For a magical treat that little guests will never forget, book the Mandarin Oriental’s Little Ranger experience at Hyde Park.
Long a firm favourite with discerning travellers, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has created an exciting new experience for children. Their new offering, Little Ranger, is designed to welcome children to the hotel, as well as to help them explore all the fun sights on the it’s doorstep.
It’s the stuff of dreams for little ones who will feel incredibly special as they delight in all that one of the capital’s best hotels has to offer. Including popcorn and sweets delivered to your room, dressing-up boxes filled with treasures, family movie night experiences, this is the perfect overnight adventure. Citizen Enfants paid the hotel a visit to find out more.
The Vibe
The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park is pure, unadulterated luxury from the moment you’re greeted by the smartly-dressed doormen. With expansive floristry filling the entrance hall and Art Deco-inspired interiors, the hotel nods to the golden age of travel, the kind where you should pack your finest clothes and be ready to indulge in the finer things of life. But, despite all of this, it’s also an incredibly child-friendly space.
Little guests are encouraged to have as much fun as the adults they are accompanying; the pool is open to them all hours, and they are always warmly-welcomed into restaurants by kind staff. Kicking it up a notch, the hotel’s Little Ranger package offers young guests, among other things, a treasure hunt on arrival – allowing them to explore the many marvellous London sights on the hotel’s doorstep (it overlooks Hyde Park, with Buckingham Palace and family-favourites such as the Natural History and Science Museum not far away). The enthusiasm with which the Mandarin Oriental team treat the Little Ranger experience is impressive; they seem as genuinely as excited about what lies in store as their young guests feel.
The Food + Drink
The in-room dining menu by Chef Francisco Hernandez is extensive, for both children and adults. Little ones can happily tuck into good burgers and chips at their usual toddler tea time, while parents can wait until they’re settled into a film to order the likes of yellowfin tuna tacos in wonton shells, seabass and prawn har gow dim sum, or pan-roasted sea bass. Expect the same excellent food you would find in the hotel’s restaurant served to your room, allowing the whole family to hang out together. If you’d rather not order room service and instead try out one of the hotel’s restaurants then children are welcome too, or speak to concierge about booking babysitting services for an evening minus the enfants. Breakfast is served in the hotel’s beautiful restaurant overlooking Hyde Park and is a delicious affair, with all the à la carte and buffet options you’d expect from a five-star hotel such as eggs Benedict, avocado on toast and buttermilk pancakes, as well as a kid’s menu featuring French toast and porridge oats.
The Rooms
The suites – as with the whole hotel – are designed by the award-winning Joyce Wang and are visually stunning, with an elegant pallet of creams and taupes, greys and glimmers of gold, alongside luxe layering of materials such as leather headboards and antique-glass chandeliers. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows provide a fantastic view across Hyde Park, but it’s all just a backdrop for excited children once they discover the ‘features’ of the suite’s separate living room: a tee-pee filled with books and cuddly toys; a dressing up box (from which two helium balloons burst out of upon opening); trays laden with cakes, fruit and juice; and a television pre-loaded with your kid’s favourite movies ready for the in-room cinema experience. For once children will actually want to go to bed thanks to the cute sofa bed made up especially for them. Parents can then retreat to the other room, a paradigm of calm – no toys, just a bottle of champagne on ice – before sinking into the incredibly comfortable king-sized bed.
The Child’s Play
One of the highlights of the Little Ranger package is a 90-minute photoshoot. Expert photographers from Imagethirst (who are used to working with little ones) patiently ensure that the whole experience is relaxed and fun as you pose in Hyde Park for family shots to be treasured. Other Little Ranger experiences include a sensory scavenger hunt in Hyde Park where, using prompt cards, children are invited to seek out various aspects of wildlife and nature. There’s also a children’s personal shopping experience at Harvey Nichols and a chance to feed the horses at Hyde Park Barracks. The best part is that you can really tailor your experience – simply chat to concierge when you book. As a memento of a special time away, children are given a toy to take home, and will no doubt leave wishing they could stay forever.
The To Do List
Speak to the incredibly knowledgeable and equally helpful concierge to arrange all manner of sightseeing around London, as well as to book theatre trips and restaurant reservations. But be sure to try out the wellness facilities at the hotel too; its gorgeous 17-metre swimming pool is perfect for early risers to have a splash around in, it opens from 6.30AM. Kids will love that they too can be treated to mini spa treatments such as manicures, all part of the Little Ranger package, and parents will love the wonderful spa menu that includes a huge selection of treatments including facials using the luxury British, all natural OSKIA skincare brand.
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