Whatever your budget, London has a hip hotel, chic apartment or wicked wizarding chamber for you to snuggle up, sink a cocktail, or sing your heart out in…

Planning a summer escape in the Big Smoke? The capital’s array of hotels is dazzling, whether you’re after a timeless classic soaked in history, or an edgy bolthole with a party vibe. Here are ten of the best.

St. Ermin’s Hotel, St James's Park

Best for: A clandestine escape

Glamour and intrigue are the buzzwords at this 1899-opened Westminster hotel, which also buzzes with activity from the 350,000 Buckfast bees living in the hives on St. Ermin’s third-floor terrace and Kitchen Garden, and in the bamboo nests of its ‘Bee & Bee’ Hotel.

Used in the 1930s as the HQ for the Secret Intelligence Service (later MI6), and frequented by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, James Bond author Ian Fleming and the infamous Cambridge Five spy ring, St. Ermin’s keeps many a secret. A display on the ground floor showcases Q-worthy spy gadgets and memorabilia from the Second World War, while Bond and the Cambridge spies inspire cocktails in the hotel’s discreet Caxton Bar.

Just a few minutes from the political halls of Westminster, St. Ermin’s has long been a favourite haunt of MPs, too. Rumours of a secret underground passage leading directly to the House of Commons may or may not be true, but a very real Division Bell hangs on the wall in reception. Its purpose was to summon politicians back from the hotel to Parliament.

St Ermin's afternoon tea. (Image: Courtesy of St Ermin's Hotel) Courtesy of St Ermin's Hotel

Soothing and subtle rooms are perfect for your own clandestine escape. Meanwhile the Lounge & Library is just the spot for a long and lazy afternoon tea (pictured), and the award-winning, two AA Rosette Caxton Grill offers a relaxed ambience for a romantic dinner à deux – after a stroll through St. James’s Park at sunset and a wander around the lake.

Rooms start from £299 per night. Beekeeping workshops with actor and beekeeper Esther Coles will be running throughout summer 2023.

Mama Shelter, Shoreditch

Best for: A fun weekend with friends

Looking for a cool place to hang out, hit the town and have some fun with your friends? Come to Mama Shelter. This vibey 194-room hotel is a hop from the bright lights of Shoreditch and offers modern XXL rooms for four where you can watch free movies, perfect for an urban sleepover with friends.

There’s a funky restaurant open from 8am to 11pm, where Mama’s friendly team serve casual homemade comfort food including plenty for veggies and belt-busting desserts; a lush and leafy Garden Bar for killer Negronis or Pornstars; plus a super-sized foosball table, gym and two deliciously kitsch karaoke rooms, so you can work up an appetite or sing for your supper.

Mama Shelter bedroom, London. (Image: Courtesy of Mama Shelter) Courtesy of Mama Shelter

Come for a mid-week treat and keep on top of your inbox in Mama’s creative co-working space, or stay at the weekend and enjoy a long, lazy brunch, Mama’s in-house DJs and a hangover-banishing Sunday roast with a pint of super-local craft beer. Step out in Shoreditch and you’ll find stunning street art, sassy vintage stores and some of East London’s most exciting eateries, nightclubs and bars. You’d better tell Mama not to wait up.

Rooms start from £180 per night.

Nhow London, Islington

Best for: London lovers

Nhow London competes with The Shard and nearby Montcalm East when it comes to glass-sharp, contemporary design – but this East London hotel’s 190 rooms and suites are thankfully a little softer on the wallet. Just minutes from Old Street’s Silicon Roundabout, Nhow is perfectly positioned to explore Islington, Hoxton and Shoreditch, and is a short walk from the City.

Not that you need to leave the hotel to know you’re in London: Nhow hollers it home, from the whimsical Big Ben rocket in reception, to the Union Jack furnishings and punk slogans scrawled on the bedroom walls. Step out of the lift and you’ll find yourself in one of the best hotel corridors ever: a Victorian Alice-in-Wonderland style ‘street’; each room entered through its own knockered and numbered door, which leads to your own thoroughly British rabbit hole.

Nhow London hotel lobby. (Image: Courtesy of Nhow London) Courtesy of Nhow London

The lower-ground gym is open 24/7 with treadmills, cycle machines and weights, while the hotel’s penthouse and seven junior suites come with free Brompton bikes. Food and drinks are served in the contemporary British pub from noon until 10pm.

Rooms start from £149 per night.

Royal Lancaster London, Hyde Park

Best for: Stunning views

When it comes to views of Hyde Park, the Royal Lancaster – a quintessential central London hotel – steals the crown from the city's other grande dames. With many luxe suites and rooms overlooking the park’s Italian gardens – a love token from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria dating from the 1860s – you can literally tumble out of bed and find yourself strolling, cycling or jogging around The Serpentine lake like a local (although unlike a local, your crash pad thankfully won’t cost £5 million).

With super-efficient, unobtrusive service and sleek, contemporary decor, the Royal Lancaster runs as a well-oiled machine, leaving you to waft around in your slippers and robe, keep up with the daily park life, dive into the hotel’s extensive TV entertainment menu or hit the fully equipped gym.

Royal Lancaster hotel, London. (Image: Courtesy of Royal Lancaster) Courtesy of Royal Lancaster

The shops, theatres and restaurants of London’s West End are nearby, or you can dine at the hotel’s Nipa Thai restaurant: a traditional, tranquil gem, serving some of the best Thai cuisine in the capital, produced by an all-female team under Head Chef, Sanguan Parr.

Rooms start from £429 per night.

The Adria, South Kensington

Best for: Hitting the museums

Just a few minutes’ walk from some of the capital’s best-loved museums – the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria & Albert – The Adria offers a chic, sophisticated retreat after a day taking in the sights.

Located in one of South Kensington’s spectacular 19th-century townhouses, the suites here are everything you would want your own London pied-à-terre to be: easy on the eye and decorated with fresh whites and soothing creams and neutrals. You’ll find dark-wood floors with deep rugs, a retro-tiled entrance hall and period fireplace, gorgeous original art hanging on the walls, and a spacious bathroom with more marble than the Colosseum in Rome.

The Adria, London. (Image: Courtesy of The Adria) Courtesy of The Adria

The Adria’s shared spaces are equally as cool, calm and collected, with a salon for taking a dreamy afternoon tea with sandwiches, cakes and scones, a leafy indoor/outdoor conservatory, and a Bond-inspired lounge, complete with a stylish drinks trolley for pre-dinner martinis, while Bond classics screen on repeat.

Staff are smart as buttons in grey slacks and navy sweaters, and for breakfast there are traditional English favourites, plus a range of Benedicts, each revealed with a dramatic flourish from under a shiny silver cloche: sheer perfection.

Rooms start from £400 per night.

Sunborn London Yacht Hotel, Docklands

Best for: Glitz and glamour

Occupying one of the most unique locations in London, Sunborn’s yacht hotel may be closer to Canary Wharf than Cannes, but it still succeeds in bringing some of the Cote d’Azur razzle to the Docklands. Close to the ExCel London exhibition centre and just across the river from the O2 Arena, your floating palace will add some extra sparkle to your stay, whether you’re in town for business or to catch a show.

Sunborn yacht hotel, London. (Image: Altitude Lifestyle) Altitude Lifestyle

Choose a river-view room and you’ll be sipping your morning coffee from your balcony overlooking the revamped docks, while ducks bob past below. The yacht’s dazzling central staircase leads to the Lands End Restaurant and Sundown Bar, each with decks for cocktails that will transport you to far-flung climes from the first sip of your Sunborn Sour. Dining portions are huge and the breakfast buffet offers a wide range of treats to set you up for a day exploring the city. Walk along the river and catch a ride on the IFS Cloud Royal Docks Cable Car to elevate your city break to even greater heights.

Rooms start from £129 per night.

Birch, Cheshunt

Best for: A close country escape

Set within 55 acres of grounds, a stone’s throw from Cheshunt station in Hertfordshire and 30 minutes from Central London, Birch is a boho haven, where Shoreditch shabby chic meets countryside cool, and guests can connect with their creative side through an array of workshops and some good old-fashioned fresh air.

Operating as a hotel and a private members’ club, Birch manages the tricky feat of being incredibly hip but refreshingly unpretentious, with friendly staff whose laidback, welcoming approach will have you feeling at home from the minute you check in.

While you’ll find no end of nooks were you can chill with a drink and a book, there’s also plenty to do, from joining a pottery class in the art studio, trying a Gong Bath Sound Healing session, watching a movie from a deckchair in the screening room, taking a walk to see the resident pigs, or joining one of the monthly pool parties at Birch’s open-air pool, The Lido. The fitness centre offers pilates, yoga, HIIT, Barre and more, and in warmer months, outdoor bars and live music create a festival vibe.

Birch hotel exterior, Cheshunt. (Image: Courtesy of Birch) Courtesy of Birch

Rooms are on the basic side, but you’re unlikely to be in there long: Birch’s bars, lounge and excellent Valeries and Zebra Riding Club restaurants have plenty to tempt you away from hitting the sack.

Rooms start from £180 per night. A second Birch hotel in Selsdon opened this spring – find out more at birchcommunity.com/selsdon

Georgian House Hotel, Pimlico

Best for: A touch of magic

If you’re crazy about Hogwarts – or heading to London’s Theatreland for the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child shows – there’s only one place to stay: an Enchanted Chamber in the Georgian House Hotel. The basements of the hotel’s two beautiful adjoined townhouses have been magically transformed into Hogwarts-inspired havens for couples or families, with wood-panelled walls, four-poster beds, heavy drapes and Potter-esque paraphernalia, accessed through a secret bookcase.

Enchanted Chamber, Georgian House Hotel, London. (Image: Courtesy of Georgian House Hotel) Courtesy of Georgian House Hotel

Muggles can whip up their own cocktails with a fun in-house Wizard Potion mixology class in the dining room, overflowing with dry ice and a hubble-bubbling cauldron, and use gold coins to choose from a range of treats, including chocolate frogs. A short hop on the underground will then transport you to The Palace Theatre.

The upper floors’ elegant Belgravia Boutique rooms are spellbinding too, with high ceilings, dreamy big beds, period antiques and views over one of Belgravia’s signature terraced streets. Take a wander around the district and you’ll discover quaint shopping streets, leafy squares and the mini urban wellness oasis of Eccleston Yards, where you’ll find yoga and meditation centres and feel therapists working their own kind of magic in the neighbourhood’s salons and spas.

Georgian House Hotel's Belgravia Rooms (Image: Georgian House Hotel) Courtesy of Georgian House Hotel

An Enchanted Chamber costs from £299 per night and Belgravia Boutique rooms start from £190 per night.

Cheval Gloucester Park, Gloucester Road

Best for: Feeling at home

Have you ever dreamed of having your own stylish London apartment, watched over by a 24-hour concierge, where you can kick back with family or friends? Welcome to the Cheval Collection, which has chic and spacious residences to rent in various hotspots around the city including The Tower of London and St. Paul's.

Just a half hour from Heathrow Airport and minutes from Gloucester Road Underground Station, the recently upgraded, pet-friendly Cheval Gloucester Park has 98 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, plus a five-bedroom penthouse. With well-equipped kitchens, large comfortable lounges, elegant bathrooms and vast comfy beds, it will soon feel like your very own home-away-from-home, while balcony views stretching all the way to the London Eye offer a glimpse of the delights on your doorstep.

Private cinema at the Cheval Collection. (Image: Lauren Jarvis) Lauren Jarvis

There’s 24-hour coffee in the lobby plus a business room for meetings if you’re in town for work, a high-tech gym and a 12-seater private cinema room (pictured) that all guests can reserve and use free of charge to watch movies or their favourite TV shows. Step outside and you’ll find plenty of neighbourhood restaurants and bars, plus metro-sized supermarkets to buy supplies if you’re looking to cook and dine in style in your new cosmopolitan pad. Welcome home.

Cheval Gloucester Road rooms (Image: Cheval Gloucester Road) Image courtesy of Cheval Gloucester Park

Apartments start from £500 per night.

art’otel London, Battersea Power Station

Best for: A rooftop pool

One of the capital’s most iconic landmarks has had a makeover, and a dazzling array of restaurants, shops, attractions and events have sprung up in its shadow. With its own new underground station on the Northern Line, Battersea Power Station is London’s exciting riverside neighbourhood, and the recently opened art’otel is the latest addition to this vibrant hub, which also has residential apartments, a cinema and a River Bus pier stop, serviced by the Thames Clippers ferries.

While the art’otel’s minimalist standard rooms may not be huge, views from its upper floors are epic, while on the roof, you’ll find one of the most spectacularly located open-air infinity pools in Europe, plus a hot tub and residents-only bar for sundowners. Book early to secure your spot at the in-demand 15th-floor JOIA restaurant, which offers Iberian cuisine from two Michelin-Starred Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, or the neighbouring JOIA Bar, with unique cocktails in an Insta-friendly setting.

art-hotel bedroom view, Battersea, London. (Image: Courtesy of art'otel) Courtesy of art'otel

On the ground floor, TOZI Grand Café has Venetian-style dishes and excellent cicchetti and wine, while inside the Power Station, the Art-Deco-fabulous Control Room B serves drinks and light bites amidst the retro workings of the station’s original control hub.

Before you leave, take a whiz around Lift 109: an immersive experience which tells the Power Station’s history and ends with an epic river view from the top of one of its chimneys: the perfect end to your cosmopolitan summer escape.