minimalist hotel

Afternoon Tea in London is such an indulgent treat, but it can also be light and healthy. Yesterday, I headed over to La Suite West – a stylish independent hotel close to Hyde Park – to try its new Vegan Afternoon Tea.

Designed by the renowned Anouska Hempel, La Suite West is a calm urban retreat on a quiet residential street with sleek minimalist interiors and a feeling of zen. Afternoon tea is served in the hotel’s health-focused RAW Restaurant and on the terrace – a delightful spot to soak up the sun.

RAW Restaurant has cleverly devised a super-tasty Vegan Afternoon Tea, doing spectacular things with vegetables, nut butters and dairy-free mylks. While I’m not vegan myself, I’m a fan of healthy food done well and love the idea that almost everyone can enjoy this afternoon tea without the hassle of requesting dietary substitutions (however, note that it’s not gluten or nut-free).

The afternoon tea begins with a selection of colourful finger sandwiches in flavours such as Scrambled tofu with mustard cress, Lemon & thyme tahini with cucumber, Avocado chilli mousse with rocket and Roast tomato with sunflower seed pesto. I particularly enjoyed the bite-size, moreish savouries – Asparagus tart with pesto and almond cheese and Truffled mushroom pastry.

Of course, afternoon tea isn’t complete without scones and these ones were moist and springy, accompanied by the most heavenly whipped coconut ‘cream’ – it actually tasted cooler and more luscious than the typical clotted cream.

Those with a sweet tooth won’t be disappointed with the Chef’s Selection of baked and raw desserts. We tried a sumptuous Carrot cake with vegan frosting, Coconut lemon cake with chocolate nut butter and my favourite Sticky toffee pudding chocolate brownie – pure decadence.

The Vegan Afternoon Tea is accompanied by a glass of non-alcoholic fizz and a selection of fine JING Teas.

RAW Restaurant at La Suite West is perfect for an intimate, relaxed afternoon tea with a difference. Not only is it very good value but it will leave you feeling light and happy – I can’t wait to go back!

The Vegan Afternoon Tea is priced at £27 per person. For more information and booking, visit: www.lasuitewest.com

Chérie City was a guest of La Suite West

Photos by Chérie City (hotel images by La Suite West)

I’ve stayed in most Paris neighbourhoods on the numerous trips to my spiritual home, but the Canal Saint-Martin has long been neglected due to the lack of hotels in the 10th… that is, until the arrival of Le Citizen Hotel.

The Canal Saint-Martin is known as the bobo heart of Paris and was the whimsical location in Amélie where she skims stones across the water and as a little girl, frees ‘le Cachalot’, her suicidal goldfish.

Location

Le Citizen Hotel is a stylish, minimalist-luxe new abode on the Quai de Jemmapes, right at the centre of the ‘canal scène‘. As the name suggests, it takes a functional, democratic approach to travel and is affordable with luxury touches.

The hotel is discreet and unmarked, accessed by pressing the buzzer on the door. Once inside, it is warm, intimate and calming, with a canteen-style lounge filled with art and design books.

The Suite

We stayed the Zen Suite on the top floor – a bright, airy open-plan room in soft muted colours with pale wood features, dark wood floors and some interesting design touches.

The most telling mark of an exceptional hotel is the bed, and our double bed was cloudlike, with sumptuous linen and simply divine. A testament to the bed’s superiority was that on arrival, we fell asleep for a good three hours (also helped by a 5.30am Eurostar train).

Add to that a flat screen 26″ TV mounted on the wall, a selection of hand picked art and design books and you’ll find it hard to actually leave your bed!

I fell in love with the landscape of structured wool cushions that made up a graduated sitting area next to the window, framing an enviable view of the Canal Saint-Martin.

I’ve made a mental note add such seating arrangements to my future ‘dream apartment’, which currently looks like a melange of my favourite hotel rooms.

The Bathroom

The blue-tiled bathroom was perfectly sized and came with plenty fluffy towels, soft bathrobes and spa toiletries by Omnisense Paris, mounted on the shower wall.

The water pressure in the shower was just right and another cool design touch was the flat disc shower head.

All the toiletries we could possibly need for our stay were presented on a slate and my favourite thing was the bottle of Omnisense Paris body oil, which had a warm vanilla scent.

A fun feature was the magic tablets, which grew into a disposable face cloth when dampened – very Japanese and fitting the to ‘zen’ outlook.

We were given an iPad to use during our stay, although we could also get complimentary WIFI access on my laptop with a log-in code.

Le Citizen have really thought about how to use the iPads as a self-concierge service and have added homepage shortcuts to information about the breakfast, minibar and hotel facility information.

To help us visitors get the best out of our stay in Paris, they have loaded the iPads with apps from ‘in the know’ travel sites, including French food bible, Le Fooding.

The mini bar and cupboard were filled with a combination of delicious healthy or indulgent snacks at a reasonable price.

The only aspect that could be improved was that housekeeping was slightly relaxed and there was no coffee or filtered water that is usually offered. As the hotel is so new, this will no doubt be brought up to speed and I’m sure the friendly staff would have obliged with replacements had we requested.

Breakfast

In the morning, Le Citizen offers a Cafe-Croissant for 5 Euros or a full continental breakfast for 12 Euros, a selection of Japanese tea and cake in the afternoon and a choice of fresh bento boxes throughout the day.

Le Citizen Hotel has been thought out to the last detail to suit the luxury budget traveller and the Zen Suite offers more value than the average Paris hotel room at the same price.

The location is perfect for experiencing the charm of the Canal Saint-Martin and the buzzing bars and restaurants of the 10th arrondissement. By the end of your stay, you’ll feel like you belong in this small neighbourhood and you’ll never want to leave…

Double rooms start from 169 Euros and the Zen Suite is priced at 249 Euros per night.

Le Citizen Hotel, 96 Quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris.

Must Eats in the 10e: Hotel du Nord, La Fidélité, Pink Flamingo Pizza, La Tête dans les Olives.

* Cherie City received press rates for Le Citizen Hotel.

Vegan Afternoon Tea at La Suite West, London

A Great Stay at Le Citizen Hotel Paris

Location

The Suite

The Bathroom

Breakfast