Somewhere to stay: luxury London apartment

Cheval Three Quays is a prestigious address. The contemporary complex of serviced riverside apartments for short- and long-term stays rubs shoulders with the Tower of London. Across the river, HMS Belfast and the Shard are its nearest neighbours, or you could strain to see the workings of London in the bubble-shaped City Hall further along.

Actually, as it turns out, we don’t have to strain – each apartment in the plush Cheval residence is so fully kitted out (gleaming gadget-filled kitchens, laundry space, hi-tech bathrooms and five-star-hotel-standard bedrooms, all with maid service), that they even come with binoculars. And a polite note to remind us to respect our neighbours’ privacy. Which we do, of course. Having arrived just after 5pm for our overnight stay, it looks like the Mayor of London has already gone home.

What's the apartment like?

Comprising nine floors of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, there's a choice of river or urban view from the block; and, as you’re perched in the heart of London’s business district, which is also a bustling tourist area, it’s a good combination. Apartments on the higher floors have stunning views of Tower Bridge (left), particularly spectacular lit up at night; our first-floor suite has a huge outdoor terrace, stretching the width of the two-bed apartment to the edge of a decorative infinity pool, and beyond to the river Thames.

It’s the perfect place for the girly get-together we've planned: a bit of shopping, meals out, London attractions, posh cocktails, all from the base of our swish city pad. In fact our swish city pad proves so compelling that we struggle to leave it for the first few hours, taking chairs out onto our balcony and toasting passing boats with glasses of champagne. They're no doubt delighted to see us being smug and ‘at home’ in such glamorous surroundings – but that’s all part of the fun. Your funds may never stretch to letting you own a riverside home – but you can enjoy it for at least a night this way. Many guests stay much longer, of course – we hear of one lady who has been in residence since the building opened three months ago. Most popular are week-long stays, and judging from the mix of residents passing through the foyer, it’s popular with international guests.

Where to eat nearby

We do finally drag ourselves away and take a cab the short distance to the heart of the City. There’s plenty to do here on a busy Friday evening, lots of outdoor terraces for eating and drinking, with plenty of buzz. We’re off to eat at The Hide at The Bull (4 Devonshire Row, London EC2M 4RH; 020 7655 4805), which has been recently refurbished. A wall of noise hits us as we step into the bar – yes, it’s the weekend and London is partying – but we’re led upstairs to a cosy dining room for our dinner reservation. It’s fairly small but very welcoming and – thankfully, as we just want to chat and catch up – blissfully quiet. Given its city location, it’s the sort of place that is packed during the week, quieter at weekends, great if you’re not interested in spending the evening shouting to be heard by your dinner companions.

The menu is great; not too fussy with lots of great choices and reasonably priced for this part of town. There’s lots I could happily tuck into here – Cornish crab, roast king scallop, grilled English asparagus from the starters (from £6); rack of lamb, lobster macaroni, sea bream from the mains (from £12). We’re treated to a glass of the owners’ exclusive sparkling cider with nettles from the Hush Heath Estate in Kent to kick off the meal, and the excitement of bubbles and champagne flutes sets the evening going nicely.

The food, it turns out, is quite outstanding. Ingredients have clearly been very carefully sourced – mushrooms that taste like they have been foraged moments before making their way to our plate, a melt-in-the-mouth Angus chateaubriand to share, tomatoes that taste like, well, tomatoes. And dishes are cleverly executed; simple with a twist. The chef comes to chat to us after dinner, this is clearly a man with a passion for food and we assure him we’ll be back – this, trust me, is a great London food find. There’s a good choice of wines including a sparkling option from Kent and the aforementioned cider; £5 by the glass, bottles from £20/£25.

Time to pamper

Next morning, we wake up to the ultimate luxury – a spa treatment from the comfort of our own city apartment. MILK Beauty is a new venture, offering beauty treatments right across London, seven days a week and up to 10pm on weekday evenings. Prices from £13.75 for manicures, pedicures and waxing, brow shaping from £10, massage from £27.50, facials from £40. Pamper packages are also available. Or you could use the time practically and opt for a waxing session – male waxing is also offered. Scorning such practical approaches - and the pain! - we have manis and pedis; the therapist has a huge choice of colours in her kit and sets up quickly and easily. So instead of trekking off somewhere to have our pampering, we just pull open the balcony doors and relax on the couch with magazines while being looked after. Such a treat. It was the perfect girly weekend...

Find out more

Cheval Three Quays is located at 40 Lower Thames St, London EC3R 6AG; phone 020 7341 7052 or visit the website here; prices from £282 per suite per night, and from £1,974 per week in a one-bedroom urban-view suite. Cheval Residences has now opened a South Kensington apartment complex; prices from £170 per night for a one-bed apartment, visit www.chevalresidences.com for more information.

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