Durrants Hotel

A beacon of old-fashioned British hospitality, family-owned and managed by the Miller family for almost a century, this hotel is a welcome antidote to the big corporate chains.

True to its location in genteel Marylebone, it’s quietly grand but ever so discreet. Spruced up for the London 2012 Olympics, bedrooms are traditional without being chintzy – though the olde worlde vibe also means trad’ plumbing, so don’t expect wet rooms or power showers.

Public areas have a country-house feel: linger over malt whisky in the snug, wood-panelled bar or feast on a Sunday roast served on monogrammed cutlery.

Sat amid a patchwork of London’s poshest postcodes, Marylebone is a central but peaceful location where you’ll feel like a local.