Our Review Of Sea Containers London: 20th Century Glamour In The Edwardian Cabin Suite

It’s funny how quickly your entire day can turn around sometimes. How one minute you can be under the impression you’re staying in, then before you know it, you're heading to one of the new cabin suites at the five-star Sea Containers London for an overnight stay. It was so spontaneous (and I was so excited) that I left my glasses and contact lens case at home and had to construct a makeshift one out of bottle tops.

From leather and velvet to vintage units and marble surfaces, the interiors in the Edwardian Cabin Suite were a delight.

DesignMyNight's Review Of Sea Containers London: The Edwardian Cabin Suite

Their new suites had been on my radar, and each individually represented a ‘bygone era of golden-age travel’. Conjured up by Jacu Strauss, the designer and creative director of Lore Group, these suites included the Edwardian, Art Deco, Dynasty, and Mid-Century styles. I made my way up giddily to the former and was entranced from the onset; as soon as I walked through the door I was greeted by mahogany vintage furnishings, a dark green velvet sofa, and sprawling views of the Thames.

The living space was gorgeous and complete with a wet bar featuring sparkling glass decanters and bottled cocktails from the acclaimed bar Lyaness, as well as a pristine dining table topped with a welcome bottle of Champagne. I popped it enthusiastically and waited for my partner to arrive, while sweeping through the stacks of interior design books atop a 100-year-old Edwardian desk, looking for inspiration (as a result, I currently have an emerald green banker's desk lamp sitting in my Amazon cart).

You could look out across the Thames from all of the windows (pictured). 

I ended up meeting my partner downstairs for drinks at Lyaness, the 3 Pin-awarded bar by Mr Lyan that I was fortunate enough to have visited and reviewed the week prior. The curiosity of whether I'd be recognised got the better of me, so I piped up ‘do you remember us?’ to the same friendly server as last time, to which he replied ‘of course, and I can sit you both where you sat last week too if you like.’ And we did.

I had been dreaming of the Hitchhiker's Negroni (£19) for seven days and I couldn’t wait to have it again - it was just as smooth and florally fruity as I remembered it, and I learnt a little more about how the daisies used in it go through a meticulous dehydration-rehydration process.

My partner offered a curveball by ordering the Iron Fish House Punch (£19) featuring Bacardí Cuatro, passionfruit, cranberry, cloud tea, red long pepper, and an iron fish. The latter comes into play before serving, and works symbiotically with the spirit, changing its properties (there’s no actual fish involved by the way, it’s just fish-shaped). It was a deliciously refreshing drink, presented in a custom baby pink ceramic glass.

After a cocktail each, we made our way over to the Sea Containers Restaurant for dinner, where we devoured olives (£6), and I sipped a crisp Seresin Estate Sauvignon Blanc (£15) while watching the sunset on the Thames. I found a lot of joy in the seabass ceviche tacos with red onion salsa (£16), as they were a lot sweeter than expected and zingy, and the beef tartare (£18) was flavoursome too, uplifted by zippy bursts of vinegar from the beads of capers hidden in there.

I couldn't resist ordering my favourite: the Hitchhiker's Negroni (pictured left). 

I was pleased with how succulent yet slightly charred my Atlantic cod (£28) main was, drizzled in a sauce vierge and topped with sea herbs. I mopped the sauce up with fluffy golden fries (£6), after making the most of the Old Bay mayonnaise they were served with, as well as inhaling some garlicky tenderstem broccoli (£9).

I tried a little of my partner's brick chicken (£24) with a confit garlic jus and salsa verde too, which he adored and I agreed - the jus was glistening and had a lot of depth to it. For dessert, we shared a baked New York cheesecake with berries (£9), which was ridiculously creamy, and I got little kicks of satisfying sourness too. I couldn’t manage too much, though, as it was very rich, and I was very eager to return to our room to discover more of the amenities.

The bathroom in the Edwardian suite was the stuff of dreams, with white marble walls and flooring, a double vanity sink, a separate rain shower and a copper bathtub, which I ran, added herbal salts to and soaked in for a prolonged period before I realised it was probably time to go to sleep. I clocked out immediately as soon as my head hit the pillow and my body succumbed to the sponginess of the handcrafted Naturalmat mattress.

Breakfast was an absolute feast (pictured), and a challenge wholeheartedly accepted. 

Waking up was difficult, but the lure of a Champagne breakfast via room service dragged me from the fetal position to the lounge where a goats cheese-filled omelette, eggs Royale, sourdough toast, a selection of pastries, coffee, berries and clotted cream, and glasses of orange juice and Laurent Perrier were brought in on a trolley and covered the entire dining table.

It was not too dissimilar to that one scene in Pretty Woman, and although the omelette was slightly cold (it’s probably quite hard keeping something as fickle as that hot, 15 floors up), everything was delightful and indulgent.

Another brilliant feature of the suite was two TVs that were designed to look like paintings but could sync up to your Netflix at the click of a button. While the one in the lounge didn’t work (potentially a teething phase as these rooms are so new), the bedroom one did, so I changed a stormy scene background into episode six of the Ultimatum: Queer Love, something I’m sure both the designer and artist envisioned for their creation.

Leaving the Edwardian Cabin Suite was hard - I wanted to live there among the bottled boats, Werther’s Originals and working telescope - after all, 506 sqft (47 sqm) of space was above statutory room size for a place in London. However, an extended checkout time couldn’t be taken for granted, so my partner and I had to bid the 20th century farewell.

Overall: The Edwardian Cabin Suite At Sea Containers London

I loved my stay in the Edwardian Cabin Suite at Sea Containers London - it was a mix of nautical chic, Hackney flea market and Edwardian regalness all rolled into one and a room that I could envision wanting to spend a couple of days in, or even just one more night for a honeymoon or celebration (a girl can dream). The interiors felt very considered, and the service was brilliant - it was also a dream to be only a lift’s descent away from one of my favourite bars, too.

For more, check out our guide to the most romantic hotels in London.