We love London; we spend time there every year. And while it would take a lifetime to experience everything the city has to offer; you can accomplish a lot in a day. Here is how we spent a perfectly British day in London at Kate Middleton’s favorite hotel.

The Goring is down the street from not only Buckingham Palace and Westminster, but also Parliament, making it a favorite of aristocrats, celebrities and royals for decades. According numerous reports in the British press, the Goring, with its classic façade and impeccable service is Kate Middleton’s favorite hotel in London. So last Fall when we had a day to spend in London, we figured we would check it out and booked a stay.

Once you arrive at the Goring, you’ll know you are in good hands. The staff is accustomed to dealing with the city’s elite, so they treat every guest to their five-star service. Having just arrived from our busy trip in Rome, we took some time to freshen up in our room and then we headed out for a nice walk around the neighborhood. The neighborhood just happens to include Buckingham Palace, the Royal Mews and St. James Park. We leisurely explored St. James Park and snapped a few pics outside of Buckingham Palace. Check out our previous London blog where toured the Royal Mews and saw the Queen’s car and carriage collection!  London is one of those places that you could just meander around all day and find plenty to do. I love having free time in London because it is one of those places begging you to explore.

By the time we returned to the Goring it was right around 5pm. And at 5pm every day the hotel treats its guests to probably what is the most charmingly British ritual—cocktail hour. A butler comes to your room and mixes up a cocktail right in front of your eyes. After he explains the cocktail of the day, he serves it to you right in your room on an actual silver platter. The cocktail during our visit was a Sweet Manhattan. The butler places down your silver platter of cocktails and with it is a beautiful note telling you not only the recipes for the drink, but also some history on whatever cocktail they are serving that day. For us we got to read about how Winston Churchill’s mother had influenced the creation of this drink while she was in New York City in 1870.

After enjoying our drinks, it was time to head to the Michelin starred Dining Room for dinner. Every meal starts with the Queen Mother’s favorite dish, Eggs Drumkilbo, which is a seafood cocktail made with crab, lobster, tomato jelly, topped with Nakari caviar and a soft-boiled quail egg. For our meals we chose to enjoy some British classics like Beef Wellington, paired with some perfect glasses of wine by the sommelier.

And of course, we had to save room for the iconic Eton Mess dessert.

And after a delightful restful night of sleep in our room overlooking the garden, we woke up to another example of the Goring’s perfect service—breakfast. Also served in the dining room, we enjoyed a full English served with a nice hot pot of tea and some exquisite pastries that just made set our day off on the right foot before it was time to head home. If you have a day in London, spend it at the Goring and I’m sure it will be perfect.