Last week I went on a long awaited visit to South Place Hotel in the city. It’s a hidden gem as it looks like an office block on the outside – The Musical Lieutenant waited outside for 10 mins before she realised she was standing by the entrance. We did a provisional review which looked good but the reality was even better.
There are 2 entrances that are fully accessible. One has a ramp to the main entrance and the other is a push button door, which turned out to be a bit temperamental when I visited because they don’t use it very often. I went straight into The Angler restaurant for lunch, which was accessed via a lift and had a good disabled toilet just off the dining room. We sat very close to the floor to ceiling windows that gave a lot of natural light but would not be good for anyone with vertigo! There’s also a roof terrace which will be well used in the City in the summer.
The service was excellent and the food as good as you’d expect from this Michelin Star restaurant. My companion had the set lunch which was very reasonable at £30 for 3 courses and I opted for the A la Carte. The Tuna Tartare with chilli and lime was delicious but the Angler & Lobster Pie topped it!
We then went to examine the hotel rooms which again were excellent with all the grab rails you needed in the wet room shower. The only issues I had were the foot operated pedal bin – not easy in a wheelchair/with sticks – along with the impossible to reach wardrobe rail (a common issue with most hotels). However, this was a really well thought out and attractive room, with everything at the right height and plenty of room to manoeuvre.
The main areas of the hotel were all easily accessible. All the ‘common’ rooms had some spectacular art and features – one room even had the crossbow used by Emma Peel in the original Avengers! They also have resident DJs all week so I may go and try them out at the weekend.
Both The Angler and South Place get the maximum 3 BBS Ticks.
I also went to see the film Philomena and I have to say it was a good story well told. Starring Judi Dench & Steve Coogan it’s about finding a child sold to some Americans by Catholic Nuns. Their mental cruelty is only surpassed by their dogmatic belief that they were doing the right thing in God’s name.
The film script by Steve Coogan was really well thought out and he must now be one of the UK’s best actors. It lasted just one & a half hours which for me is the optimum time in a cinema unless I’m really involved in the film. We went to Vue in Westfield, to our usual balcony seats even though the staff sent us to the front row seats which I can’t stand as I’m right in the way of people behind me. My tip for any cinema – insist on the accessible seats furthest away from the screen.
Unfortunately the new craze for ‘comfy’ cinemas with armchairs & tables, means you usually have to sit in a wheelchair in the aisle or at the front. This happened at the Everyman Maida Vale cinema and is the case at the new cinema in Barnes based at the old Olympic Recording Studios (used by the Beatles, Queen, David Bowie to name a few). I haven’t been yet but the only wheelchair spaces are at the front so I guess people will have to look at my head. But well done for making it accessible and for making this cinema & cafe accessible with a disabled toilet.
