Rotunda Lounge

Christmas shopping is exhausting and the only thing I want to do when the weather gets colder is to be warm, snug and preferably have some warming drinks and food to enjoy.

Getting hit from all angles by angry and pushy shoppers desperate to find the last handbag on the rack is not my idea of a good time over the festive season and luckily for people like me who want to escape the madness, there is one place which seems to have been invented for you – the Rotunda Lounge in the Marriott Hotel.

Situated in a prime location on the South Bank the bar is the ideal spot to warm up and embrace the Christmas season. It’s decadent yet welcoming and full of large comfy sofas and armchairs to lose yourself in.

The views on offer across to the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and big Ben are undeniably impressive, especially at night time when covered in lights, and the special winter menu provides some indulgent winter cocktails to get you in the mood.

For the more traditional, there’s mulled wine – made from Mrs Beeton’s recipe – and a selection of tasty warming cocktails, which are all served hot.

My favourite of these was a cinnamon and vanilla infused whiskey drink and my friend had the breakfast tea with a healthy helping of gin. These drinks are as comforting as your slanket on a cold night and go down very easily.

There are also chilled cocktails to sample which have been painstakingly created by the bar staff from an innovative mix of ingredients.

The champagne cocktail is served with spheres fused together with Hendricks gin and elderflower.These look slightly like grapes but surprisingly burst in your mouth letting loose a strange sweet mixture which tastes a lot better than it sounds.

I’m not a big fan of dairy and alcohol and think the two are much better left alone. But I was proved wrong with the chocolate gingerbread cocktail consisting of dark chocolate liqueur, cognac, orange brandy gingerbread syrup and  navy rum. It fulfilled my sweet tooth and had a warming alcoholic kick which tasted a bit like a gingerbread truffle but had the consistency of a martini.

The hotel is exceptionally grand but the bar has everything you need for a relaxing treat and it’s the perfect place after a day of shopping or skating in Somerset House.

- Rebecca Rutt