Review:41101 Heartlake Grand Hotel/Soupperson1
Soupperson1
Country: Ireland Age Group: TFOL (Sweet Sixteen) Gender: Female
Joined: 28th December 2011 
№ of Reviews: 43 
№ of Featured reviews: 0
Building Experience: Enough
Today I'm reviewing the set: 41101 Heartlake Grand Hotel. This set is the biggest Friends set, ever! It has over 300 more pieces then the second biggest Friends set, 41058 Heartlake Shopping Mall. Can the biggest set of my favourite theme surpass 41005 Heartlake High and become my favourite set?, let's find out in the review:
- Theme: Friends
- Pieces: 1552
- Mini-doll figures: 5
- Price: $119.99 USD
- Brickipedia / Brickset
The box[edit | edit source]
The box is mainly medium lavender with medium lilac edges, like the other Friends sets. The box introduces the "girl" (curved edges) box mould for $120 sets, which means we might get more! The box quite nicely displays the hotel with the side builds and figures to the side. Stephanie is the scale reference. I like the picture of all the characters and taxi beside her. The back of the box shows us the inside of the set and some additional views. If you want a closer look high res pictures of the majority of the views can be found on our set page, 41101 Heartlake Grand Hotel. Andrea is the character in the top corner, I would've liked the three girls there but oh well.
The contents[edit | edit source]
The contents of the set is a transparent backed sticker sheet with over 30 stickers! There's also a bag of base plates with contains four 8x16 brick yellow baseplates and two 16x16 baseplates in the same colour. Two instruction manuals are also included, one small manual for the first two bags and one large one for the other nine bags. Yes, we get a total of 11 bags of bricks!
Bag 1[edit | edit source]
The contents
The parts to the side are the pieces found in the smaller bag.
The frog mould makes its debut appearance in warm gold here. The bright purple suitcases also make their first appearance in that colour. Olivia's torso also has a new printing. The white 2x2 bricks with a curve make their first appearance in a Friends set here, as do the bright yellow hanger pieces and the warm gold half a seashell. The warm gold cone and 2x2 circular tiles are rare pieces and are certainly nice to get.
Olivia and Andrea
As stated before Olivia gets a brand new torso. It's really just an updated version of her regular torso. This is my least favourite of the updated torsos, I liked all the others, but I don't like this one. I think the white undergarment kills to the look and I think it looks pretty weird that she's wearing a vest in summer. Her head, face and skirt are all common pieces. The outfit combination is pretty nice though, it's a shame about that undergarment.
Unfortunately, Andrea does not get a new torso, she reuses the one found in 41009 Andrea's Bedroom. Her head and hair are common, but her shorts only appear in one other set, 41038 Jungle Rescue Base. I really like her outfit combination the colour combination makes the colour pop!
The carts and fountain
We get two carts to be pushed by the hotel staff, one food cart and one luggage cart. Both carts are mainly bright yellow. I love the build of the luggage cart, it's really creative! The food cart is nice to besides the transparent blue plate. I like how the food connects to the cart.
The fountain is amazing, that build is perfect! I can't flaw it, it has a perfect part placement the curves going up look wonderful! The gold seashell and leaf parts look nice too. From the back it looks very realistic, it's like in real life you can see where the water begins. The warm golden frog at the top makes the build perfect!
The table, chairs and fencing
I don't understand the inclusion of the fences they don't add anything to the set but oh well. The fences look okay, but there's nothing really interesting about them though.
The table and chairs, however are very nice. The chairs look gorgeous, from all angles! All the cushion prints in this set are beautiful and these cushions are no exception. The table also has a nice build, I love the pin brick added in the centre.
Bag 2[edit | edit source]
The contents
Most of the black pieces would be common for the average LEGO fan, but for people who only buy mini-doll figure sets will find these pieces as new. I don't think anyone will complain about getting three 1x2 transparent red tiles as transparent colours are so rare. Speaking of rare the curved light purple 1x4 brick only appears in one other set, 41060 Sleeping Beauty's Royal Bedroom.
The taxi
The taxi closely resembles an English taxi except it's less curved. The design of it is fantastic, I only have two complaints-no door and no steering wheel! I love the headlight build and parts used for the side view mirrors. The seats inside look quite comfortable. Following the trend of 41091 Mia's Sports Car the boot (or trunk in the U.S.) opens up. The boot (trunk) only fits a single suitcase, but is nice nether the less.
Bag 3[edit | edit source]
The contents
The curved brick yellow window piece is a new mould all together and its most extravagant! The warm gold pillar pieces and warm gold 2x2 plates are exclusive here as is Nate's torso. The transparent 1x5x5 brick/panel piece doesn't come in many sets and hasn't appeared in a Friends set since, 41006 Downtown Bakery. The white 1x5x2 pieces with a grove haven't made an appearance in any colour in a Friends set!
Stephanie, Lady and Nate
Stephanie reuses Isabella's lei outfit. Her flower accessory is the only hair clip in the set which is unfortunate for a set this size. Stephanie's face and hair are super common. I like the outfit, but I would've preferred if Stephanie used her new medium lavender sarong rather than this bright reddish violet one. This is the first time we've seen that amazing torso since 2013.
Speaking of things that haven't been seen since 2013, Lady appears. Even though Emma isn't here, it's suggested you buy another set and bring her here to play with her friends and dog.
Nate's hat is new and his hair makes its first "girl" set appearance. His face is Noah's and legs are Prince Charming's each only coming in one other set. His bell boy torso is new and super cute!
The kitchen (minus interior)
The kitchen looks quite pretty from the outside. It puts all the parts from the bag into good use, particularly the new arch. I would've preferred a window compared to the door, but more on that later. The menu sticker and sticker on the door both look gorgeous! The warm gold/bright red tiles to make a carpet looks good too. I'm surprised the interior wasn't included as its only a few extra pieces but oh well.
Bag 4[edit | edit source]
The contents
There's not a whole lot different pieces here from bag 3 but there are some exiting ones! The warm gold 1x2 curved bricks are exclusive here and they're stunning! The printed 1x2 postcard tile and 2x2 newspaper are new to Friends for this wave. The medium stone grey 1x2 bricks with a hole in them and 1x4 brick yellow brick with open studs on the side haven't appeared in a lot of Friends sets.
Reception
The reception's exterior design is mirrored to the kitchen's. The inside is more interesting though. The desk where the receptionist works looks quite nice, thanks to the warm gold pieces. It's a shame we don't get two 1x2 warm gold bricks to replace the white ones as the white bricks are kind of an eye sore. The two printed pieces are on display in a nice panel brick. The computer on the desk has a nice sticker on it as well. I like the keys for the room at the back with the global clocks. The cupboard unfortunately doesn't have anything in it.
Bag 5[edit | edit source]
The contents
There was so much stuff here I needed two pictures! The huge warm gold disks and medium lavender curved bricks are exclusive. The warm gold bricks with a curve extension are a new mould, super useful, gorgeous and exclusive! What's not to love? The 1x1 warm gold bricks and medium lavender curved tiles are rare only appearing in a few sets.
The entrance
The two sides are now one to create the entrance. The red carpet with lights look quite nice. The revolving doors use the same technique from 41058 Heartlake Shopping Mall. My only fault with this technique is it leaves a lot of open space. The roof is also built up making good use of the white 1x2 pieces with ridges in them and the new warm gold bricks. The sign for the hotel looks quite nice too.
The chandelier!
Yay, we get a decent looking chandelier in a LEGO set! It was a really fun build and the end result looks fabulous. I think the red carpet should've got a red 1x2 tile at the end to finish off the carpet look.
Bag 6[edit | edit source]
The contents
The saxophone makes its first appearance outside Minifigures here. The transparent black 1x2 bricks are super rare and it's great to finally get them in a "girls" set. The six stemmed flower bottom makes its first appearance outside Elves here. The 1x3 medium lavender bricks are also exclusive. There's nothing special about that brick yellow plate it just didn't fit in the first picture :P
The hotel
The shrubs are added to the front of the hotel, which gives it a nice natural look. The kitchen finally gets an interior. It's a self service row with various edible/drinkable items. I would've liked a proper kitchen much better and I think it would've made a lot more sense.
The piano, chairs and table
I don't know why we need two tables with four sets in the set but oh well. The lamp at the end of the table has a nice build. I mentioned before, all the cushions here are great! The stage/piano looks super! That's the best piano we've ever gotten in a LEGO set. The cushion in front of it is drop dead stunning. The piano and cushion are both on the red/gold carpet. The stage isn't a half bad build either. I've mentioned before, I prefer the old microphone to this new coloring but oh well.
It's weird these two pieces don't connect to the hotel.
Bag 7[edit | edit source]
The contents
The large warm gold bricks, Susan's torso and skirt are all exclusive here.
Susan reuses Charlotte's hair and Kate's head. I think the Clerk's hair and Jasmine's face would've been better and it would've been their first appearance in a Friends set. I really like Susan's torso and leg piece, they look great together.
Maxie is nothing new but it's nice to get him again, I think Kitty would've been a good choice as she hasn't been in a set since 2012.
Bed/bathroom combo
Both suites are identical from the outside, but they both look gorgeous and put those pieces to good use. The bathroom is quite nice, but it's worrying there's no sink! The shower would've looked so much better if the "frying pan" piece was in warm gold. I'm not sure what the transparent blue brick is supposed to represent but the robe on it is a lovely sticker. It's a shame none of the mini-doll figures in this set wore a robe that matches this. The TV is quite nice and is showing Livi's limo. The small bed is nicely constructed and what's better is it looks quite comfy. There's a nice sticker on the wall which portrays a picture of a woman.
Bag 8[edit | edit source]
The contents
There's not a whole ton here that's interesting that hasn't appeared in the set already. The hairbrush in medium azure makes its first appearance in a Friends set. That transparent yellow cone piece has glitter moulded into it!
The master suite
Like I mentioned previously the exterior is the same as the first suite. The interior is very different though. We get a much bigger bed this time, but it still looks just as comfy as the other bed. Instead of a bathroom this time we get a vanity. The vanity has two nicely built perfumes, a letter, lipstick and a hairbrush on it. The stool in front of the table has another lovely looking cushion.
The hotel is coming together quite nicely, now all we need is to give it a roof.
Bag 9[edit | edit source]
The contents
The 2x10 medium lilac plates are exclusive here! The umbrella stand and the umbrella piece are both pretty rare. The 1x2 bright yellowish green curved slope bricks, yellow and red tap pieces aren't common either.
The roof
I was very surprised to see the roof only took a single bag to build. The roof design from the front does look spectacular though. The inside as we're discovering a lot in this set is quite open. The smoothie bar uses the blender technique from 41035 Heartlake Juice Bar. The pool looks really nice! That sticker looks amazing and I imagine will be sought out by collectors. The lounge chair beside it was also fun to put together. The grass pieces at the end of the balcony give the roof top a nice tropical look.
The hotel is almost finished! Now all we need is the elevator!
Bag 10[edit | edit source]
The contents
The medium lavender 1x3 brick with an "L" shape. The 1x5x2 transparent bricks and "L" TECHNIC pin make their first appearance in a Friends set.
The elevator (part 1)
The elevator looks quite pretty from the outside, particularly the stickers and the way they constructed the arch. The red carpet leading up to the door on the inside is a lovely touch. The sticker for the elevator buttons and the number of the floor are fine as well. I'll talk more about how the elevator works in part 2.
Bag 11[edit | edit source]
The contents
The printed record is new and those large medium lilac slope pieces are quite rare too. We've seen the majority of the rest of these pieces in previous bags.
The elevator (part 2)
Just like the rest of the exterior of the set the elevator looks gorgeous from the outside! Like I mentioned previously, I love the arch technique! The roof with the flag is a nice addition as well. The flag would've been better if it was medium lilac/medium lavender but oh well. The D.J. booth has a nice simple build. The inside of the elevator is the same as from the last bag, with additional floors and changed numbers.
The elevator works like the one in 6860 The Batcave except you choose where it stops. You let the elevator drop and turn the grey TECHNIC piece and it will get caught on one of the black knobs, depending on where you change the TECHNIC piece. It was really fun to build and the best part was it wasn't hard or frustrating.
It will take time but you can fit three mini-doll figures in the shaft.
Well the hotel is now finished!
It can also be rearranged but I think the default version looks the best/most normal.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
| Build/Design |   4 / 5 |
| Playability |  4½ / 5 |
| Parts | 5 / 5 |
| Price | 5 / 5 |
| Overall | 4½ / 5 |
Why didn't I give it 5 stars? Let me explain: The exterior is visually stunning and perfectly represents a Georgian style hotel. There's two much open space on the inside though. I think we've could've got more characters, even using existing pieces. I strongly recommend this set if you have the money.
Who will you invite to your hotel?
Anyways, thanks for reading my review! I hope you liked it <3 Soup
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