11 Cadogan Gardens

It is a small hotel with only 56 air-conditioned guest rooms, which all have comfortable Hypnos beds, a sitting area, a flatscreen television, tea and coffee making facilities including Nespresso coffee machines, and en suite bathrooms with marble fittings and Noble Isle toiletries. All rooms, except the petite doubles, have ironing facilities.

The smallest rooms are the 15m² (161 sq ft) petite double rooms, although most doubles are a more spacious 18–23m² (194–248 sq ft). Almost half the rooms are suites, and the largest of these is a very spacious 120m² (1,292 sq ft).

The hotel has a traditional decor that is in keeping with the historic building and it has an atmosphere much like a private members club. The hotel’s decor features lots of dark panelling, oil paintings and frilly curtains and rooms are individually decorated with no two rooms the same.

The hotel’s Hans’ Bar & Grill is a sophisticated spot for a bite to eat or drink and its modern take on traditional British cuisine will have you questioning any stereotypes about British food. The hotel restaurant is named after Hans Sloane (a prominent 19th-century Chelsea resident who is credited with his role in founding the British Museum and the Chelsea Physic Garden and for inventing chocolate milk) and it is worth coming here for their afternoon tea, even if you’re not staying at the hotel.

The hotel also has the Chelsea Bar and you can also enjoy a drink in the library, which has a particularly clubby atmosphere with comfortable chairs, a well-stocked bookshelf and a selection of the day’s newspapers.

There is also a small gym in the hotel’s basement and free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The service is excellent without going over-the-top and despite the hotel’s many other strong points, many guests say that the concierge is the highlight of the hotel.

It is not suitable for guests with disabilities, nor is it suitable for anyone travelling on a budget.

The hotel is in Chelsea and also within walking distance to Knightsbridge and Belgravia. It’s a very smart neighbourhood (it’s too posh to use the word posh) and the hotel is only a three-minute walk from Kings Road and Sloane Square. Knightbridge, where you can find Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores, is just over a 10-minute walk in the other direction.

Other points of interest within walking distance include the National Army Museum, the Chelsea Physic Garden and Hyde Park, which are around a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Walk another five minutes and you can get to Apsley House, Wellington Arch, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A.

Sloane Square tube station is less than a five-minute walk from the hotel. It is in zone one and lies between South Kensington and Victoria on the Circle and District lines. From here it is only a five-minute ride to Westminster and 16 minutes to Monument with trains running every two minutes.