It can often feel like London is a playground exclusively for the unfathomably loaded. Steaks cost £900, a meal for two can set you back £1,000 and a slew of new five-star, billion-pound hotels are charging £1,400 per night for an entry-level room. So what are the majority of us, who aren’t celebrities, oil magnates or free-loading influencers, supposed to do?
Look beyond the headlines, PR and breathless Instagram posts, and actually the capital is spoiling us with affordable luxury. Chic boutiques with gallons of charm and all under £200. They do exist! Here they are…
Town Hall Hotel, Bethnal Green
Rooms from £175
With a two-star Michelin restaurant and a beautiful basement swimming pool, who needs to remortgage the house for a luxurious night away in London? There are some double rooms but most are a mixture of suites, studios and apartments with handy kitchenettes — useful for keeping the cost down with in-room, pre-game cocktails and cheap sustenance to fuel you for all that awaits in east London. Go wine tasting at Renegade Urban Winery, where pours are dangerously generous, or pootle down to Columbia Road Flower Market, which is 15 minutes away. I stayed here after a party, when I just couldn’t face getting myself home, and can attest to its convenience and charm.
The Culpeper, Shoreditch
Rooms from £175
There are few better things in life than a pub with rooms. Neck cosy pints before you roll, crawl, stagger (as you please) upstairs — it’s an ideal situation to find oneself in. The Culpeper also has one of the sweetest rooftop terraces in London with rickety chairs and a kitchen garden offering views of the Gherkin and Heron Tower. Rooms are rustic-chic with wicker lampshades, reclaimed wood headboards and the sort of exposed plaster walls that look incredible in hotels but awful if you try it at home.
The Rockwell, Kensington
Rooms from £110
The Rockwell has much to recommend it; not least its location — 10 minutes from the city’s greatest museums. The rooms are elegant with White Company bathroom bits and bobs, there is a lovely garden restaurant and the staff are a delight. With rooms just over a hundred quid in this area, it’s a bargain.
Mama Shelter London Shoreditch
Rooms from £110
More of a party crash pad, than a restorative wellness sanctuary. The aim here is fun and there are on-site karaoke rooms, table football, giant Twister boards and a photo booth to help you let loose — as well as a restaurant, bar and gym. There is a communal, don’t-take-it-all-so-seriously vibe here. A good one for sociable solo travellers.
Harbour hotel Richmond
Rooms from £153
The Harbour Hotels chain is doing something right. Affordable and full of character, the brand has nailed the sweetest of spots. It doesn’t get much sweeter than its Richmond hotel, in a stunning 18th-century Georgian mansion, just a short walk from the park and river. Hunter wellies are provided for exploring, which we highly recommend you do, despite the excellent spa, 65ft swimming pool and charming courtyard and its moreish cocktails luring you to stay exactly where you are. For locals, the spa alone is worth a visit.
Hart Shoreditch
Rooms from £180
Standing proud on Great Eastern Street, this has a lobby packed full of studious freelancers utilising USB points and nursing Americanos. This place is vibey and in the centre of the east London universe, a fact it goes hard on with local antiques, coffee table books about the area and lovely touches from nearby artisans, like the bespoke carpets in the lifts. Rooms are calm and comfortable with supremely luxurious bathrooms. The bar has a DJ at weekends, so don’t expect an early night.
High Road House, Chiswick
Rooms from £160
Chiswick’s outpost of the rapidly-multiplying Soho House members’ club is a gentler blend of the aesthetic. More muted and slightly sensible for the west London crowd, it’s a wonderful place to lay your head. The 14 guest rooms have the usual Cowshed toiletries, Roberts radios and a mini-bars filled with pre-mixed cocktails. There are two brasseries and the cosy den is adults-only in the evenings. Bliss. (Non-members can stay by adding a 12-month Soho Friends membership to the booking for £100. This unlocks access to be able to book Soho House bedrooms globally for a year)
The Mitre Hampton Court
Rooms from £150
For country house energy on the outskirts of London, mosey on down to KT8 for The Mitre’s stylish Boathouse bar, 1665 riverside brasserie and private boat rides down the Thames. The beautiful rooms are designed by Nicola Harding and they’ll sort out tickets to Hampton Court Palace, which is just across the road. It was the first hotel opening by new brand The Signet Collection and their second outpost, The Retreat in West Berkshire, is also well worth the schlep out of London. Both feel much more expensive than they are.
Inhabit, Southwick Street
Rooms from £167
A mindfulness hotel in the most frenetic part of London offering a programme of complimentary wellness sessions, including morning meditation sessions, guided nature walks, pilates and more types of yoga than you knew existed. Sleep is a priority in this corner of historic Paddington and special kits are provided with a surprisingly effective magnesium spray, cashmere bed socks and a silk eye mask — you can also select your own bespoke aromatherapy scent for your stay. Breakfast by Yeotown is largely plant-based and entirely delicious.
The Pilgrm
Rooms from £109
A charming boutique opposite Paddington station (but, seriously, don’t let that put you off). The balcony is a top spot for a cocktail and people watching. The Pilgrim takes art seriously with an evolving collection and seasonal mini exhibitions. A genuinely cool spot that will leave plenty of cash for what you came to London to do: have the time of your life.
The Luxury Inn
Rooms from £100
There are just four rooms at this boutique in east London’s movie set-worthy De Beauvoir conservation area. Beautifully and calmly decorated with a shared loft-style lounge area, kitchen (with a complimentary help-yourself breakfast) and courtyard. In this part of town, it’s a steal.
Zedwell Greenwich
Rooms from £88
The tagline here is: the hotel you check-in to tune out. Rooms are designed with sleep in mind — so forget TVs and think of calming natural oak, purified air, noise-reducing tech and Egyptian cotton sheets. Leaving nothing to chance in their mission to bliss out their guests, Zedwell offers a 15 minute check-in/check-out massage.
Ruby Hotels
Rooms from £141
With outposts in Southwark, Clerkenwell and Notting Hill there is a Ruby for everyone, but we’d pick Ruby Lucy near Waterloo if we had to. Rooms come in four categories: Nest (for solo travellers, but still with a double bed), Cosy, Lovely and Wow (the largest). A stylish stay for couples and close friends — the ensuite could be more private, but who cares about things like dignity.
The Buxton
Rooms from £150
Sister property of The Culpeper, the 15 rooms above the pub are simple and sleek and a hearty breakfast is included. The staff are a delight but the best part has to be the Spitalfields location.
