MY STAY
Historic building & room
Raffles London at The OWO had enough old War Office history to make the building part of the stay. I took a tour early instead of wondering what lay beyond each corridor. The bedroom felt calmer and more comfortable than the imposing exterior suggested.
Early check-in
An early arrival after a long flight was less graceful. A hopeful estimate for when the room would be ready stretched into much of the afternoon, so I would leave the bags and make another plan rather than wait by the desk. A spa visit or the building tour made better use of that first London afternoon.
Tea & Spy Bar
I booked Secrets & Spies afternoon tea separately. Later, the low-lit Spy Bar, with an Aston Martin built into its back wall, felt quite different from the drawing room. I saved another afternoon for the Guerlain spa and pool after walking around nearby Whitehall in central London; a room key alone could not guarantee a walk-in table at every popular venue.
Would I return?
The old War Office is worth exploring again from a comfortable room, with time saved for tea and the spa. Allowing time for the history, tea and spa worked much better than arriving only to take a photograph of its grand front.