Each of the 12 rooms at Blanch House has a name and theme of their own and is decorated uniquely. Although there are no categories as such, there are three different sizes of room. The loosely Oriental-themed Sakura, an example of a standard room, has its walls covered in beautiful Japanese floral-print wallpaper, and has matching red lamps, curtains and a wonderfully comfortable bedspread. It has to be said that despite the tasteful decoration, the room remains a squeeze and that without any hanging space besides a coat stand in the corner. The only other storage space is a wooden dresser upon which are the television and DVD player and the complimentary filtered water in personalised bottles. Other amenities include an old school telephone (internal use only-you can make external calls from reception), air conditioning and tea and coffee facilities. There is no safe in the room, although you can leave things at reception and iron and ironing boards are on request. The bathroom, which is a better size, has a bathtub, branded toiletries in holders, hairdryer and great big bath towels. Other standard rooms include the hugely popular Alice, which is Amanda's take on Wonderland with silver and pearl print wallpaper, a mirrored headboard and ceiling and crystal chandelier. Orchid, with its superb wallpaper and mirrored furniture and Renaissance with its equally attractive red and gold wallpaper and worn furniture are other examples of (slightly more spacious) standards. There are four rooms which, although they have the same amenities, are more generous in size. One such room is snowstorm whose bed is surrounded above by a curtain of hanging mobile-like chains and which has more snow shakers in the bedside tables and dresser. Boogie Nights with its loud orange and black 70s wallpaper and Moroccan, the authentic-looking North African-themed room, are also of the same size. The hotel's biggest, and arguably most impressive, room is Decadence, a suite boasting a huge bed dressed in burgundy, a deep soaking tub inside the room itself and a mirror opposite the bed which doubles up as a television (and whose remote control lights up in the dark!).
Amy Adejokun
Section editor
