Sea Containers London – a truly stunning South Bank Hotel

Sea Containers London: A Tom Dixon Masterpiece

This Tom Dixon-designed hotel is a most unusual and stunning property, with a style reminiscent of the bygone era of the roaring 1920s set on a transatlantic cruise liner.

Prime South Bank Location

Sea Containers London is situated in a prime location on the South Bank of the River Thames, a stone’s throw from Covent Garden, Borough Market, The Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, and so much more.

The hotel showcases its heritage with a number of nautical features, including an impressive, handcrafted copper hull dominating the reception area, passing through the lobby into the heart of Sea Containers London—the restaurant.

Luxurious Room Experience

After being warmly greeted with a glass of Prosecco by the concierge manager, we checked in to our fourth-floor room overlooking the Thames to find a beautifully designed and spacious suite. The décor was so obviously ‘Tom Dixon’: the lighting, soft furnishings, sofas, and chairs were striking in strong shades of plum and purple on grey and white—simple, minimalistic, yet stunning. The bathroom was huge but again designed to maximum effect and practicality.

We settled in, unpacked, and took advantage of a couple of hours before dinner to catch up on some work, but we also allowed ourselves the treat of the chilled bottle of Laurent Perrier gifted to us by the management—thank you. The suite had a fabulous large terrace, perfect for those Instagrammable London skyline photos and for summer in-room dining.

To build up our appetite for dinner, we decided to take a stroll along the river towards Borough Market, where we picked up a few culinary foodie bits, enjoyed a coffee and slice of cake, and ventured back to our suite.

Agua Spa Indulgence

I was in for a treat at the hotel spa, Agua Spa. The spa offers experiences and personalised treatments with an original selection of skincare. Agua Spa has a new product range—Hedgerow by Agua—which is a range of seasonal products, blended onsite using techniques drawn from herbalism and aromatherapy, delivered with a medium to deep massage. The organic ingredients are locally and sustainably sourced from indigenous flora with a history of use in medicinal and wellbeing remedies, providing effective and aromatic treatments. The ingredients of the oils change according to the season, but are delivered by therapists with great massage techniques—my massage was perfect. I needed an hour to just chill out in the suite before dinner and to take full advantage of the massage, oils, and feeling of euphoria!

Cocktails and Dining Excellence

Now it was cocktail time, so before dinner we enjoyed an hour in the eclectic South Bank rooftop bar, 12th Knot, which has 360-degree views across London highlighting the evening city skyline. We chose a couple of delicious cocktails before heading down to the ground floor for dinner, which was booked in Sea Containers Restaurant.

The Sea Containers Restaurant offers fresh, seasonally inspired cuisine that is sustainable, carefully sourced, and perfectly prepared. We had a fabulously delicious meal: I began with my absolute favourite oysters and my husband chose the chowder, followed by a whole grilled seabass to share. It was all served with flair and artistry and tasted simply divine. Our waiter David was a fountain of knowledge and explained every dish perfectly, ensuring our dining experience was impeccable.

We did not think we would find room for dessert, but the choices were so enticing we could not resist, so we indulged in the bread and butter pudding with rum and raisin ice cream and chocolate brownie served with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce—calorific and heavenly.

We decided to have a coffee back up in the rooftop bar, 12th Knot, and the atmosphere was buzzing. Eventually, we succumbed to our tiredness and went to bed in our dreamy super king-size bed and did not stir until morning.

Perfect Breakfast and Stay

Breakfast was as perfect as everything else in the hotel, taken in the Sea Containers Restaurant: fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and a full English set us up for a day of business.

All in all, our stay at Sea Containers London was as perfect as any hotel we have ever stayed in. The hotel team were all warm and friendly and happy to ensure our stay was spot on.