Being the avid Handbook reader you are, you’ll know we’re intoxicated by our love of London’s brimming flamboyant hotel scene but sometimes the smaller boutique hotels need a little loving too. It’s the stylish boutique hotels that often get brushed aside so to show them some love, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourites:
11 Cadogan Gardens
Best For: Quintessentially British Affair
Just off Sloane Square in the heart of Chelsea sits 11 Cadogan Gardens, a beautiful five-star boutique hotel, awaiting your discovery. The ornate building itself comprises of four Victorian townhouses which date back to the late 19th century, and is home to 56 personally designed bedrooms and suites.
If you’re looking to channel your inner Britishness stay over in The Sloane Suite, overlooking the leafy Cadogan Gardens, and sleep like a princess in true luxury. The room is finished with the finest details, from intricately decorated pillaring bed frames, golden touches and floor-to-ceiling windows to gaze out over the city. It’s no British experience without coupling your stay with a spot of afternoon tea and 11 Cadogan Gardens certainly knows a thing or two.
Where: 11 Cadogan Gardens, Cadogan Gardens, London, UK
Nearest station: Sloane Square (0.2 miles)
Website: www.11cadogangardens.com
Henrietta Hotel
Best For: An Instagrammable Experience
From head to toe, Henrietta Hotel is a land of Instagrammer’s dreams. It’s a place influencers alike revel in its beauty and squeeze out every once of its pastel aesthetics, and it’s easy to see why. Nestled in the heart of Covent Garden, the interiors at Henrietta Hotel are inspired by the hotel’s surroundings whilst giving a nod to Italian design. For us, our favourite is the Henrietta room equipped with velvet cushioned chairs, marbled night tables, and a dreamy pink bathroom that you won’t be able to resist but snap up a ‘gram.
Where: 14-15 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8QG
Website: www.henriettahotel.com
The Zetter Townhouse
Best For: The Extrovert
The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell is extravagant, eccentric and electrifyingly wonderful in all the right ways. This 13-bedroomed Georgian townhouse hotel is brimming with character, from its elaborate pattern combos to its regal sense of Britishness. Why? Well, it’s all centred around one character in particular, your Great Aunt Wilhelmina of course! Venture downstairs and explore the endless cocktail combinations, all of which play homage to the area’s distilling heritage and have their own backstory from Wilhelmina herself, using her homegrown remedies…
Where: 49-50 St John's Square, Clerkenwell, EC1V 4JJ
Website: www.thezettertownhouse.com
The Portobello Hotel
Best For: A Summer Soiree
Notting Hill has a soul of its own, from its bustling markets along Portobello Road to the feather shaking flamboyant carnival, and somehow The Portobello Hotel manages to encompass its bohemian spirit perfectly. Like any boutique hotel, no two rooms are quite the same and over the years has been frequented by many a famous face. From cosy mural walls to roomy private patios, the hotel is the perfect spot to while away your weekend in the heart of Notting Hill’s inspiring borough.
Where: 22 Stanley Gardens, Notting Hill, W11 2NG
Website: www.portobellohotel.com
The Mandrake
Best For: The Fashionista
Go big or go home…
One place that’s guaranteed to trawl in the fashionistas during London Fashion Week is The Mandrake. Nestled in the heart of the stylish Fitzrovia, it’s hardly surprising GQ has cogged onto this little beauty, dubbing the bathroom as “the best hotel bathroom they have every laid eyes on”. Quite honestly, we’d agree – just look at it! When in London you might as well go big so bag yourself a night in the penthouse here and become engrossed in the white Veronese bookend marble that’s the real focal point of the apartment. That’s only if you can take yourself away from the luxe jacuzzi that’s bubbling away under the retractable roof…
Where: 20-21 Newman Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 1PG
Website: www.themandrake.com
South Place Hotel
Best For: A Family Staycation
Oh South Place Hotel, we’ve got a soft spot for you!
It’s the only independent luxury hotel locked in the City of London and is the first hotel from the renowned D&D London group. Looking for somewhere to head with the kids for a little weekend getaway treat? South Place Hotel is bursting with energy and charisma, and offers interconnecting rooms which make a fabulous family pad to chill-ax in.
Where: 3 South Place, London, EC2M 2AF, United Kingdom
Nearest station: Moorgate (Great Northern) (0.2 miles)
Website: www.southplacehotel.com
Artist Residence
Best For: An Arty Retreat
London is bursting at the seams with its wildly fascinating art scene, and if you’re looking to explore the wondrous side of it, stay over at the Artist Residence. Having started out as side project of co-founder Justin as he helped his family B&B in Brighton, Artist Residence has since grown into a national treasure, inspired by the arty scene in Brighton.
Their London boutique hotel, ideally located between the charms of Chelsea, Tate Britain and the grandeur of Westminster, is bubbling with colour, contemporary art and quirky finishes. Whatever your budget, you’ll be able to soak up the arty affair as every room is individually designed beautifully with its own little character traits.
Where: 52 Cambridge Street, Pimlico, SW1V 4QQ
Website: www.artistresidence.co.uk
Kettners Hotel
Best For: Cosy Vibes
When a hotel categorises their rooms from tiny to Jacobean suite, you know its going to be home to all of the cosiest vibes. If you’re someone who gets a little homesick when travelling, Kettners Hotel encompasses the home-away-from-home feel with its velvet-y cladded headboards, Egyptian cotton sheets and original Georgian timber floors (definitely wish my box flat sounded quite as cosy…).
Where: 29 Romilly Street, Soho, W1D 5HP
Website: www.kettners.com
The Hoxton Hotels
Best For: Budget Stays
Staying in London can be super pricy, like, seriously, who can afford to fork out triple figures on a suite for one night? We’re in the wrong profession if so… Finding a spot to live it up in the city, even if its for just one night, is tricky when you’re trying to save the pennies. That’s where The Hoxton Hotel’s come in. These guys pull out all of the stops to make sure you’re treated like a royal and you’ll even find a little light breakfast drop delivered to your door each morning. Winner!
Where: Shoreditch / Holborn / Southwark
Website: www.thehoxton.com
