The Goring

As elegant and quintessentially British as it comes, The Goring is easily one of the best hotels we've ever stayed in. The Goring is unapologetically traditional - they do not attempt to win you over with fancy facilities or high-tech gadgets in your room. What they specialize in, however, is just plain, utmost care that they place on their guests, and the impeccable service that comes with it. From breakfast staff who remembered where we sat the previous day and our love for berries, to the concierge picking up flu medicine for us, almost everyone we met in The Goring was extremely lovely and pleasant. I can spend a full day in my room without feeling like I'm wasting time as one can argue that time spent in The Goring IS the British experience that tourists like us are looking for. The highlight of our stay was the breakfast, so much so that even though we'd never been early birds, breakfast in the beautiful dining room was the thing that we looked forward to the most, every single day. There's something about the experience that I can't quite put my finger on, perhaps it's the sound of silverware clattering and newspaper turning, and the muffled dialogue in an otherwise quiet room that made us feel like we were part of a period drama. Not to mention that every single dish was carefully prepared using the best ingredients and beautifully presented. If you stay at The Goring, breakfast is a must, and please come early. Our stay, however, has not been without fault. For example, no one helped us with our luggage when we arrived, and we struggled to bring it up the stairs into the lobby. There was a flickering light in our room that, despite telling the front desk about it, didn't seem to be completely fixed. In addition, we had dinner at the famed Goring Dining Room and it was rather underwhelming. Those things were, however, very easy to overlook if you consider the otherwise wonderful experience The Goring offered, and we can't wait for our next stay here.