Hip eateries and bars have supplanted hovels and bawdy houses in this once-notorious area, but behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses Georgian London lives on.

Within a Georgian house in a trendy corner of East London once home to Huguenot silk weavers, Peter McKay and Douglas Blain set out to weave a fantasy of their own.

From its jaunty striped awnings over pavement café tables and bright-patterned dining chairs to its walls hung with contemporary British art, this Firmdale hotel dazzles with colour.

A grand jeté from the Royal Opera House, this small hotel is ‘remarkably quiet’ considering its prime position in bustling Covent Garden.

You can imagine nodding off in an armchair over the latest issue of Samuel Johnson’s Idler, or William Hazlitt’s polemics in the Tatler, when you step into this time-warp hotel and close the door on trendy Soho.

Hip and convivial, this modish Spitalfields gastropub-with-rooms is a stroll up the colourful street from the Whitechapel Gallery.

In an animated neighbourhood, a Tony Cragg bronze sculpture seemingly in motion greets visitors in the tree-lined courtyard of this design-conscious Soho hotel.

The 19th Century John Nash-designed building (the architect of Buckingham Palace) is as classically impressive outside as it is gorgeously colourful inside.

The elegance is timeless, the style is Jazz Age glamour, the feel is New York fun, all of which makes The Beaumont, in the heart of Mayfair, one of London’s leading luxury hotels.

A country pub feel close to the bustle of Oxford Street sounds unlikely but this pub-with-rooms with its popular pavement terrace in a quiet backwater manages it with unpretentious style.

If you’re looking for afternoon tea after trawling Marylebone’s chichi emporia, you’ll find freshly baked cakes and pastries in a clubby atmosphere at this much-loved bolt-hole.

This intimate hotel, in a quiet corner of Mayfair, oozes exclusivity from its Michelin-starred restaurant and classy bistro-bar to its sleek bedrooms and smart concierge service.

Guests receive royal treatment at this ‘superb, wonderful’ and discreet hotel on the fifth floor of a historic building close to Buckingham Palace.

'Traditional with a capital T’, The Goring epitomises grand Edwardian luxury from its silk-lined walls and liveried footmen to its brass-trimmed lift and secret garden.

An affordable oasis in one of London’s smartest neighbourhoods, Charlotte and Matt Goodsall’s peaceful, personably run Belgravia hotel occupies a pair of Grade II listed Georgian townhouses and is within walking distance of popular tourist spots.

The classic, white-painted, 19th-century façade of this family-run Pimlico hotel, on a uniformly attractive and tranquil garden square, gives no clue to the high-tech boutique interiors.

By turns ‘whimsical’ and stylish, this Pimlico hotel holds spellbinding surprises for wizards and Muggles alike.

Eccentric, fun and colourful, this Pimlico town house in a leafy residential street is as much neighbourhood hang-out and art gallery as a place to sleep and eat.

A home away from home in the heart of Chelsea is the aim of these red brick Victorian town houses, which have been converted into a luxurious hotel of dazzling individuality.

On the corner of a leafy Pimlico street, close to Sloane Square, this handsome cream-coloured stucco building has relaxed and smart interiors that make it a popular neighbourhood eatery topped with four airy bedrooms.

‘In a discreet building that could be a private residence', this 'beautifully designed' guest house is at the end of Portobello Road.