Hazlitt’s

In raffish Soho, this ‘stunningly original’ boutique hotel occupies three Georgian houses. ‘Friendly, efficient’ staff open the door to reveal a lavish, intriguing collection of ‘old architectural features, old furniture, old books and paintings – much to investigate and appreciate’. It was in one of the houses that the tempestuous 19th-century essayist William Hazlitt spent his dying days in poverty, drugged on opium. Today’s guests will be exhilarated by the interiors, while Hazlitt would wonder at the high-tech lighting, air conditioning, modern plumbing and indulgent roll-top baths. Bedrooms and suites are astonishing. Sleep in the Duke of Monmouth suite – if you can bear to miss the rest of it, that is: there’s much to discover, from the sitting room with a working fireplace to the private garden complete with sliding glass roof, to the life-sized eagle from whose mouth flows water to fill the marble bathtub. At breakfast, taken in the bedroom or the library, choose from bacon sandwiches, fresh fruit and yogurt, or a baker’s basket of freshly baked croissants and pastries.