Mychelle's Baketique @ Hotel Rafayel

Hotel Rafayel has a sweet tooth. It's called Mychelle's Baketique and if you haven't sampled its delicious wares you are missing out on one of London's greatest hidden secrets (although, given the rave reviews it has received from luxury concierge service Quintessentially, Elle Magazine and others, it won't remain a secret much longer!)

Mychelle's Baketique specializes in preparing delectable custom cupcakes and cakes.
It offers a full range of pastries and sweets for any occasion and happily caters to your dietary needs with their tasty wheat free, vegan, fat and sugar free, and low salt recipes.

Mychelle's Baketique is owned and managed by twenty-six year old Michelle Husserl who moved to London from New York City to pursue her culinary dream. Michelle honed her talent at London's Le Cordon Bleu Institute and soon afterwards opened the Baketique in Hotel Rafayel. Michelle's creativity, love of baking and timeless recipes were inherited from her mother, grandmother and great grandmother. It is this history, along with Michelle's love for fashion, music and art that inspire her tantalizing culinary creations.

Feel free to stop in from 11:00AM to 8:00PM Tuesday to Saturday to taste the yummy selection of fresh baked cupcakes and cakes. For special orders, please call or email us your request. Mychelle's Baketique can typically fill your special orders with 24-48 hours notice depending on how busy they are at the time. No order is too large or complex to handle.

For more details visit Mychelle's Baketique's funky web site

Panoramic views of Rafayel

You've read the reviews, you've seen the photographs, you've read the blog postings and you've visited our web site....now, via Panobase, you can see the hotel on-line in glorious panorama. Of course the true Rafayel experience can only be achieved by visiting our hotel, but these panoramic shots of various interiors provide an excellent glimpse of the Rafayel style.

We are currently pleased to offer panoramic views of our main lobby, one of our spa treatment rooms, the Crystal Bar, two bedrooms and one of our bathrooms. Please click here to view.

Rafayel's Crystal Bar reviewed on View London

The View London Review by Tim Crane, 17/03/2010

"The Crystal Bar is a new and exciting venue on the banks of the river Thames at the newly christened Left Bank, Battersea. Here you can enjoy the wizardry and expertise of mixologists who create cocktails and Martinis to order. The experience is intimate, fun and memorable with a chic coolness and laidback style to stimulate the senses. The notion of 5-star treatment at affordable prices is alive and well in SW11....

"The bar has been specially designed to offer a panoramic view of the river Thames and its glass frontage ensures an enviable vantage point. Inside, low ceilings, cool purple and green lighting, halogen candles, a long flowing bar and exquisite floral displays create a warm, relaxed environment which is stirred but not shaken by the sounds of Motown and other soulful classics. The summer months provide plenty of alfresco drinking opportunities for hotel guests, locals and passers-by looking to enjoy a chilled glass of wine or something more adventurous. The bar is ideal setting for celebrations of all occasions....

"The cocktails are fantastic. The strawberry and vanilla Champagne is carefully prepared with fresh strawberries simmered for about 10-minutes with vodka, sugar and vanilla liqueur. This mixture is then left for 48-hours before being served. It certainly provides a quirky alternative to the standard Kir Royale and the £9.50 price tag sends the right message to the Chelsea set paying considerably more.

"The Rafayel Special Cocktail consists of raspberry vodka, lychee liquer, pomegranate juice and fresh raspberries. The sprig of mint completes the resplendence and it is served over a stack of crushed ice. It is the visual representation of the word refreshing. Priced at £8.50, the Special is dangerously good and a non-alcoholic time out is on hand in the form of the Virgin Cocktails, priced at £5.95, where various fruit-based creations steady the pace.....

"The Hotel Rafayel’s Crystal Bar has the potential to become a mecca for cocktail lovers. The spectre of Chelsea Harbour need not be an intimidating one as The Crystal is not at all out of place in terms of style and sophistication. Indeed, you can imagine James Bond dropping out of a helicopter and landing effortlessly into the throng, a glass of Martini in one hand and a dazzling Martina wrapped around him. It certainly deserves to create a Battersea set at the forefront of a stylish new social setting on London’s Left Bank and could easily develop into the place to be seen."

To read the full review please click here

Rafayel featured in The Times on-line article

Green Hotels Offer Luxury that doesn’t cost the Earth by Sarah Butler, March 10, 2010, The Times On-Line

"The luxurious experience offered by upmarket hotels helps to make them among the most profligate users of water and energy.

"That, however, is starting to change. With rising energy and waste bills, pressure from consumers and government regulations on carbon use on the horizon, the hotel industry is starting to polish its eco-credentials.Travelocity, the travel booking website, listed 200 venues when it launched its green hotel directory in January last year; today it lists more than 900.

"At the same time, membership of the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS), the largest accreditation scheme for ecofriendly hotels in Britain, has risen from about 1,400 three years ago to more than 2,000....

"The five-star Rafayel in Battersea, South London, is one of the capital’s newest eco-hotels, incorporating low-energy LED lighting and energy-saving air-conditioning systems. Iqbal Latif, the hotel’s developer, says: “As the price of oil goes up, people will naturally demand that wastage be cut. We are conquering the critique that luxury hotels are profligate consumers.”

To read the full article please click here.

Banyan on the Thames - Top Diner Rated on Top Table

We are delighted that Hotel Rafayel's fine dining riverside restaurant, Banyan on the Thames, has received the "Top Diner Rated" accolade on the leading restaurant guide/review web site www.toptable.com ("where smart diners go").

Top Table comments: "Set inside London's most exclusive eco-friendly hotel, Banyan on Thames is a chic restaurant overlooking the river and the London Helipad in Battersea. With so much action right outside its soundproof windows, this is a fantastic place to watch the world go by and sun-lovers adore the riverside roof terrace for summertime dining. The Hotel Rafayel is popular with the capital's eco set, and the Banyan is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu is a melange of Euro, Asian and Mediterranean flavours, and favourite dishes here include the duck confit in a ginger and lime sweet and sour sauce; the mango and papaya salad with curry chicken; and the Barcelona traditional fish soup."

If you haven't yet experienced the delights of Banyan on the Thames, hurry down to Rafayel and enjoy an exquisite meal in a stunning setting with spectacular views.

American Government launches website for new US Embassy in Battersea

The U.S. Department of State has created a new website to provide information on the proposed relocation of the U.S. Embassy in London from Mayfair to Battersea.

This excellent site provides considerable information on all aspects of the move, including the new site, transport and access, planning applications, phase one consultation, key themes and the next steps in the process.

Of particular interest to Hotel Rafayel are the reasons for the American government's decision to move its London embassy to Battersea:

* Its proximity to the heart of London
* Its proximity to major transport interchanges
* Its proximity to the river and the views both up and downstream
* The support for the regeneration of the whole area, including Wandsworth Borough Council, the Mayor and the Greater London Authority
* The opportunity for the new Embassy to act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the area

Importantly, the U.S. Department of State is committed to ensuring the new Embassy building meets the highest standards in sustainability; it has therefore set a target of achieving a BREEAM Excellent rating in the design brief which will be provided to the appointed design team.

Hotel Rafayel is delighted that the American Embassy has demonstrated such a strong commitment to the regeneration of Battersea. With the launch of Hotel Rafayel, the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and various other local initiatives and development projects, we are seeing the transformation of the area into one of London's most exciting, modern and dynamic districts.

The New Embassy for London web site may be viewed here.

Mother's Day Special Offers

What better way to show your appreciation for all your Mother’s love and support than by spending quality time together at a luxury hotel.

Treat your mother to Mother’s Day Lunch or Dinner at our riverside restaurant, Banyan on the Thames or spoil her with the following special offer:

Your package includes:

A lovely red rose and a Thank You card on arrival
One night’s accommodation at rates offered from £120 per room
Afternoon Tea with Cakes for two at Banyan on the Thames at 30% off
Any of our River Wellbeing Spa treatment at 30% off
Fresh flowers for Mum
Mother’s Lunch or Champagne Dinner at Banyan on the Thames at 50% off*

Offer available from Friday 12th March 2010 to Monday 15th March 2010 12pm – 6pm inclusive

For more details please click here

Get Baking with Rafayel and the Ideal Home Show

The Ideal Home Show and Hotel Rafayel have teamed-up for the Ideal Home Show's Baker of the Year competition.

The contest is open to all who are passionate about baking. Entrants simply need to submit their favourite baking recipe along with a photograph of the sumptuous finished product and a short blurb detailing why it deserves to win.

As stated on the Your Home Blog: "The first 100 entries will receive a pair of tickets to the Ideal Home Show and the chance to attend a champagne reception at the Ideal Home Show on 25th March 2010. A panel of expert judges will select the five best recipes to be put forward for the live bake-off final at the Ideal Home Show, on 30th March 2010.

"The winner of the bake-off challenge will receive a chance to be published in Ideal Home Show’s official recipe book to be launched at the show in 2011, as well as a cake decorating course with Baketique chef Mychelle in her London-based kitchen, a VIP one night stay for two at Hotel Rafayel, London, including dinner for two and a spa treatment in the hotel’s beauty spa.

"Entry deadline is 10th March 2010 and is open to anyone over the age of 16. You can submit your entry online at www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/home_baker or email: homebakeroftheyear@stuart-higgins.com"