it and the name of the suite makes sense since it has a view right to the Royal Opera House across the street.
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| Royal Opera Suite living room |
Since the property knew my reservation was for 4 guests, they arranged the sofa bed in the living room. Even though the sofa was folded out, we had ample seating space with an additional 3 chairs in the living room.
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| Royal Opera Suite dining room and bathroom |
The dining room was to the right of the living room, and provided more lovely views of the Opera House. It's a great place to have your room service delivered.
If you need even more living space, you can reserve the adjoining room that connects with the dining room. However, we felt we had more than enough privacy for 4 people with the bedroom and converted living room.
The Royal Opera Suite has 1 bathroom with double sinks. Much to our surprise, the toilet had a Toto Japanese bidet on it. Toiletries were provided from Grown Alchemist.
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| Breakfast at 28Nomad |
Breakfast
Since I booked this stay with American Express's Fine Hotels and Resorts program, I received breakfast for 2 and a $100 US-dollar property credit. Since my grandparents were with my husband and me, I saved the $100 credit for breakfast so we could all eat together.
The onsite restaurant, Twenty8Nomad is beautiful. We were seated immediately and ordered 2 continental Nomad breakfasts, which included the pictured bread basket and small dishes reminiscent of afternoon tea. We ordered additional items (lemon poppyseed pancakes!) a la carte to use the $100 credit.
The restaurant was quite empty (there were only 2 other tables dining) when we ate at 7:30, but I noticed it picked up at 9:30 when we were checking out.
Closing
In short, I didn't want to leave the NoMad London. The hotel's decor was comfortably luxurious while retaining the building's character, and the surprise upgrade to the Royal Opera Suite was a real treat for my grandparents.
I wish I were staying longer than 1 night with more time to enjoy London since this property was so well-located. My family's experience here was a wonderful closing to a great 2-week trip.
If you're considering a stay at the NoMad London, do not hesitate! I know I'll be back.
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