• Main
• Attractions
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Shopping
• Getting There

Hotels

Classy hotels abound in the West End, from smart splurges to clear values. A sampling of eight 5-star West End hotels showed an average nightly rate of $815 for a double. For that price, you get proximity to sights like the theatre district, Buckingham Palace, and the National Gallery, plus a staff-to-guest room ratio of 2 to 1 (see our favorite four fancy hotels below). But if you base yourself slightly outside the center, you can painlessly divert funds into fun, choose from a rash of new, well-designed, residential-feeling hotels, and discover the London of Londoners.

The Dorchester (Park Lane; 011-44-20-7629-8888; rooms from $765; www.dorchesterhotel.com) Park Lane's grandest shrugged off her 80-year-old dowager image with a 2002 renovation. Get that billionaire feeling in the palatial Promenade lounge or at any of the four ace restaurants.

One Aldwych (1 Aldwych; 011-44-20-7300-1000; rooms from $580; www.onealdwych.com) Next to Covent garden, find pared-down decor, a phenomenal contemporary art collection, and service both sweet and efficient. There's a private cinema, super spa, gym, and pool (with underwater Bach) plus top restaurants.

The Soho Hotel (4 Richmond Mews; 011-44-20-7559-3000; rooms from $500; www.firmdalehotels.com) The former parking garage (big rooms!) with its Botero sculpture-dominated lobby, has all the Firmdale signatures – sleek and witty design, living room-like lounges, and ultra-friendly service – plus a fabulous location behind Oxford Street in hip Soho.

Dukes Hotel (35 St. James's Pl.; 011-44-20-7491-4840; rooms from $323) Just off Piccadilly, bordering Green Park, Dukes could hardly be more central. After a spring 2007 renovation, it's now the very expression of traditional-with-style – at affordable (for this neighborhood) rates. Rooms feature all the standard luxuries, and the classic martini bar, in navy velvet and brocades, is a new glamour spot.

Kensington & Chelsea
Base 2 Stay (25 Courtfield Gardens; rooms from $215; www.base-2-stayhotel.co.uk) This year-old hotel cuts the frills, but still looks good. There are no public areas and, instead of room service, there are kitchenettes, a delivery directory, and a Waitrose supermarket nearby. There is also free broadband, 2-head showers, and flatscreen TVs.

The Rockwell (181 Cromwell Rd.; 011-44-20-7244-2000; rooms from $295; www.therockwellhotel.com) You can tell trendy architects own this sexy townhouse hotel: the lobby has Victorian tile floors, an open fire, mod couches, and cool wallpaper. Rooms have thoughtful layouts, free Internet, Egyptian cotton sheets, flatscreen TVs, oak closets, and sleek bathrooms with robes. Achic bistro, bar, and courtyard, plus 24-hour room service are nice bonuses. It's a short hop to the earl's Court tube station.

Number Sixteen (16 Sumner Pl.; 011-44-20-7589-5232; rooms from $313; www.firmdalehotels.com) This adorable Georgian townhouse is nearly on top of the South Ken. tube stop, on a quiet garden street. Like all Firmdale Hotels, fabulous decor meets sweet service – plus a special surprise: the exquisite internal garden and conservatory. No restaurant, but it has 24-hour room service.

Southwark
London Bridge Hotel (8-18 London Bridge St.; 011-44-20-7855-2200; rooms from $295; www.londonbridgehotel.com) This just-redone business-centric hotel has a cheery lobby with a fireplace and comfy sofas. Small rooms decorated in oatmeal and chocolate have bathtubs, 24-hour room service, and flatscreen TVs. Best are the apartments, sleeping up to six.

Notting Hill
Guesthouse West (163-165 Westbourne Grove; 011-44-20-7792-9800; rooms from $294; www.guesthousewest.com) This Edwardian house sports plenty of dark wood and also Wi-Fi, flatscreens, and Molton Brown bath goodies. Notting Hill Gate is a 7-minute-walk away.

The Main House (6 Colville Rd.; 011-44-20-7221-9691; rooms from $196; www.themainhouse.co.uk) The full-floor rooms in Caroline Main's Victorian by Portobello Road have wood floors, white walls, and antiques from Portobello.

Miller's Residence (111a WestbourneGrove; 011-44-20-7243-1024; rooms from $294; www.millersuk.com) This eccentric mansion is really like a home. And, belonging to the former publisher of Miller's Antiques Guide, it is crammed with gorgeous objects.

Portobello Hotel (22 Stanley Gardens; 011-44-20-7727-2777; rooms from $353; www.portobello-hotel.co.uk) A rockstar-friendly hotel since 1971, this mansion mates a Moroccan vibe with furniture and a lot of crimson velvet. 24-hour room service.

Hoxton & Shoreditch
Hoxton Urban Lodge (81 Great Eastern St.; 011-44-20-7550-1000; rooms from $117; www.hoxtonhotels.com) This haven is cheeky chic with an exposed-brick and polished-concrete lobby, and tiny rooms. Creature comforts and wit make up for size: duck-down duvets, big towels, and breakfast delivery.

Chiswick
High Road House (162 Chiswick High Rd.; 011-44-20-8742-1717; rooms from $275; www.highroadhouse.co.uk) A world of cool, with sweet, sexy rooms and details like Cowshed bath products, Wi-Fi, and flatscreen TVs.

Chiswick Moran Hotel (626 Chiswick High Rd.; 011-44-20-8996-5200; rooms from $194; www.chiswickmoranhotel.com) You can't get nearer to Heathrow than this and expect any style. It's designer-by-numbers, but also nicely near the river.

Clerkenwell
The Zetter (86-88 Clerkenwell Rd.; 011-44-20-7324-4444; rooms from $250; www.thezetter.com) In this converted warehouse with wacky interiors by Precious McBane, details include Hansgrohe rainshowers, flatscreen TVs, and weathered volumes of Penguin Classics on the nightstands.

The Rookery (12 Peter's Lane, Cowcross St.; 011-44-20-7336-0931; rooms from $400; www.rookeryhotel.com) A quaint hideaway near great restaurants and two tube stops, with ecclesiastical antiques, salvaged paneling, claw foot tubs – and tons more style than the standard ye-olde-history place.