The capital is blessed with some fantastic places to stay and we were lucky to experience several of them in one day on a city safari around London’s top Small Luxury Hotels. Of course, wild animals were nowhere to be seen but we did spot some wonderful fine dining establishments and stylish hotel rooms.
Small Luxury Hotels represents only the very best properties, with an international portfolio of 520Â luxurious hotels across 80 countries, so I was excited for the day ahead. We started at the elegant The Arch London hotel, conveniently located on a quiet side street close to Marble Arch. The friendly doorman ushered me in and I headed to the breakfast room where we enjoyed a Bucks Fizz and healthy breakfast, before taking a tour of the light and airy bedrooms.
Small Luxury Hotels London Tour
Next we headed to Dukes Hotel for a walking tour of St James, one of my favourite London areas. Discreetly tucked away, Dukes is one of the top London 5 star hotels. I’ve been lucky to savour their picnic in the park, lunch at THIRTY SIX by Nigel Mendham and drinks in the Champagne Lounge before. It’s the perfect place to enjoy bubbly and canapes.
There was a surprise activity awaiting us, a walking tour of St James. Our knowledgeable and friendly guide, Sandy from Hob Nob Tours, pointed out many interesting sights like the historic stores of shoemaker John Lobb, wine merchants Berry Bros and Rudd and perfumer Floris.
The next stop on our tour of the top Small Luxury Hotels was The Ampersand Hotel in South Kensington who welcomed us for their Science themed afternoon tea. First we took a tour of the hotel, where I’d be staying later. It’s a very quirky place with seriously stylish decor and one of the best London boutique hotels.
The afternoon tea was great fun and we’d highly recommend it. Inspired by The Science Museum nearby, it’s an imaginatively presented affair. Our favourite part was the spectacular dry ice!
The penultimate stop on our tour was The Capital, a beautiful luxury London hotel where we had recently enjoyed the Michelin starred cuisine. This quintessentially British hotel is a few minutes away from Harrods. They had arranged a cocktail masterclass where Bar Manager Cesar de Silva taught us how to rustle up Cosmopolitans and other delights.
For dinner we feasted on Michelin starred tapas by William Drabble at the St James’s Hotel and Club. I’ve long been a fan of the cuisine at this luxurious hotel. Their afternoon tea is such a treat! Amongst the highlights of our dinner were Welsh rarebit as well as pork rilette.
Our final destination was The Ampersand. After checking into our spacious room, we ran a relaxing bath with the Miller Harris toiletries provided. How could we resist it with this cute duck to keep us company?
It was very stylish and well equipped with toiletries galore, complimentary WiFi and a large flat screen TV. The only thing that I would add is a desk lamp as it was rather dark in the evening.
The next day we tucked into a tasty breakfast on the lower ground floor.
It moonlights as a bar in the evening and was buzzing with life when we peeked in the night before. The adjacent games and wine rooms would be perfect for a private event, and we love the ground floor reception rooms, they definitely have the wow factor.
So much thought has clearly been put into this London luxury hotel that it’s one you’ll want to return to time and time again. It was a wonderful place to finish our city safari around London’s top small luxury hotels.
The Ampersand Hotel, 10 Harrington Rd, London SW7 3ER
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What a wonderful experience – the best of various worlds! The science-themed afternoon tea featuring dry ice looks spectacular and the decor of your final destination is gorgeous 🙂
Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x
Yes we had such a wonderful time and it was great to see a real variety of hotels. The afternoon tea at The Ampersand was fab
Oh, to tour like you do. I would love to do that. 🙂
These are really luxurious and wonderful places to explore. The food is so inviting! How do you stay fit? 😀
Well I’m struggling to stay fit! I’ve been doing a bit of running recently, that helps – have a great weekend
Wow, thanks for sharing another amazing place to stay!!!
Kisses, Paola.
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My pleasure, Paola – have a good Sunday
What a day! Love the look of the staircase at the Ampersand 🙂 x
The staircase matched the rest of the decor – seriously stylish!
What a great way to discover luxury hotels, a feast for the eyes and the mouth <3
It was a great idea – have a lovely Sunday, Anouk
Such a fun day, the science tea was a highlight
So imaginative, wasn’t it!
What a fabulous day! I love small luxury hotels…they are so much more personal than the bigger hotel groups. I love the decor of your bedroom especially the blue velvet of the headboard and the ground floor reception room certainly has the wow factor!
I really liked the use of velvet too, it’s so opulent!
That staircase with the fairy lights is seriously magical! Such stunning decor and the bathtub looks super relaxing
Rachel xx
http://www.thedailyluxe.net
The bathtub was lovely, you can’t beat a good relaxing soak
Yes I had a brilliant time and lovely to meet you
Oh wow this hotel looks amazing! I am in love with the bed and the headboard!
Ash | www.liakadatravel.com
I wouldn’t mind that headboard at home either!
My goodness these are all INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! That science afternoon tea looks fab!
The hotels were gorgeous and as for the tea, it was so tasty!
Those hotels look very luxurious.
The science afternoon tea looks amazing, they really paid attention to details with the presentation.
Looks like a seriously fun day :-). Love all the funky lights in the staircase of the Ampersand Hotel! The Capital looks like it would be our top pick, but all these small hotels look great – and it’s nice to know about them. We always enjoy the intimacy of small hotels…