Not far from Hyde Park and Marble Arch, an elegant hotel spread over three mid-19th century town houses with a comfortable, homely atmosphere.

In ‘a great location’ in vibrant ‘Portman Village’, tucked away behind Oxford Street, this ‘all-day café/bar/restaurant-with-rooms’ has a relaxed vibe.

Choose Lear’s Loft bedroom at this Georgian town house and you can dance to the light of the moon on a roof terrace with alfresco copper bath, then phone down for mince and slices of quince and a runcible spoon.

‘I have stayed at this lovely hotel for many years, and it still pleases in every respect,' writes a reader in 2019, of this cherished London institution, contrived from four knocked-through Georgian town houses.

Visitors can live like a local at this eclectic Victorian house in chic yet quirky Notting Hill.

Named after Rhaune Laslett, a community activist and co-founder of the area’s annual carnival, this vibrant hotel occupies a row of five white stucco Victorian houses and draws inspiration and energy from its eclectic locality.

Just north of Soho and the West End theatres, the zesty embrace of art and colour confirms this hotel as one in Tim and Kit Kemp’s Firmdale group.

It’s not alone in claiming to be ‘London’s first boutique hotel’, but the ‘charming, quirky’ Portobello is assuredly one of its most extraordinary.

Sculptor Fernando Botero’s ten-foot-high bronze cat cheekily pokes its tongue out at guests in the lobby of this creatively designed hotel.

Named after former resident and essayist William Hazlitt, this ‘stunningly individual’ hotel, owned by Peter McKay and Douglas Blain, is a sensuous escape from Soho directly outside.

Guests are bowled over by this tranquil hotel in Soho, which has sweeping views over the London skyline.

‘On arrival we discovered that our package included afternoon tea, which we enjoyed before a concert at Cadogan Hall.’

The show-stopper at this small hotel is Sharon Marston’s April Light, an 18-metre cascade of polished steel, polymer and glass fibre optics, which hangs in the central stairwell, scattering colours and light.

In a quiet spot, this Mayfair hotel (part of the Althoff collection) in a former diplomats’ club has a secret shortcut on to Green Park.

Discreetly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the West End, a calm town house hotel with an intriguing history.

All is serene at this handsome 1860s town house hotel (Firmdale group) just minutes from Hyde Park.

A calm oasis in buzzy surroundings, Kit Kemp’s signature modern English style surges through this swanky West End hotel.

A gleeful mix of vintage furnishings and striking artwork defines this ‘beautiful, very quiet hotel’ ideally situated for Theatreland.

A lively vibe attracts bright young things to this former office block-turned-cool hotel.

Steps away from museums, the Royal Albert Hall and the green spaces of Hyde Park, an intimate hotel in a Grade II listed South Kensington town house.

‘Simple, ideally located and representing good value’, this small hotel with a pretty, plant-decked Georgian exterior is ‘remarkably quiet’ considering its prime position in bustling Covent Garden.

A Gallic oasis off busy Covent Garden Piazza created by four Parisians (Experimental Group), this small hotel occupies a couple of red brick Victorian town houses with a literary past as the former offices of Victor Gollancz.

Front-facing rooms peep into the royal mews from the fifth floor of this historic building, overlooking Buckingham Palace.

‘We enjoyed our very expensive one-night stay,’ writes a reader who pushed the boat out at Jeremy Goring’s grand Edwardian hotel, the last of its kind in London to be run by the founding family.