That was my pre-Mother’s Day treat with my teenage daughter – being dropped right at the door of shops, galleries and hotels – and I could definitely get used to it!
Our six-hour trip in the lap of luxury began at 11am with a text from our Blacklane driver Jonathan, who was waiting outside the house.
![Our trip began when our private chauffeur Jonathan arrived at our door in a sleep Mercedes.]()
Our trip began when our private chauffeur Jonathan arrived at our door in a sleek Mercedes. (Image: Bridget Galton) We emerged to discover our smartly-dressed chauffeur opening the door of a sleek black and white car as we slid into super comfortable seats.
There was complimentary water to sip and heated seats to keep us warm as we rolled through our not very posh north west London neighbourhood to the first stop.
Since my teen is crazy for Lush bath and body products, we were off to the three-storey flagship store in Oxford Street.
![Our first stop was at the Oxford Street store for bath and beauty brand Lush.]()
Our first stop was at bath and beauty brand Lush’s Oxford Street store. (Image: Bridget Galton) Jonathan managed to stop right outside and leapt out to open our doors.
We spent the next hour smelling, testing and collecting samples of the vast array of bath bombs and beauty products before selecting purchases of a lemony soap and a sticky toffee body lotion.
Our courteous chauffeur hovered nearby; a quick text a minute before we emerged and he was waiting at the kerb ready to spirit us to our next stop.
We could have easily walked to Piccadilly Circus, but why bother when you can arrive in style? Leaving our purchases in the car, we managed to catch 40 minutes of the St Patrick’s Parade with floats, dancers and bands bringing the spirit of the Irish festival to London.
![Our day included a botanical themed afternoon tea at The Royal Lancaster Hotel near Hyde Park.]()
Our day included a botanical-themed afternoon tea at The Royal Lancaster Hotel near Hyde Park. (Image: Bridget Galton) But we were starting to feel cold and hungry, so a swift message summoned our driver to a layby in Regent Street and we were soon heading up past Hyde Park to the next stop.
The five-star Royal Lancaster Hotel has a charming afternoon tea themed around The Natural History Museum and all things botanical.
Sipping on pollen tea and hot chocolate – and for me, a delicious glass of Nyetimber fizz – we devoured an array of sandwiches; chicken, salmon, egg, and cucumber, then featherlight scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
The dainty cakes – presented in a gilded birdcage, sweetly resembled pollinating insects. There was a ladybird of vanilla mousse and caramelised apple, a green chafer of mascarpone whip with pear and blackberry, a beehive-shaped honey cake with creme fraiche, and our favourite, a snowdrop buttermilk cake with shortbread and white chocolate ganache.
![Our Blacklane chauffeur Jonathan was courteous, attentive and always smiling and dropped us off right at the door.]()
Our Blacklane chauffeur Jonathan was courteous, attentive and always smiling and dropped us off right at the door. (Image: Bridget Galton) There was just one more stop before home. At Marble Arch is interactive art gallery Frameless, where you enter a series of rooms lost in wonder at the animated paintings projected on walls, floors, and ceilings.
From Salvador Dali’s dripping clocks, to the dots of colour that flutter onto the walls to reveal a Seurat masterpiece, and the final room where you are immersed in a Roman mural, an erupting volcano, and a stormy shipwreck, it’s a great way to get young people excited about art.
Like Cinderella’s carriage, we were running out of time, so before the limousine turned into a pumpkin, we summoned Jonathan one last time to drive us home, pulling up just as the clock chimed 5pm.
Throughout the day he was ever smiling and attentive to our chatter, yet somehow understood when we were tired and wanted silence.
By the end I felt thoroughly spoiled and special, and was fully converted to having a driver at your beck and call for a hassle-free trip around the West End.
Blacklane is a German-based company that prides itself on its courteous drivers, sustainable values, and above all, reliability.
It operates in more than 500 cities in 50 countries and while they are most often used by business travellers for appointments and airport transfers, they are increasingly being hired for weddings, leisure trips, and with their new Mother’s Day Chauffeur-by-the-hour service the kind of special occasion like treating your mum to a well deserved day out.
