There are three things essential to making a hotel a great place to stay with kids: friendly staff, plenty of things to do and noise. Checking into a hotel where you have to whisper and tell your children to stand still every five minutes isn’t a relaxing break, it’s survival, which is why I approached the reception of The Landmark London in Marylebone with caution. It looked large, expensive and intimidating – what could possibly go wrong?
I was checking in with my family for 24 hours to try out the Sherlock Holmes’ themed Investigator Package. Based just around the corner from 221b Baker Street, home of the famous fictional detective, it’s no surprise the hotel’s taken advantage of its proximity to the base of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary literary character and created a luxurious package for kids and parents.
Sounds fun, what’s the hotel like? 
The Landmark London
The Winter Garden
Elegant. From the soaring atrium with palm trees and grand piano to the luxurious basement spa and lavish bedroom furniture and sink-into carpets, it’s five-star from top to bottom, yet despite the glitz and glam, staff are friendly and laidback and the atmosphere isn’t as hushed and subdued as you’d expect, particularly The Winter Garden where I spot plenty of families with boisterous children and tots alongside couples and solos.
It’s an historic hotel that’s been frequented by everyone from the Suffragettes in the 20th Century to A-list stars like Keira Knightly in the 21st Century. You might find a scattering of TV presenters and ex-England footballers like Jermaine Defoe dining there too – I know this because my football-mad son pointed him out to me during supper in The Winter Garden, more of which later. You get the idea: it’s big, beautiful and and has long been a celebrity hot spot.
So what’s the Investigator Package?
When we walked into our family stuite (room 154) on the first floor, all was revealed. Sol (9) raced to a leather suitcase laden with a deer stalker hat, plastic pipe, boardgame and map of the hotel and plate of cookies, while I gravitated towards the two luxurious beds. Other treats included pots of sweets and nuts, a chocolate cake, kid-sized white robe and slippers and two glasses of milk in the fridge. Cute.
A beautifully illustrated map of the hotel had questions and clues down one side, which Sol needed to answer in order to collect stamps and gain a certificate at the end. Cookies consumed, he didn’t need persuading to start investigating and it wasn’t long before he’d obtained his first stamp from the reception of The Winter Garden.
Flushed with success, he sped off to find The Marble Hall and discover the date Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst had breakfast at the hotel after being released from prison in 1908. Next, he had to track down the mode of transport found in a stained glass window on the main stairs (spoiler: it’s a train). Other clues took him down to the depths of the basement spa and, eventually, to the concierge desk for a final stamp and certificate presentation.
Amanda Statham
Sol receiving his certificate
All the staff we met seemed delighted to be involved and were genuinely helpful, particularly the concierge who found us wandering around looking for Pankhurst’s breakfast date. If it hadn’t been for his hints, we might still be roaming the corridors now.
The entire hunt took around 30 minutes. It was fun and such an original way of exploring a hotel – perhaps adults should be asked to go on a treasure hunt before they’re allowed access to the mini bar?
Is dining kid-friendly too?
The Winter Garden is wonderful. Before you’ve even tasted a morsel, you can’t fail to be impressed by the setting – an inner courtyard with a glass ceiling a dozen storeys high. It’s such a huge space it’s hard to capture in a single photo. Everywhere you look there are pots of orchids, stunning floral displays and towering palms – if Kew Gardens were turned into a five-star mega hotel, this is how I imagine the interior would look.
As we browsed the menus (there’s a choice of seasonal menu or a la carte, plus a kids’ menu) a pianist played and the atmosphere was sophisticated but welcoming – this isn’t a place for kids to be seen and not heard. I liked that the kids’ menu had plenty of options including penne pasta with bolognaise sauce and chicken noodle soup. I was drawn to the plant-based and fish options, despite the temptation of a Hereford aged ribeye steak with Bernaise sauce and pork belly on the menu.
Jerusalem artichoke gratin with camembert and truffle turned out to be a choice starter, with flavours that mixed together beautifully. For main a wild sea bass with brown shrimp, mussels in a lobster sauce tasted as good as it sounds – I loved that the fish was a decent-sized fillet that wasn’t undercooked, and the rich, buttery sauce married with it perfectly.
Sol opted for sticky toffee pudding dessert, which turned out to a muffin-style cake with warm toffee sauce poured on top by a waiter at the table – every last bit was licked up. I was chomping on cheese and biscuits, declared ‘boring’, but for me it was the perfect savoury end to dinner.
Amanda Statham
Fresh honeycomb at breakfast
Breakfast at The Landmark is one of the finest I’ve seen in the city. It’s buffet, but Michelin standard. A range of healthy juices including a mood-boosting ‘power green’, every fruit you could wish for (from giant blackberries to Dragon Fruit), miniature eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, healthy vegetable salads like beetroot, feta and roasted peppers, pastries galore and a Full English, with deliciously juicy sausages (Sol rated them the best EVER). The thing we both loved the most, however, was the frame of honeycomb from local producer Bermondsey Honey, which you could break and stir into porridge – it doesn’t get much fresher than that.
Where are we all sleeping?
As part of the package we stayed in an Executive Family Room (154) with two double beds, lounge area, desk and huge bathroom with separate sinks, shower and bath. The whole set up was so spacious, it felt more like an apartment, and Sol found it so comfortable he snuggled up with his new Landmark teddy and slept until 8am. Result.
And what about that spa you mentioned…?
The hotel’s basement has been cleverly converted into a spa, which is noticeably large for a Central London hotel. There’s a high tech gym, relaxation area, treatment rooms and swimming pool with sauna and Jacuzzi adjacent to the pool. Children can swim between 3-5pm and 9-11am, which is a great idea as families can be as loud and splashy as they like during those hours, while singles and couples know which times to swerve.
Anything else?
I liked the look of Afternoon Tea in the Winter Garden, so have stored that away as an idea for a celebration at some point. On the doorstep are the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street, tickets to which are part of the package, plus Madame Tussauds, so the hotel’s in a great location if you want to do some more touristy activities. However we were content to enjoy the hotel’s amazing facilities.
Do it!
The Investigator Package starts from £630pn in an Executive Family Room, which sleeps four. Includes breakfast in The Winter Garden Restaurant for two adults and two children, tickets to the Sherlock Holmes Museum for up to two adults and two children, Sherlock Holmes children’s books, Investigator teddy bear and Sherlock Holmes accessories to dress up, Sherlock Holmes-inspired cocktail for parents in the hotel’s Great Central Pub, Sherlock Gnomes movie in-room, interactive treasure hunt around the hotel with a certificate on completion and Sherlock Holmes Board Game/Card Game (available upon request).
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Cosmo’s globetrotter (58 countries so far!), I’m as happy in a VW Camper in Cornwall as I am in a five-star in the Seychelles (though if you’re going to make me choose, I’ll take the Indian Ocean island option, ta). I’ve jumped off waterfalls in Bavaria, tracked leopards in Oman, dived with 40 sharks in the Galapagos, learnt to surf hungover in Hawaii, circled Mount Everest and danced in Trinidad carnival covered in mud at sunrise. No, I can’t get you an upgrade.