Brexit travel plans: the best London hotels for a city break
The Boho One
Where? The Laslett
Why? Set across five Victorian mansions, The Laslett is a stone’s throw away from the hullabaloo of Portobello Road and the wonderland every W11 staycationer craves, with the Richard Curtis-approved views of stucco façades.
Food is by neighbourhood legend, Sally Clarke, and there’s art on the walls by Barbara Hulanicki and Harland Miller, as well as blooms throughout the Victorian property by the florists Scarlet & Violet. Before lights out, pad downstairs to Henderson’s Bar for a Notting Hill Collins — a blend of vodka, lavender syrup and lemon juice — before retiring to your room, well-stocked with Neal’s Yard skincare products and stacks of Penguin novels for bedtime reading. Rooms from £225 (living-rooms.co.uk)
The Fashionable One
Where? Haymarket Hotel
Why? After years in the wilderness, Haymarket is having a comeback. With the smart new Dover Street Market on your doorstep, you’ll find one of the jewels in the crown of the Hay-naissance — the glamorous Haymarket hotel — housed in one of the street’s finest Regency buildings. Each of the hotel’s 50 rooms has signature touches from interior supremo Kit Kemp, with splashes of colour, tactile furnishings and hand-selected pieces. For the sweetest staycation, book The Townhouse with private entrance and floor-to-ceiling windows. Insider tip: before checking out, take a dip in the sublime basement swimming pool, complete with pewter bar, illuminated by the artist Martin Richman.
Rooms from £350 (firmdalehotels.com)
The Decadent One
Where? The Zetter Townhouse
Why? There’s a new kid on the Marylebone block. The Zetter Townhouse is a converted 24-bedroom Georgian pile, with an interior more flamboyant than Grayson Perry’s wardrobe. Expect four-poster beds, a games room and clandestine cocktails from master mixologist Tony Conigliaro. The top pick for the lavish staycationer is Lear’s Loft (the townhouse was once the home of absurdist poet Edward Lear) with dressing room and roof terrace with alfresco bath. Rooms from £234 (thezettertownhouse.com)
The Foodie One
Where? The Culpeper
Why? Extend your boozy Sunday pub lunch into Monday morning by checking into one of the five cosy rooms that have been added upstairs at The Culpeper. Alongside the much-lauded restaurant, with a clientele that runs the gamut from City slickers to craft-ale aficionados, you’ll also find one of east London’s most coveted roof terraces (where the chefs also grow their own veg). Check-in over a hangover-busting Bloody Mary and enjoy comfortable rooms with sheets from the Fine Bedding Company, eco-friendly toiletries, a map of the area by cartographer Herb Lester, and a proper English fry-up for breakfast with produce from The Ginger Pig.
Rooms from £120, including breakfast (theculpeper.com)
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