It can often feel like London is a playground exclusively for the unfathomably charged. Steaks cost £900, a meal for two can cost £1,000 and a slew of new multi-billion pound five-star hotels are charging £1,400 a night for an entry-level room. So what are most of us who aren’t celebrities, oil tycoons or free-loading influencers supposed to do?
Look beyond the headlines, PR and breathless Instagram posts, and the capital is actually spoiling us with affordable luxury. Chic boutiques with lots of charm and all under £200. They exist! There they are…
Town Hall, Bethnal Green
Rooms from €175
With a two-star Michelin restaurant and a stunning basement pool, who needs to remortgage the house for a luxurious night away in London? There are some double rooms but most are a mix of suites, studios and apartments with useful kitchenettes – useful for keeping costs down with in-room cocktails, pre-match cocktails and cheap food to keep you covered waiting in East London. Go wine tasting at Renegade Urban Winery, where pours are dangerously generous, or head to the Columbia Road Flower Market, 15 minutes away. I stayed here after a party when I just couldn’t bear to go home, and I can attest to its convenience and charm.
townhallhotel.com
The Culpeper, Shoreditch
Rooms from €175
There are few better things in life than a pub with rooms. Drink cozy pints before you roll, crawl, stagger (as you please) uphill – it’s an ideal situation to find yourself in. The Culpeper also has one of the most beautiful roof terraces in London with a bountiful vegetable garden overlooking the Gherkin and Heron Tower. The rooms are rustic-chic with wicker lampshades, reclaimed wood headboards and the kind of exposed plaster walls that look great in hotels but terrible when you try at home.
theculpeper.com
The Rockwell, Kensington
Rooms from £110
The Rockwell has a lot to recommend it; not least the location: 10 minutes from the city’s largest museums. The rooms are elegant with White Company bathroom fittings, there is a beautiful garden restaurant and the staff are a delight. With rooms costing just over a hundred pounds, it’s a bargain in this area.
therockwell.com
Mummy shelter London Shoreditch
Rooms from £110
More of a party crash pad than a restorative wellness retreat. The aim here is fun and there are 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, not-all-serious atmosphere here. A good choice for sociable solo travelers.
mamashelter.com
Havenhotel Richmond
Rooms from €153
The Harbor Hotels chain is doing something right. Affordable and full of character, the brand has managed to conquer the most beautiful places. It doesn’t get much more charming than the Richmond hotel, set in a beautiful 18th-century Georgian country house, just a short walk from the park and river. There are Hunter Boots available for exploring, which we highly recommend, despite the excellent spa, 20-metre pool and charming courtyard and delicious cocktails that entice you to stay exactly where you are. For locals, the spa alone is worth a visit.
havenhotels.nl
Heart Shoreditch
Rooms from £180
It stands proudly on Great Eastern Street and has a lobby full of eager-to-learn freelancers using USB points and providing Americanos. This place is vibrant and located in the center of the East London universe, a fact that is made difficult with local antiques, coffee table books about the area and nice touches from nearby artisans, such as the bespoke carpets in the lifts. The rooms are quiet and comfortable with extremely luxurious bathrooms. On weekends there is a DJ in the bar, so don’t expect an early evening.
hartshoreditch.com
High Road House, Chiswick
Rooms from £160
Chiswick’s outpost of the fast-growing Soho House members club is a softer blend of aesthetics. More muted and somewhat sensible for the West London crowd, it’s a wonderful place to lay your head. The 14 rooms come with the usual Cowshed toiletries, Roberts radios and a minibar stocked with pre-mixed cocktails. There are two brasseries and the cozy study room is only accessible to adults 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 book Soho House bedrooms worldwide for a year)
highroadhouse.co.uk
The Miter Hampton Court
Rooms from €150
For energy in a country house on the outskirts of London, head to KT8 for The Mitre’s stylish Boathouse bar, a riverside brasserie dating from 1665 and private boat trips on the Thames. The beautiful rooms were designed by Nicola Harding and they arrange tickets to Hampton Court Palace, which is just across the street. It was the first hotel opening for new brand The Signet Collection and their second outpost, The Retreat in West Berkshire, is also worth leaving London for. Both feel much more expensive than they are.
mitrehamptoncourt.com
Residential, Southwick Street
Rooms from €167
A mindfulness hotel in the most hectic part of London with a program 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 come with a surprisingly effective magnesium spray, cashmere bed socks and a silk eye mask. You can also select your own custom aromatherapy scent for your stay. The breakfast is largely plant-based and very tasty.
Southwick.inhabithotels.com
The pilgrim
Rooms from £109
A charming boutique opposite Paddington station (but don’t let that put you off). The balcony is a top spot for a cocktail and people watching. The Pilgrm takes art seriously with an evolving collection and seasonal mini-exhibitions. A really cool place where you’ll have enough money left over for what you came to London for: having the time of your life.
thepilgrm.com
The luxury inn
Rooms from £100
There are just four rooms in this boutique in the film-set-worthy De Beauvoir nature reserve in East London. Beautifully and peacefully decorated with a shared loft-style lounge area, kitchen (with complimentary self-serve breakfast) and courtyard. In this part of town it’s a bargain.
theluxuryinn.com
Zedwell Greenwich
Rooms from £88
The tagline here is: the hotel you check in to tune in. The rooms are designed with sleep in mind – so forget TVs and think soothing natural oak, purified air, noise-reducing technology and Egyptian cotton sheets. Zedwell leaves nothing to chance in their mission to pamper their guests and offers a 15-minute check-in and check-out massage.
zedwellhotels.com
Ruby Hotels
Rooms from £141
With outposts in Southwark, Clerkenwell and Notting Hill there is a Ruby for everyone, but if necessary we would choose Ruby Lucy near Waterloo. The rooms come in four categories: Nest (for solo travelers, but still with a double bed), Cozy, 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?
ruby-hotels.com
The Buxton
Rooms from €150
Sister hotel to 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.
thebuxton.co.uk