More Photos (2)

If you want to live large, this is the place to do it. Popular with presidents, kings, prime ministers, and movie stars, the 203-room hotel artfully combines history, Art Deco charm and top-notch service, all under one opulent roof. The English Old Guard especially love it. My mother left the hotel for a few years, staying at the Ritz instead, but one day walked into Claridge’s lobby. The first thing the head porter, Thomas, said was, “When are you coming home, Mrs. Bowes?” Have a glass of Champagne at the bar, enjoy the few modern touches, such as Dale Chihuly’s fantastical light sculpture in the foyer and the sleek Reading Room by renowned designer Thierry Despont, and you’ll see why the hotel has such loyal fans. Rooms from $500.

For special Indagare benefits, members click the plus sign.

Enlarge Photo

This wonderful Knightsbridge institution, with its views of Hyde Park, was taken over by the Mandarin Oriental group in 2000. Mandarin brought its Asian standards to bear on the service, and now the hotel compares to the best in London—but what really got the buzz going was the bar and the spa. The Mandarin Bar has become one of the coolest places to meet for a drink after work or before or after dinner; its sleek stools and sitting corners seem to be constantly draped with pretty young things in Jimmy Choo heels. Maybe even hotter than the bar scene, though, is the Mandarin Spa. An afternoon appointment for one of its Asian-influenced mind-body-spirit rituals immediately became one of the toughest reservations in town and remains so. When I last stayed there, two years ago, I found the very traditional room decor a bit at odds with the chic of the bar and spa but was impressed with the service and loved the central location. If you have a few minutes free, you can dart across to Harvey Nichols for a quick fix of cool Britannia shopping. Double rooms from $611.

Update: A major construction project is underway just next door to the Mandarin, so unless you don’t mind drilling and hammering noises, you may prefer to hold off staying here until the work is finished.

More Photos (7)

This is the kind of discreet, elegant hotel preferred by people who like to be well taken care of but don’t like a lot of fuss. When the staff call up to a room to tell a guest that a lady is there for a visit, they often mean a titled Lady. You will see elegant women of a certain age who remain loyal to the hotel even if they mourn the loss of their dowagers’ watering hole, which has been replaced by more modern cuisines and scenes. (In the early 1900s, the Berkeley’s main dining room was one of the only places in London where respectable young women could eat unchaperoned, and their fondness for it has remained for decades.) To keep up with the changing times and to draw a younger, more fashionable crowd, in 1995 the hotel invited Jean-Georges Vongerichten to open a branch of Vong there. Then, in 2003, Vong was replaced by Gordon Ramsay’s vision of an understated urban eatery, in the form of the Barbara Barry–designed Boxwood Café. (Ramsay’s Michelin-starred Pétrus restaurant has also relocated to the Berkeley.) Those who check in, though, are less concerned with the dining options than with the old-fashioned comme il faut service, which guarantees that a stay there will be one with few surprises. The 214 rooms were recently redone but remain conservative and comfortable. As a third generation of regulars now stays at the property with children in tow, rooms can be outfitted by request with everything from high chairs, Game Boy Advances and bottle warmers to child-size terry robes and slippers. Another appeal for families, especially those visiting in the summer months, is the fantastic rooftop pool. Double rooms from $1,007.

For special Indagare benefits, members click the plus sign.