Through the conventional entrance – with its Union Jack proudly flying – of this smart Victorian town house in the heart of Chelsea lies a luxurious hotel brimming with character.

Conveniently close to both Victoria station and Sloane Square, this former brewery on the corner of a leafy Pimlico square is a popular neighbourhood pub and restaurant topped by four lovely rooms.

Occupying a pair of Grade II listed Georgian town houses, Charlotte and Matt Goodsall’s peaceful, personably run Belgravia hotel is within walking distance of some of the city’s most popular tourist spots.

You can drop in for a Pinot, a Peroni or passion fruit cooler in the café, club room or under a striped awning on the front terrace at this local hang-out and hip hotel in leafy residential Pimlico. g

At the touch of a button, guests take control in this intimate Pimlico hotel on a tranquil garden square.

By turns style-conscious and spellbinding, this modern Pimlico hotel holds surprises for wizards and Muggles alike.

All is bello indeed behind a Doric portico at this one-time haunt of rock-and-rollers – it remains a veritable carnival of stylish eccentricity, occupying twin stucco mansions in raffish Notting Hill.

London’s last grand hotel of the Edwardian era, The Goring is the epitome of old-fashioned luxury, from its silk-lined walls and liveried footmen to Michelin-starred dining and a secret garden.

A saunter from Hyde Park, this elegant hotel is spread over three Victorian town houses on a tree-lined avenue.

Guests receive the royal treatment at this chic, discreet hotel on the fifth floor of a historic building close to Buckingham Palace.

The absurdist wit and whimsy of the Victorian poet and painter Edward Lear coupled with an imaginary wicked Uncle Seymour inspired the whacky design of these two brick-and-stucco Georgian terrace houses.

‘A cherishable place of curious individuality', this somewhat old-fashioned Edwardian hotel, spread across four Georgian town houses, continues to delight trusted readers with its slightly idiosyncratic charms.

The chain stores of Oxford Street are so near and yet (praise be!) so far from this gastropub with a pavement terrace for outdoor drinking and dining.

With a mix of Jazz Age glamour and New York chutzpah, The Beaumont is one of London’s modern-day ‘grande dame’ hotels.

In a quiet corner of tony Mayfair, this sophisticated hotel (Althoff Collection) houses silkily decorated bedrooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a plush, velvet-seated bistro and bar.