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.

Hip, fun, quirky, this London outpost of a small, art-focused chain of hotels is a popular neighbourhood drop-in with a restaurant, basement cocktail bar, and highly individual bedrooms set over three upper floors, on a leafy residential street.

You can imagine nodding off in an armchair over the latest issue of Samuel Johnson's Idler, or William Hazlitt's polemics in the Tatler, when you step into this time-warp hotel and close the door on trendy Soho. It was here, on a Georgian terrace in the 1820s, that essayist Hazlitt penned his valediction, and antiques and furnishings keep faith with a bygone age.

Beyond the Doric portico of a white stucco neo-classical mansion, this boutique hotel captures the eclectic charms of glamorous and bohemian Notting Hill.

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.

Launched by a group of friends, and rejoicing in an ambience inspired by vibrant, bohemian Soho, this family-friendly hotel has exuberant decor, generously equipped bedrooms, a street café, a rooftop bar with wraparound terrace, a classy Italian restaurant and a spirit of sheer joie de vivre.

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

A personable, affordable hotel in swanky Belgravia, the Lime Tree has smart boutique bedrooms, 24-hour reception, an oasis 'secret' garden, barista coffees, breakfast, brunch and lunches on offer in the Buttery, and some great restaurants close at hand.

The epitome of Edwardian grand-hotel luxury, with its liveried doormen, dazzling interiors, glamorous bedrooms, Michelin-starred cooking in the fabulously redesigned dining room, the Goring is, for all its cachet, welcoming and unaffected, with an acre of garden at the rear.

A Victorian townhouse on Portobello Road, with pubs and restaurants close at hand, this B&B offers keyless self-check-in to four beautifully presented suites, one on the lower ground floor with private patio, affording privacy and a great base from which to browse the famous antiques market and to explore hip Notting Hill.

Close to West End shops and theatres, this pub with rooms has a relaxed vibe, a pavement terrace, stripped-back chic style, a first-floor dining room serving modern dishes alongside classics, comfortable bedrooms over three floors, and pleasant, efficient staff.

Art Deco interiors, Jazz Age glamour, a cocktail bar with outdoor terrace, the New York-style Colony Grill and a small spa combine to make this hotel at the heart of Mayfair one of London's most desirable.

A home away from home in the heart of Chelsea is the aim of these red-brick Victorian townhouses, which have been converted into a luxurious hotel of dazzling individuality.

You step back in time when you enter this cossetting hotel, owned by the Miller family since 1921, steeped in hospitable tradition, with a fine-dining restaurant and a bar serving finger sandwiches and light bites, just the place for afternoon tea.

On the corner of a leafy Pimlico street, this handsome Georgian stuccoed gastropub is a popular neighbourhood drop-in, with four airy bedrooms, an open-plan ground-floor bar serving wood-fired pizzas, an atmospheric basement cocktail bar and first-floor restaurant.

The designers have gone to town on this family-friendly city sister to Cliveden and Chewton Glen, spread over a row of Georgian townhouses in swanky W1 and filled with playful touches. Some of the luxury suites have a garden terrace, and light bites and small plates are served in the clubby Dandy Bar.

The Doric porch and white stucco exterior of a handsome 1830s terrace townhouse on a leafy garden square give no clue to the ultra-high-tech facilities at this Pimlico hotel, with its 'digital concierge' and adjustable beds with massage settings, though a human will bring bar food to your room.

With four boutique bedrooms, an atmospheric bar hung with modern artworks, a light-filled conservatory, lovely courtyard, seafood bar, and creative Mediterranean-inspired cooking, this Victorian pub is a great local drop-in and base for anyone wanting to stay over and explore Notting Hill.

A Bloomsbury Group theme runs through this lively hotel north of Soho, styled by Kit Kemp, with original artworks from that era, beautifully designed and thoughtfully equipped bedrooms and suites, a lounge, library, heated terrace, all-day dining, and Parisian-style pavement café tables

A handsome former diplomats' club in a quiet corner of Mayfair is today a high-end hotel, with plush bar, sleek bedrooms, spa treatments, concierge service, tapas and snacks in the bar and lounge as well as modern interpretations of 19th-century dishes created by Queen Victoria's head chef in the restaurant.

The ambience evokes a private members' club at this luxury hotel overlooking Buckingham Palace's grounds, with sophisticated chocolate-and-cream bedroom décor, a lounge-cum-dining room supplied with all-day treats, and a choice of dining options at adjoining sister hotel The Rubens.

From the library and drawing room to the residents-only roof terrace, and from spa and gym to 1950s bowling alley, this is an exuberant, hip, design-conscious hotel, its bedrooms decorated with a sense of fun, while modern European dishes are served in a vast restaurant and on a heated terrace – all tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus.

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.

In a row of stucco-fronted Edwardian townhouses, this small hotel, a stroll from Hyde Park and the South Kensington museums, has 24 smart, individually styled, air-conditioned bedrooms with a coffee machine and shower, a lounge, bar and secluded terrace.

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.

Behind a pristine, Greek Revival-style John Nash exterior, this family-friendly hotel is delightfully razzle dazzle, designed to within an inch of its life, with jazzy bedroom decor, a glamorous basement pool, library, gym, treatment rooms and all-day brasserie.

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.