I lived the high life at the five star hotel at The Shard in London - here’s my verdict on the iconic sky scraper destination

The Shangri-La Hotel sits 125 metres high on the 35th to 52nd floors of London’s tallest building, The Shard - and it’s just launched a unique range of packages to experience our capital city like never before 

It’s an iconic destination with sky high expectations to live up to - and that’s not just because it’s a luxury five star hotel.

Occupying floors 35 to 52 of The Shard, which is London's - and Western Europe’s - tallest building, the Shangri-La Hotel is one of our capital city’s highest situated hotels.

But does a sky high location tally with a top visitor experience?

There was only one way to find out.

I visited with a friend for an overnight stay on a Saturday evening in August as the hotel launched a new range of packages, offering guests the opportunity to experience London life like never before.

We travelled to The Shard from Birmingham on Chiltern Railways. Being next to London Bridge underground, the Shangri-La Hotel was pretty easy to find after we disembarked our train at Marylebone Station.

We were greeted with pleasant nautical themed decor on entering the huge pyramid wonder which stands 72 storeys-high in total and is jointly owned by Stellar Property and the State of Qatar.

It opened in 2012 and comprises offices and apartments - as well as the Shangri-La Hotel.

Firm but friendly security officers checked our reservations as we entered the ground floor of The Shard, which is opposite Guys Hospital and less than a ten minute walk from the River Thames.

It’s so high that we couldn’t even see the peak no matter how far back we tried to crane our necks to peer up at the glass walls which got smaller and smaller as they reached further into the sky.

It wasn’t long before we were transported up to the 35th floor in a lift for our first taste of sky high living at The Shard.

And it was love at first sight. 

We were greeted with soothing, perfumed air, a warm welcome and the most incredible view from the floor to ceiling windows as we arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel reception area.

St Paul’s Cathedral, Black Friars Bridge, the Walkie Talkie and Cheesegrater were among the first landmarks we spotted as we checked in.

Our twin room was on the 41st floor. It was a definite wow moment as we entered and opened the blinds to unravel even higher views of the Thames and discovered more of London’s incredible landmarks within eyeshot, including the Tower of London, HMS Belfast, London Bridge and Canary Wharf.

Our room was a generous size - with so many little touches of comfort which made us feel so welcome like binoculars, a giant TV, a lit wardrobe, slippers, a coffee machine - and lots of cake.

The bathroom was gorgeous - especially with the floor to ceiling windows. The Jo Loves toiletries were a real treat, adding to the charm of the world of luxury surrounding us.

But it was the view that stole the show. We had a birds eye sight of one of the biggest cities of the world, a sprawling metropolis with its landmarks through history unravelled and laid out before our very eyes.

From the grisly, brutal, medieval beheadings at the Tower of London to the glistening heights of Canary Wharf, the mystery of the world-famous London Bridge nursery rhyme with glimpses of open top bus tours and more boats ferrying sightseers and revellers up and down the waters - and more giant cranes on the horizon creating the landmarks of the future. The city was evolving minute by minute as we looked on.

Yet our room remained peaceful. There was no noise from the streets below - we were safe and sound in our sturdy glass lined home in the sky.  

It’s a good job the blinds were easy to manage - as it can get a bit bright on a sunny day and we all need a little privacy now and again.

I was invited to stay at the Shangri-La Hotel as it launched a new range of packages to entertain its guests called Eat Play Love.  

The packages are aimed at offering guests an opportunity to enhance their stay with unique experiences of London.

If you choose Eat, you are taken on a trip to nearby Borough Market with a chef who hand picks the finest seasonal ingredients which are created into your own bespoke evening meal at Ting Restaurant.

Play blends culture, cuisine and historical hidden gems on a guided walking tour on which you sample and savour the tastes of London along the way.

Love is full of bubbles and bliss in which guests unwind with a soothing ELEMIS spa treatment which is followed by a time at the infinity pool and sauna. It is accompanied with a bottle of Champagne and a Jo Loves bath cologne.

As a dedicated food fan I opted for Eat.

We were accompanied to Borough Market by Ascanio Placido - the head chef from Ting Restaurant, the Shangri-La Hotel’s main dining spot.

Ascanio clearly had passion and expert knowledge on the workings of the historic market, which is over 1,000 years old.

A range of super popular street food traders have evolved since the pandemic. But there are still plenty of stalls selling fresh fruit,vegetables, meat, fish and more that you can pick up and bring home - or back to your hotel or airbnb.

Ascanio chatted to us about our food likes and dislikes and soon came up with a fantastic bespoke dinner menu for that evening - with all the ingredients bought at the bustling, colourful and aromatic market.

We feasted on an amuse bouche of fried oyster, decoratively served in its shell.

Our starter was a tenderly tasteful scallop, topped with caviar and served with the most incredible ceps and pineapple salsa with a mushroom broth.

For our main course we were treated to the most marvellously presented fillet of beef, moistly rich in flavourful meaty protein and topped with potato foam and truffle while surrounded by broccoli and with an added depth of flavour from perfect pearl onions.

It was an excellent dinner. Our desserts were a gorgeous treat as well - we got to try a few!. The peach and rosemary tart with yoghurt cream was excellent as was the Matcha Misu - a matcha infused lady fingers filled with organic mascarpone. We especially enjoyed the smoking, milk chocolate Shard - it was quite a spectacle as steam surrounded the sweet pyramid filled with creamy deliciousness.

We enjoyed a glass or two of a fresh and zingy Austrian white wine called Laurenz V Friendly Gruner Veltliner - notes of apple and spice added another depth of flavour to dinner.

We continued our exploration of the hotel’s drinks after dinner too - at its fabulously elegant and intimate cocktail bar Gong. You may not be surprised to hear that this is Western Europe’s highest hotel bar! It’s on the 52nd floor of The Shard.

Its cocktails are centred on single ingredients rooted in Asian heritage, so there’s plenty of opportunity to explore original flavours and drink experiences.

The Eat experience package includes breakfast so we were delighted to begin a day in the clouds by sampling the five star Shangri-La buffet. It was one of the best buffet breakfasts I have ever enjoyed. Fresh honey, beetroot juice, huge sausages, a choice cut of bacon, hash browns, so many breads, fruit, cheeses and nuts and seeds.

And there were options for a choice of freshly cooked favourites too - like eggs benedict, eggs florentine and more.

It was a shame we couldn’t travel back the following morning - there were so many gorgeous breakfast options, we did leave feeling a little concerned we may have left some excellent ones out.

Our stay at the Shangri-La Hotel ended with a trip to London’s highest infinity pool - next door to Gong on floor 52.

We were greeted with such a warm welcome at the relaxing pool area, sauna and spa - all of the staff at the hotel were so helpful and friendly.

It was a fantastic finale to our visit. The pool wasn’t too deep and just big enough to enjoy a swim in luxury and a lounge on a sofa overlooking the bustling business of city life below.

Our arrival an hour or so later back on ground level was another experience. We were back among our people, our feet firmly on the ground. Our adventures in the clouds were over for now, and we had made some fabulous memories to cherish of London’s high life at the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard.

To find out more about staying at the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard and the Eat Play Love packages go to: Shangri-la London