The Zetter Review
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It's easy to get excited about the Zetter. It's one of those hotels where you know you'll be in for a treat: so much to explore and lots of little touches that take you by surprise. Like the extent to which this place is committed to lessening its environmental impact.
When the Zetter was just an empty shell of a Clerkenwell warehouse, the hotel's founders laid down their vision for a hotel that would look after its guests, the environment and the community. And so to start with, they used sustainable materials for the rebuild and unleashed the mighty 457-metre borehole which supplies drinking water for the entire hotel.
They also kept many of the original features of the old 19th century building, like the bare-faced brick walls and sash windows. The spectacular naturally ventilated atrium chucks natural light right down to the ground floor through the open gallery corridors. These also house some unique vending machines where guests can find everything from champagne to toothbrushes.
In the rooms, meanwhile, we got stuck into a back issue of the Idler and realised that it went perfectly with the experience: take things slowly, enjoy the moment but not taking things too seriously.
The Zetter is in London's Clerkenwell Road
Our studio room at the top of the hotel had awesome views over the London skyline. The room curved round and opened up to a wooden panelled terrace which afforded a glorious panorama and place to lounge around. We loved the solar-powered lamps which came into their own at night, even though it took us a while to realise that turning them on simply involved turning them upside down. Inside the rooms, light-activating key cards save energy on lighting and notes in the bathrooms advise guests to leave their towels hanging to reduce the need for a daily launder.
The Zetter has an impressive kitchen. The menus are constantly changing according to seasons and availability at the market. Coffee is Fairtrade, sourced from the Union Coffee Roasters, and fish comes from sustainable stocks. You can take breakfast as fast or as slow as the mood takes you. Fast and you'll get a basket of pastries and toast to go; slow and you can have a Full English or perhaps our favourite -- the ricotta pancakes with maple syrup.
It's no wonder the menus attract rave reviews and people come to the Zetter just to eat and soak up the atmosphere. We also enjoyed soaking up a cocktail or two in the bar.
In terms of carbon miles, we were absolute saints. We hopped on the tube from South London with our overnight bags and settled in for the night. Who needs distance when you can have a green getaway right on your doorstep?
[box]Essentials: A standard double room at the Zetter goes for £160 per night, but the deluxe suites go for up to £340 per night. The closest Tube station is Farringdon. St John's Square, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1M 5RJ.[/box]Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
