The Rookery

Three’s a charm: in a trio of elegantly refurbished town houses near buzzy Smithfield Market, Peter McKay and Douglas Blain’s ‘outstanding’, ‘friendly’ small hotel has the rakish appeal of an 18th-century private gentlemen’s club. ‘A soothing space in a busy hub’ of the city, it has painstakingly recreated Georgian interiors: rich colours and gilt-framed oil paintings on the walls; antiques and polished flagstone floors; open fires. Watch for the hotel cat curled up in an armchair in the conservatory/honesty bar downstairs. Bedrooms are sumptuous – find wood panelling, silk curtains or wooden shutters; fresh flowers; a carved oak or four-poster bed – while modern comforts haven’t been forgotten: there are ‘immaculate’ bathrooms and ‘solid soundproofing’. At dinner, head out to any of the well-regarded restaurants within strolling distance, or order from the small room-service menu. Breakfast may be delivered to the room at a pre-arranged time: perhaps freshly squeezed orange juice, a ‘generous’ pastry basket, fresh fruit and granola, or a bacon sandwich. Sister hotel Hazlitt’s in Soho (see entry) has the same sophisticated air.