Finally parked in own home after what seems eons ago that we left it.
Normally i am greeted by my kids' inability to do the washing up and to do the rinse cycle but now everything was till neat and clean.
Also for those following my plumbing adventures. the sink was till holding up, so no unexpected deluge in tidal wave.
Another Christmas miracle!

There was a tidalwave of some sorts..... as soon as I switched on the kitchen light,
in 5 minutes later, Nina was already ringing my doorbel and was already in my arms sobbing: "HE already has a wife, an ex-wife, 4 children.... is there no man in Amsterdam left without any excess baggage...." ?! Ahum, she is lamenting at the wrong fool here (me) but ok, nothing a nice cup of tea from Fortnum & Mason can't solve.
https://www.fortnumandmason.com/stor...scuit-pairings
And yes, this village idiot was brazen enough to dive into Fortnum's on a Saturday afternoon to get those scrumptious biscuits.
And with S/O being the voice of reason as usual; "maybe you should do some diversification in fixed assets? Which did stop the lament of innocence and started the resurrection of insurrection. And as a result, i;ve warned my kids already that good ol' feisty Nina (she does not want to be called "aunt") will be joining us on our Holland America Line & MSC Explora cruises. She needs to be properly chaperoned by one of her nephews as she is looking for a rich unattached man on a foreign shore.... 'think love boat"......

And with that update to lighten the Christmas mood,
let's continue to the place where you can find a lot of rich men in the wild ...
but also a lot of competition if dealing with the hierarchy of the harem.

So let's pop in the Intercontinental Parklane London for a December 2024 update
For this occasion i had originally booked the "Mayfair Hyde park view suite" and for kids their usual "cozy" on points.
Yes i know, mustn't spoil them to much! It builds character.
My room showed in the app before check-in an upgrade to Mayfair prestige suite.
Upon check in, i got the full recognition befitting Diamond RA but also the message that no Mayfair prestige suite was possible but only the standard prestige suite.
"ahum", i coughed, "are you trying to fob me off with old unrenovated junk ?" ..."or is the harem up to its usual shopping extravaganza antics ?"
A sheepish laugh but a blink of eye in understanding ......
I was assured that this prestige suite #210 had its bathroom renewed and as compensation and extra treat would be delivered in room but that they needed 30 minutes extra to prepare. And as such we were cordially invited to suss it out in the Club Intercontinental Lounge.

And that brings me to the Club Intercontinental Lounge on level 7.
Timings are currently conform the website https://parklane.intercontinental.co...ercontinental/

• breakfast Club Lounge between 6.30 H and 10.30 H Monday to Friday, and between 6.30 H and 11.00 H Saturday and Sunday.
• Afternoon Tea 14.30 H and 16.30 H
• Evening drinks, champagne and canapés for two people between 18 H and 20 H

How is the ambiance in December 2024?
And how about the touted shower room to refresh?
What/whom is this lounge targeting?
And what are the current offerings ?
You might be interested to know that the Club Intercontinental Lounge upsell for the "cosy" room of my 2 adult kids was priced at 155 GBP per night. It seems to change per occupancy & season,

And here is finally room #210 ... "prestige suite" with the renovated bathroom.
Words, to much of it .... let the visuals do the talking in this case:

Room #210 on level 2
Faces south and has views on Wellington Arch
Has 2 connecting doors to room #212 and room #206
Our dinner at Theo Randall.
As always Dorine was ever the charming hostess, remembering us from previous visits.
She was able to guarantee our speedy dinning as we had other evening commitments.
So kudos for delivering tasty food and still be on time.
We all took the pappardelle and then 2x seabream and 2x seabass.
Don't worry it is all EQP earning if charged to your room on the hotel folio...
Some claim ...Atacama40 that it tipped the balance scale for RA re-qualification.

And a quick peek at "cozy" #205
Also located on level 2, facing the interior courtyard looking north.
Also has a connecting door with room next door.
My question to you, dear reader ...
Although level 2 is officially not a Mayfair floor,
it seems some renovations and touchups have been done to this cozy room ...
Your verdicts please...?
And i hope this gives you an idea what to expect...
A shame, i missed The-Aviator on his grand European tour...
but maybe better because i would make a complete fool of myself with to much champers in my tummy...
To everyone out here, have a lovely Festive season!
Be it Happy Hanukkah or a Jolly Dolly Christmas, all the best wishes from all of us!

PS, if one finds London abysmally dull this winter ......
Can recommend out of own personal experience and my tips for this Festive season 2024 & start 2025