London Park Plaza Waterloo: The contrasts of the capital with a world-class view

We'd booked the Romance Experience which included the bubbles, breakfast and a late check-out.

Staying in one of the Executive Rooms on the 12th floor of the hotel, as the sun set and the city lit up, the view took on an even more magical look through the floor-to-ceiling window.

The busy hotel, which is popular with families, groups of adults and tourists, has a pool, steam room and sauna as well as a bar and restaurant - the Florentine Trattoria - where we enjoyed a late evening meal.

The menu includes pizza and pasta as well as classics such the Florentine beef burger or fish and chips.

We started with focaccia bread and Nocellara olives and then my wife ordered a Garibaldi salad and I enjoyed diavola pizza before heading back to our room.

The following morning we made use of the pool and spa - access to which is included in the stay but has to be booked - before tucking into the breakfast buffet which offers English and continental options as well as cereal, fruit and pancakes.

It was then off into Central London for a day's sightseeing and shopping.

The hotel is ideally situated for visiting the London Eye, Southbank and Westminster as well as the Imperial War Museum which is just a five-minute walk away.

It is also just across the road from Lambeth North tube station giving easy access to the Underground network and rail stations.

We headed for Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery weaving our way through the crowds of tourists in Parliament Square and along Whitehall.

We hadn't managed to get tickets for the Van Gogh exhibition, currently showing as part of the gallery's 200th anniversary year, but instead spent time looking at the work of Constable and masterpieces by the many other artists.

London is already getting into the Christmas spirit with stores selling festive treats, decorations and gifts. We headed to Fortnum and Mason and then on to Liberty's to pick up a few gifts.

On our way back to the hotel to change for the evening we decided to experience a different kind of art - taking a detour under Waterloo station through the Leake Street Arches and London's longest ‘legal graffiti wall’.

The stunning colourful art on concrete walls provided a big contrast to that of |constable and his contemporaries. Work here is finished one day and gone the next as new graffiti is sprayed on top of yesterday's art - so different to the 200-year-old Hay Wain we had admired earlier in the day.

For our second evening in the capital we decided to take a stroll along the South Bank, on a warm autumn evening, and had food at one of the many restaurants, looking out over the Thames as the London Fire Spinners demonstrated their skills on the banks of the river.

As Big Ben struck midnight it was time to head back for our hotel and a night’s sleep before catching the train home.

A weekend of experiencing the contrasts of art, Christmas shopping in the capital’s top destinations and enjoying the comfort of a four-star hotel and our room with a view.

> Tim Hopkinson stayed at the Park Plaza Waterloo in Central London.

> The Romance Package at Park Plaza Waterloo provides an overnight stay, a bottle of bubbles, a complimentary room upgrade and a late checkout. For more information, go to www.parkplazalondonwaterloo.com/offers/romance-experience/