"Some places always deliver, no matter the occasion or the individuals present at the time of your stay. Fortunately for my Son and I, The Stamford Bridge Hotel (formerly Millennium & Copthorne at Chelsea F.C.) is just such a venue. Having decided that a night in Chelsea would be the ideal culmination of a few days travelling about England, once again our choice of venue did not disappoint. Having stayed in this hotel a number of times in the past, we hoped that we would experience the kind and friendly welcome that had been extended to us previously. This visit would not disappoint. No football this time, just somewhere to have a bite to eat and a couple of rooms in the grounds of the young fella's favourite Premier League team. From the moment we arrived in reception to be greeted by Habibe and her front of house Team of Izedora and Ayoade, we were made feel welcome and valued. Ayoade explained that there was extensive renovations ongoing, which did not concern us in the slightest. Having been given information regarding an offer that was available at the time and providing details of the location of the rooms, we headed to the 2nd/3rd floors respectively. We had opted for Superior rooms and these were spacious, well appointed and extremely comfortable, with ample tea/coffee/biscuits to allow us catch up on stone TV before heading to the bar for a bite to eat. The menu may not have been extensive, however, it was varied and extremely well priced, considering the location and the somewhat captive audience. We both opted for the Calamari to start and a Pepperoni Pizza as the main offering, accompanied by J2O and excellent quality lattes, served by another dynamic duo of Prajjwal and Anamika, who along with Sujit at breakfast, completed the triumvirate of Nepali natives that we met and, thanks to each of them, it was easy to see why the people of the Roof of the World are considered amongst the warmest and friendliest you will meet anywhere. Following our evening meal we bumped into the fabulous Habibe once more and this time she introduced us to DM Neal. Having met before, some time ago, it was like a reunion and Neal took time out of his crazy schedule to explain the renovations, the changes to the hotel and to assure us that whatever we needed we need only ask. After a good night's sleep breakfast in the 55 restaurant was tasty, hot where required and varied in the buffet-style offering. The aforementioned Sujit along with Mamata were attentive, friendly and professional throughout, ensuring we had everything we needed to provide the perfect kick-start to the day. Which left checkout and the only change to the front of house Team from the night before being the arrival of Kalkidan as a late substitution for Ayoade. I can assure you this was in no way detrimental to the team and to our overall experience as, once again, we were treated every bit as well on departure as we had been on arrival. So, yet another visit to Stamford Bridge and it's hotel was over. However, we still had time to visit the club shop followed by an hour in the adjacent Tea Bar, which turned out to be a highlight of the entire visit to London. Again the coffees, one latte and one iced mocha, were excellent and the prices were, once more, extremely reasonable, but it was the pleasure of meeting Adriana that made the visit so memorable. We were regaled with reminiscences of Adriana's 20-odd years of association with Chelsea FC. This was such an enjoyable way to end our 22 hours in West London and all of the people mentioned made our sojourn much more enjoyable than it might otherwise have been. Thank you, Stamford Bridge Hotel, 55 Restaurant and The Tea Bar. We will be back... You have been warned!! TF & AF."
