“As a Clapham resident you expect to have to hotfoot it over the river to at least Chelsea and Knightsbridge, if not the West End, for a trendy five star or boutique hotel experience. That could all change now that Hotel Rafayel has opened. This sexy new player on the scene is located next to Battersea Heliport, five minutes from Clapham Junction.

Hotel Rafayel is the first and only five 'low emission' star hotel south of the river, in an area which is rebranding as the 'Left Bank’. It’s all done in an uber luxurious way, and as I arrived in the lobby it was the gorgeous florist boutique and a cupcake shop which caught my eye rather than the hotel’s green credentials.
They are taking the ecological impact of the hotel seriously though, with rainwater being harvested from the roof, electronic rather than paper newspapers, recycled leather furnishings and a strict no plastic policy packaging their gorgeously scented Neom room products in glass bottles.

The hotel’s restaurant, ‘Banyan on the River’ and cocktail bar ‘Crystal’, has one of the best river views you'll get along that stretch of the Thames. The Long Bar at the Sanderson will always be one of my favourites, but this has a similar feel, and the drinks were affordable and well mixed.

The Spa, Gym and ‘Jetlag recovery’ rooms, the first of their kind, will be launching soon too – no doubt also showcasing the hotel’s signature creative design and flair.

Hotel Rafayel’s appeal is bound to spread through the Yummy Mummies of Northcote Road and beyond; it feels as established as a global brand but the special little touches give it a boutique feel. I was lucky enough to meet the exuberant owner Iqbal Latif while I was there. You can feel the blood and sweat of this high flying business tycoon’s hard work to make the hotel what it is, underlined further still when I was told that the hotel is named after his grandson. I told him that Crystal bar could become the Long Bar of the South. He replied: “I had the bar built like this so that I could watch the best sunset in London”. I couldn’t put it better myself.”

Top 10 most beautiful hotel views
http://news-e.hoosta.com/top-10-most-beautiful-hotel-views/
The heyday point light at the end of their noses, it is time to think about looking outside, and even if it to dazzle as much as it is magical, idyllic, cosmic! From the Empire State Building to the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate to the Wall of China, here are 10 luxury hotels with spectacular views.

Hotel On Rivington – New York City
Without doubt one of the best views in Manhattan on the Empire State Building.


The Radisson SAS Metropolitan – Paris
Ask the Eiffel suite on the 6th floor, you can contemplate the Iron Lady.


Rafayel Hotel – London
65 eco-chic rooms over the Thames River to adopt the new attitude london.


1835 White Palm Hotel – Cannes
Cannes Film Festival or not, be at the forefront of the Croisette.


Manolo Boutique Hotel – Cape Town
You must go … absolutely!


The Granges d’en Haut – Chamonix
The Mont Blanc it is 4810 meters of pure beauty, calm and voluptuousness. A monument of eternity to contemplate at least once in his life.


Cavallo Point Hotel – San Francisco
Who has not dreamed of seeing the sun rise over the Golden Gate?


Commune by the Great Wall – Beijing
An incomparable view of the Great Wall of China.


Longitude 131 ° – Ayers Rock
Luxury in the heart of the Australian bush! A view at 360° to Ayers Rock.


Selçuklu Evi – Cappadocia
At the heart of one of the most beautiful and mysterious landscapes of the world...