HMS President Ballroom and Bar

From outside the HMS President does not look very much like a trophy ship, the pale colours of the hull are reflected sadly in the murky depths of the Thames with a dark sunshine-yellow funnel sitting drably on the roof. Inside however the boat is quite comfortable, a lounge reception and piano, cloakroom and steep winding staircase lead myself and the other party guests up to a lounge-bar. Here the small but comfortable blue leather chairs and tables allow us legroom to relax and look out at the passing ships on the balcony outside. The back doors of the room lead onto the deck for wonderful views of the OXO tower at night. The front of the room opens out into a beautiful ballroom with white drapes, DJ and dance-floor. The bar itself is manned by persons who themselves do not suit the classy effect of the ship but the service is relatively fast. the stock behind the bar is quite poor even if it looks pretty and at £16 for 3 shots of tequila we are blown away by the price.

Overall the President is a lovely location for a charity ball or event with wonderful views of the Thames and almost no movement of the boat, but the bar, although attractive was extremely over-priced and not something I’d ever return to - 3/10