Romantic Hotels

With Valentine's falling on a Sunday this year, it's the ideal time to make a weekend of it. Book a couple of nights away at one of these luxury hotels and you'll have three or four days flirting around London's hot spots, just the two of you. For all hotels on LondonTown.com go to our London Hotels page and you'll find something to suit all tastes and budgets.

41

41 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 0PF
So close to Buckingham Palace you can almost hear the corgis yapping, it doesn't get much more romantic than the 41 hotel. It's also close to Victoria Station so very convenient if you're travelling either from within the UK and abroad - the Gatwick Express providing a handy and direct link to the airport. Special emphasis is put on personal touches and the warm welcome you receive on arrival sets the tone. For Valentine's Day, this extends to the bottle of champagne in your room, candlelit dinner for two and breakfast in bed you get as part of the package, valid from 1st until 28th of February 2009. The hotel itself is a marriage of sorts, successfully pairing the old with the new as traditional features like mahogany lined walls combine with black and white furnishings, finished to an elegant contemporary design. If you're really out to impress, the hotel also lays on extras like a dozen red roses or romantic afternoon tea. Alternatively, a cheaper option is the Rubens next door, operated by the same outfit, it has plenty of character and benefits from the same great location, with some of the rooms overlooking the Palace.

Book 41

The Berkeley

Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RL
This is the most stylish way to woo your lover, with a stay at the luxury Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge where a special 'From London With Love' package is on offer all month. Everything you need to create your love nest has been supplied, from the in room iPod pre-loaded with smoochy tunes to the Miller Harris bath oils and candles. Then, to create the most perfect setting for star-struck lovers, on Valentine's Day only, the roof-top pool stays open until midnight so the two of you can enjoy a candlelit swim under the stars - presumably the 'no petting' pool rule isn't enforced too rigorously. For your candlelit dinner, in-house restaurant Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, with its two Michelin stars, is exceptional, the Boxwood Cafe is a more casual Gordon Ramsay-run outfit, while the hotel's Blue Bar is a genuine celebrity hang out.

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The Cadogan Hotel

75 Sloane Street, SW1W 9SG
If only the walls of this historic hotel could talk. They'd tell of the liaison between the future King of England and his special friend, actress Lillie Langtry - honoured by a blue plaque - right here on this very spot in the Edward VII Suite... very inappropriate, we're sure. But it's a tale that makes this a very romantic place to stay on Valentine's weekend. Declare your dishonourable intentions and you'll be following in royal footsteps. Oscar Wilde is another famous guest who has engaged in a clinch here - this was the scene of his famous arrest for committing acts of "gross indecency with other male persons", encapsulated in a poem by John Betjeman. Fortunately, such acts are no longer considered quite so indecent. The Cadogan's location on Sloane Street makes it an excellent choice for designer shopping and chi chi restaurants, Zuma and Nobu being two of the best in the Knightsbridge neighbourhood. Gucci, Tiffany, Prada and Harvey Nichols are just some of the designer shops on the same street as the hotel. Opt to dine at The Cadogan's Langtry's restaurant and the special Valentine's set menu (£79.95) gives you different main courses 'for him' and 'for her' with a chioce of wine perfectly matched to each.

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Chesterfield Mayfair

35 Charles Street, W1J 5EB
Guests who've stayed at this four star hotel in Mayfair consistently tell us how much they love the charming old English establishment, rating it as, "A four star hotel with seven star service". Appropriately for Valentine's, it's close to Berkeley Square which famously features in 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square': "When true lovers meet in Mayfair, so the legends tell, Songbirds sing; winter turns to spring." Surprise your other half by booking a room at the gorgeous Chesterfield for the night and adding a personal touch by arranging for balloons to be put in your room or for some champagne to be put on ice. Sip your bubbly in the bar where the live piano music sets the romantic scene. Where the Chesterfield excels is in the care and attention paid to details - added extras, for example, include complimentary mineral water and newspapers thrown in. Just a five-minute walk to Green Park Tube and within easy walking distance of the Royal Academy of Arts and Buckingham Palace. With the excellent Only Running Footman gastro pub on the same street, that's your Valentine's night out taken care of too.

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Draycott Hotel

22-26 Cadogan Gardens, London, SW3 2RP
Three red-brick Edwardian houses on one of the loveliest streets in London, close to Sloane Square, have been converted into this romantic townhouse hotel. Many rooms and most of the suites come with working fireplaces - ideal for cosy fireside canoodling - while a neatly-kept garden gives the place a secluded feel that's hard to come by in a big city. Added extras like complimentary champagne in the drawing room and a selection of DVDs in your room make you feel like staff are going the extra mile too. Public areas including a library room are elegantly decorated and wood-panelled. With the Kings Road, Sloane Street and Knightsbridge within walking distance, it also has some of the capital's best shopping just round the corner.

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The Hazlitt's Hotel

6 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 3JA
Quirky, discrete and intimate, Hazlitt's ticks all the romantic boxes. It's so understated, you can't even tell it's a hotel from the outside. But what makes it unique is the fact that no two rooms are the same. Beautiful and historic, this Georgian gem comes with wood panelling, roaring fires and antique furniture, creating a Valentine's Day stay with an air of yesteryear. Thankfully Internet access, air-conditioning and well-equipped bathrooms have all been installed since the 1700s - even if a lift hasn't. The central location in Soho makes it easy to combine a stay with a West End show. A quirky and beautiful place that is particularly popular with writers, artists... and romantics.

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Langham Hotel

1c Portland Place, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, W1B 1JA
When the Langham first opened in 1865 it was Europe's first grand hotel - and the largest building in London. A multi-million pound refurbishment has brought the grand old dame back to her best. Designer David Collins has tarted up the Artesian bar - surely one of the most glamorous places to have a romantic tryst while sipping on something super chilled. The stylish Landau restaurant - named after the carriage that The Prince of Wales rode in to open this hotel back in 1865 - is perfectly positioned for a romantic dinner. The final phase of the renovation, completed last year, brings a new lobby, the Palm Court for afternoon tea and additional new bedrooms. For this Valentine's, the hotel is a treat to stay in and lying so close to Oxford Circus, it's conveniently situated for shopping and exploring the city centre.

Address: 1c Portland Place, Regent Street W1B 1JA
Phone: 020 7437 4370
Nearest Station: Oxford Circus Tube

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London Marriott County Hall

London County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB
Overlooking the London Eye and directly across the river from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, it's the views from this hotel that make it a prime spot for romance. This privileged position used to belong to the Greater London Council - hence the 'County Hall' in the hotel name - and some of the trappings of its former role still remain. Beautiful bronze doors, polished marbled floors and meeting rooms remind you these were once corridors of power while the Debating Chamber has been left untouched and is available to hire. With the Aquarium underneath and Dali Universe exhibition all under the same roof as the Marriott, there's plenty to do, literally on your doorstep. A gentle walk along this stretch of the river is utterly romantic and offers a huge variety of cultural things to do from films at the BFI to theatre, art exhibitions and classical music at the Southbank Centre.

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The Rookery

Peter's Lane, Cowcross Street, EC1M 6DS
As cosy as a gentleman's club but not nearly so stuffy, The Rookery is a perfect romantic getaway - and consequently gets booked up well before Valentine's Day. Down a side street near Smithfield, the hotel's well-polished wood-panelling, roaring open log fires, four-poster beds, stone-flagged floors and antique furniture give the place a wonderfully warm, homely atmosphere. The preferred location for designers and ad agencies, Clerkenwell has a good selection of trendy bars, gastro pubs and clubs. The areas around Smithfield Market, Exmouth Market and St John Street all make good hunting grounds for romantic spots for eating out. If we had to choose favourites they'd include Smiths for the Sunday papers and St John for meat lovers. If you're thinking of moving things along in your relationship, a trip to Hatton Garden, just a few minutes from the Rookery, is a long-standing tradition for the newly engaged - there are nearly 300 jewellers to choose from. There's no dining room at the Rookery so you'll just have to have your continental breakfast served to you in your room - all the more romantic, we think. Meanwhile, downstairs, big comfortable chairs await by the open fire; sip on a celebratory glass of something strong and leave your money in the honesty jar.

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