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

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.

Spread across six Georgian townhouses in the shadow of the south tower of One Crown Place, where hip Shoreditch meets the City, this hotel has clubby, inviting interiors with witty modern artworks, richly atmospheric bedrooms, splendid bathrooms, sophisticated Peruvian cuisine, and cocktails in the bar and lounges.

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this beautifully restored Georgian property lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateries and bars.

Handy for Eurostar thanks to its position on a square in vibrant King's Cross, this Victorian townhouse hotel mixes comfort with studied eccentricity – expect upcycled coal-hole covers and repurposed airline trolleys alongside modern air con, smart TVs, good wines and platters in the B&B lounge.

On a pedestrian street, steps from the Royal Opera House, this Georgian town house is home to four floors of individually styled bedrooms of character – and though they don't serve breakfast, Covent Garden abounds with places to eat and drink.