Girl’s Night in at the Mandeville

If I had £10 for each of the hen dos I have to go to this year I’d be a lot richer. Sadly, none of them are taking place at The Mandeville – a lovely, boutique hotel in Marylebone.

The hotel offers an amazing pampering package, in conjunction with the Powderpuff girls, which includes manicures and pedicures, hair and make-up styling, chocolate afternoon tea, champagne cocktails, delicious dinner and a slap-up breakfast.

My friend and I recently stayed there and were a bit early on arrival, so we enjoyed a glass of wine in the trendy, mirrored bar, before heading up to our small, but smart room where our Powderpuff girl Claire – perfectly attired in a ’50s-style powder pink and black dress – was setting up.

It initially all seemed a bit awkward, as we shuffled around the room trying not to feel embarrassed that we were sitting on our arses while someone our age laid out bowls of hot water and endless bottles of nail polish. And an attempt to put some music on was thwarted by the fact that the only way to have a backing track to your pampering is to pay £5 to listen to a Norah Jones album through the hotel’s ‘entertainment system’.

But then the tea and cocktails arrived – seriously strong cocktails veritably dripping in gin and tequila, and some delicious sandwiches and cakes – and we started to relax. Claire was friendly and great fun, and as she painted our nails and gave us pedicures we nattered about living in London,  X-Factor and the strange attraction of Strictly Come Dancing (I’m still a little fuzzy on that one).

Several hours later we were pampered to the max, with lovely fingers and toes – Claire was even able to make a rather impressive effort with my friend’s bitten fingernails, which have remained unbitten ever since! We then headed down for a lovely dinner served in their dining room, and finished off the evening with cocktails in the bar. Breakfast in our room the next morning was wonderful, with a full spread of porridge, croissants, toast, tea, coffee and a sumptuous fry-up – perfect for blowing away the fuzzy cocktail cobwebs.

The Mandeville
Mandeville Place
Marylebone
W1U 2BE

Tel: 020 7935 5599

For more information contact www.mandeville.co.uk

The Powderpuff Girls cater for office dos, hen nights, parties and weddings throughout London. For more information visit: www.thepowderpuffgirls.com or pop into their newly opened Powder Rooms at:

136 Columbia Road
Hackney
E2 7RG

Tel: 020 7729 1365