Poland Hotels Booking

In Paris, perhaps more than anywhere else, the difference between a boutique hotel and a luxury hotel is not one of scale so much as one of kind. Hôtel Le Six, however, rather blurs the distinction. It’s a 41-room boutique, decidedly intimate and unmistakably contemporary in style. Typically if you’re in the mood for much more than a stylish bedroom and a cozy little lounge it’s off to the grand hotels for you. But Le Six’s full-service spa makes the job of classifying it quite a bit more complicated.

Le Six, just to spell it out, is a reference to the location, in the 6th arrondissement — a spot of massage might be just the thing after a day spent prowling Saint-Germain or the Luxembourg Gardens. There’s still no restaurant, so it’s not as though the entire world has been turned upside down. But a Parisian boutique with such a determined dedication to bodily wellness is still a rare thing. The rooms are contemporary to a degree that is perhaps surprising. They play their luxury close to the vest, but are more than comfortable — and the suites, naturally, turn out to be downright decadent, once you’re accustomed to the visual spareness.

The sequel to the wildly successful São Paulo establishment, the Fasano in Rio De Janeiro sets its sights no less high. Like its sister, it’s as dignified and serious as a cutting-edge modern-design boutique hotel can get, all supremely confident understatement — which is all the more surprising given that its designer is none other than Philippe Starck, a man who’s not widely known for understating much of anything at all.

Here, though, he’s in a very serious mode, with sexy Fifties and Sixties furniture and dark, richly figured hardwoods. It’s a high-rise, like all the classic Rio hotels, and the rooftop is home to an infinity pool, a fitness center, sauna and massage, even a coffee shop — not to mention a view over Ipanema Beach and the city’s skyline that’s nothing short of transcendent.

The restaurant at the original Fasano is one of Brazil’s finest, and again, the Rio franchise aims to be its equal. The Fasano al Mare restaurant serves upscale Italian seafood, and if that’s not your taste, the hotel’s limousines await to whisk you off to Gero, the Fasano family’s other Rio eatery — to go underfed here would require an act of willful intransigence.

Just off the Piazza del Popolo is the Via del Babuino, named for a statue of Silenus that somehow found itself informally christened “the baboon.” This was an artists’ quarter which has since gentrified — a common setting for a stylish little boutique hotel, no less so for the fact that the gentrification took place a century ago. Today it’s home to Babuino 181, a stylish little pied-à-terre–style boutique hotel, yards from the Spanish Steps and surrounded by some of the best upscale shopping that Rome has to offer.

Historic Italy outside, contemporary Italy inside — this is the contrast that drives Babuino 181, and to look out over this ancient city from within a suite that’s furnished in the latest in modern Italian design. The suites are cozy, given the period floor plan, but here that’s made into a virtue: the accommodations feel more like swanky little city apartments than like typical rectangular hotel rooms.

As for services, they’re minimal — there’s probably a euphemism, something like Parisian-plan, for a hotel without a restaurant or a bar. Take a cue from the throngs of pedestrians on the streets outside, and get out and stretch your legs — Rome isn’t a place to lock yourself in your suite anyway.

While it’s often the Chilean side that gets the most attention, the Argentine side of Patagonia has its fair share of charms as well. Perhaps less otherworldly, Argentine Patagonia, where the plains meet the Andes, contains a mountain idyll by the side of Nahuel Huapi Lake, and the architecturally striking modern mountain lodge of Sol Arrayán.

Century-old trees partly conceal this 42-room lodge, whose modernist lines are constructed from unfinished local wood and stone. In the rooms, the interiors are contemporary-rustic, in a style somewhere between modernist luxury-boutique, pious eco-lodge, and traditional crafts and fabrics. All of them look out over the lake, which means each one has a pretty astonishing view, and the better ones have jetted tubs or outdoor verandas facing the water.

There’s a spa and an indoor-outdoor pool, both with that same stunning view of the lake, as well as a restaurant and a bar serving Patagonian cuisine and Argentinean wines with Nahuel Huapi as a backdrop. Summer is for hiking, sailing, and the lakeside private beach, while winter is ski season — the Bayo Mountain ski resort is a short drive away, and the country around Sol Arrayán is ideal for snowshoeing or horseback rides.

How to get there:

Sol Arrayan is approximately a 50 minute (40 miles) drive from San Carlos de Bariloche International Airport. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

How small can a hotel be and still be a hotel? 23 Palm is just a single two-bedroom villa, and whether it’s one unit or two depends on the size of your party. And it’s hard to think of a purer way to enjoy the Sri Lankan coastline, with little more than a luxurious suite, a beachfront pavilion, and an infinity pool — none of those pesky other guests to distract you from your moment of communion with the Indian Ocean.

Twenty Three Palm opened in 2009 and is truly a splendid modern house, decorated with antiques and objects that must have taken half a lifetime to collect. And while they like to call themselves a villa, at 4500 square feet, it’s really more like your own private mansion, complete with a dedicated staff of 10 and 2 acres of gardens and coastline. Should you get tired of all the attention, the chef will gladly teach you how to prepare a traditional Sri-Lankan meal so you can “wow” your friends back home.

In the end whether it feels like a hotel or something else is somewhat beside the point — the charms of a luxury villa on the Sri Lankan seaside should be fairly self-evident.

Please note: Twenty Three Palm is extremely kid friendly although if you intend to stay with children, management suggests booking the entire villa.

This is the sort of town that’s long on ultra-expensive luxury hotels, presidential suites, and restaurants of the sort that cater mainly to lobbyists on expense accounts. Few and far between are places that could reasonably be called “hip,” at least without unrecognizably stretching the meaning of the word. So an East Coast branch of the Hotel Palomar, a member of the San Francisco-based Kimpton boutique hotel group, is likely to turn a few heads.

The Palomar, in classic Kimpton style, is the kind of hotel that exists comfortably between two worlds: it’s plush enough that luxury-hotel patrons won’t find it uncomfortably bare, and it’s stylish enough that design-hotel devotees won’t find it uncomfortably unhip. Rooms are big and bold, with modern fixtures and first-class details (L’Occitane bath products, Frette linens, laptop-friendly safes).

It’s located just off Dupont Circle, which makes it terrifically convenient, and it’s got some features you wouldn’t necessarily expect, including in-room spa services and an outdoor pool, as well as a popular Mediterranean restaurant called Urbana. More luxurious by half than any of the big chain hotels in its price range, and with a youthful energy the more expensive five-stars can’t touch.

The Dorchester hotels have, up till now, been an urban phenomenon. But lessons learned at the Plaza Athénée, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the original Dorchester in London, pay off in the Berkshire countryside at Coworth Park, the Dorchester group’s first country-house hotel.

As a hotel it’s brand new, but the house is a stunningly well-preserved 18th-century Georgian antique, surrounded by 200+ acres of parkland — and, as it happens, it’s an equestrian paradise, with its own polo field, in a location that’s close to the racecourse at Ascot and to Windsor Great Park.

This, indirectly, benefits even the equine-agnostic: while thirty rooms and suites occupy the main house, another forty are housed in the old stables and various outlying cottages. Those in the main house are a mix of the historical and the contemporary, with plenty of period personality, while those in the stables and cottages feature modern furnishings in an earthy, classic palette.

Coworth Park features two fine culinary options: one a fine-dining restaurant, John Campbell, the other a more casual eatery in The Barn’s stylish space. The most stylish space of all, however, is probably the spa, a modern glass-fronted architectural marvel, half buried under a living roof, itself home to the chef’s herb garden. There’s a full gym inside, as well as a swimming pool, and a short walk away is what’s, for a certain subset of Coworth Park guests, probably the main event: the equestrian center.

Although it isn’t that far from the teeming, vibrant cacophony of Phuket — fifty miles as the crow flies — Rayavadee might as well be another planet. This is a place that trades in grand maximalist seclusion; a fact that should be fairly obvious, as the only way to reach the resort’s particular stretch of Southern Thailand’s dramatic Phranang Peninsula is by boat. As you approach, you’ll be greeted by sheer rock walls that seem to rise from the lush greenery of the peninsula. Scattered about the grounds of the hotel are some hundred-odd private pavilions and villas, inspired by the natural beauty of a traditional Thai village.

Although they range from deluxe up to the rather ostentatious Phranang villas, there are no losers among the accommodations. The circular design lends a feeling of airy openness to an already generous space, and large windows accent the interior with the greenery of the surrounding landscape. For guests who crave a type of solitude the white-sand beaches just can’t provide, some pavilions feature private, enclosed plunge pools; at the higher end, this outdoor space expands to include a jacuzzi and deck space for private entertaining.

Rayavadee is isolated, but it’s not a backwater — high-end dining is spread among four distinctive restaurants, while the spa is a luxurious throwback to ancient Thai wellness. Those who prefer a bit of retail therapy need not worry about the resort’s away-from-it-all location: there’s an on-site boutique shopping center, where you can browse the work of local artisans and craftspeople to your heart’s content.

From the inside, Tamarind Village feels like nothing so much as a countryside boutique resort — never mind the fact that it’s right in the heart of the urban hub of northern Thailand, the city of Chiang Mai. It’s a pretty good compromise for those who desire a bit of laid-back serenity along with healthy doses of old-city sights and nightlife. A short walk beneath the bamboo arch that serves as the gateway, past the 200-year-old tamarind tree that gives the hotel its name, and one more or less leaves the city behind.

The rooms were designed and decorated with the region’s tribal heritage in mind — lacquer boxes and boldly patterned fabrics add kitsch-free charm. There’s a decidedly spare feel to the rooms, a winning combination of throwback comfort and sleek modern design. Wi-fi and satellite TV are standard, and bathrooms are stocked with amenities created specifically for Tamarind Village. At the higher end, the spa suite adds a spacious terrace, outdoor shower, and private access.

A quick trip out through that dreamy bamboo corridor, and you’ll find yourself a few minutes from a plethora of riverside dining options, along with the city’s legendary night bazaar. For those who’d prefer to stay ensconced within the leafy confines of the hotel, the Ruen Tamarind Restaurant hews closely to traditional northern Thai dishes without feeling stodgy. This kind of enhanced homage also defines the spa, which draws on regional practices and adds a wide selection of contemporary wellness techniques.

It’s a century-and-a-half-old Regency building in the tony spa town of Cheltenham — but don’t go leaping to any conclusions about what sort of hotel you’ll find in the Montpellier Chapter. For this stately old hotel, in its new guise, shares ownership with the Upper House in Hong Kong and the Opposite House in Beijing — neither one exactly a slave to tradition, it’s safe to say. Swire’s new UK brand, Chapter, begins here in Cheltenham, and as you step inside you can’t fail to note the resemblance.

Which is to say: the historic bones of the place are still present, and lend an air of architectural distinction, but the décor is thoroughly contemporary, in its crisp, tightly controlled way. The rooms in the original villa are big and bright, and the more modern rooms in the Crescent wing are even more so — all are possessed of a certain chic refinement, with furniture by the modern Italian master Antonio Citterio.

What’s perhaps best about the Montpellier Chapter is its sense of proportio. Its cousins in Beijing and Hong Kong scale phenomenal heights of luxury; then again, a pound goes a bit farther there than it does here. The Chapter stops well short of the faintly ludicrous opulence that marks the extreme high end in Britain, and the result is a more accessible brand of luxury. The restaurant, fine as it is, has a casual streak, with an open kitchen and a wood oven; the spa is visually somewhat minimalist, saving the big effects for the tactile realm. It’s a must-see next time you’re in Gloucestershire, and it’s worth monitoring the situation, as the Chapter group has plans to expand.

The Rotorua region of New Zealand’s North Island is a verdant paradise dotted with lakes, with Okareka being one of the less tourist-besotted. Lake Okareka Lodge is a gated estate composed of just three suites, which can be rented singly or all at once, perched on the edge of a peninsula that juts out onto the water. Add to this secluded haven a 24-hour concierge, personal chef, and a wealth of activities for outdoorsy types and laid-back relaxation seekers, and you’ll get a sense of the splendid isolation that makes this little pocket of New Zealand an internationally recognized destination.

There are two types of guest suites at the lodge: luxurious and extremely luxurious. The latter is embodied in the Lake Okareka Suite, an expansive top-floor space that offers its own lounge and private office. Befitting a place where stunning natural beauty does much of the aesthetic heavy lifting, the furniture is tastefully eclectic, without leaning too far in either a modernist or a rustic direction. All rooms overlook the lake, which is a perpetually tranquil sight thanks to the lodge’s private beach. The edge of the property isn’t just reserved for swimming — guests inclined to do a bit of fishing will find the rainbow trout quite plentiful.

Dining is a fully personalized affair, from the cuisine right down to the location. A formal dining room is at your disposal, but don’t pass up an opportunity to eat a five-course meal — along with wine from the lodge’s own cellar — on the grounds at the water’s edge.

This grand, old dowager hotel, may have been coasting on its reputation for a while, but it is still Portland’s most elegant. The Benson Hotel was built by lumber baron Simon Benson in 1912, in the pre-Crash days of American industrialism, when the captains of the logging industry were the Pacific Northwest’s versions of the Carnegies and Rockefellers of the East. From the first step into the lobby, guests are immersed in the old-world grandeur, surrounded by Circassian walnut paneling, an Italian marble staircase, and Austrian crystal chandeliers.

Upstairs the guest rooms are more of the same; not exactly sprawling, in keeping with the original floor plans, but impossibly posh, especially for this dressed-down city. Suites, though, are expansive, especially the penthouses, with panoramic views, and the Grand suites, complete with baby grand piano. Junior suites are a good compromise—roomy, plush, and located at the corners to maximize whatever sunlight makes it through Portland’s persistent rain clouds.

Dining options include the London Grill, in the hotel’s vault, a fine dining restaurant with one of the most extensive wine lists in the Northwest. Next door to the hotel is El Gaucho, an Argentinean-style steakhouse, complete with live music and a cigar lounge. All of downtown Portland is within easy reach as well, including Powell’s Books, one of America’s best bookstores, just four blocks to the west.

The popular foreign conception of travel to Brazil is limited to the beaches of Rio or the bustling city of São Paulo — but there’s plenty going on outside of the major cities. And while visitors line the beaches at Ipanema and Copacabana, Brazilians escape to the Bahia coastline.

It’s here, in Itacaré, the one-time center of the cocoa industry, that you’ll find Txai, a waterfront resort lining the edge between the dense rainforest and the white sand beach of the Atlantic coast. This is one of Brazil’s most exclusive resorts, where eco-tourism meets high luxury — the service and facilities meet the highest possible standards, even while the ecological impact is minimized through sensitive design and reforestation programs.

Guest suites are in a central building facing the sea, or in bungalows standing on stilts, spread throughout coconut groves, each with a wraparound deck from which to take in the views. The interiors are contemporary-rustic, luxurious, with vast mosquito-netted beds, panoramic views through vast picture windows, and plentiful breathing room. Bathrooms feature outdoor showers and some bungalows come with outdoor Jacuzzis or private plunge pools.

This environment is ideally suited to idleness and inactivity, yet rich in diversions — guests can partake of spa treatments, surfing lessons, horseback riding, trail walks and kayaking or sailing expeditions. Most, however, will indulge in more leisurely pursuits, sampling fresh Bahian seafood or cocktails at sunset, with a walk down the beach the nearest attempt at an athletic endeavor.

How to get there:

The Txai Resort is a 50 minute drive from Ilhéus Jorge Amado Airport. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange airport transfers.

When it comes to attracting foreign travelers it’s certainly not quite in the same league as Tokyo and Kyoto, but Hiroshima, on the west end of Japan’s main island of Honshu, is a cultural attraction in its own right. So there’s clearly a need for a first-class luxury hotel, and even if it’s not quite the life-changing experience that a couple of notable Tokyo hotels are, the Oriental Hotel Hiroshima is proof that the Japanese expertise in high-end hospitality extends to the farthest reaches of the country.

The location is just about as central as it gets, overlooking Heiwa Odori, Hiroshima’s main drag. It’s a high-rise hotel with few high-rise neighbors, making for far-ranging views over the city. The bedrooms aren’t overly large — this country has never been known for enormous living spaces — but they’re well-appointed, with efficient modern bathrooms, some with corner views from their bathtubs.

In terms of style it’s contemporary but not exactly modern, identifiably Japanese but not straining the point. Restaurants include Japanese, French and Italian options, as well as a New York–style jazz bar, and the surrounding area is not short of options. All in all it’s not one for fireworks, necessarily, but one whose subtle charms you might find growing on you.

Please note: there is a 3-night minimum stay on weekends from September 15 to November 15.

Blackberry Farm may well be the most delightful place on the Eastern seaboard. Nestled at the foothills of the Tennessee Smokies, it includes the best parts of American hospitality. Picture this: 4200 acres of wildflower-strewn land, 44 rooms of feather beds and English country antiques. Then add a regime of iced tea picnics, horseback riding, tennis, fishing, and fireside dining. Staying here is like being the guest of an extremely rich plantation owner, only you don’t have to kiss up to the host. It’s enough to make the sourest Yankee smile.

The best rooms are in the Cottage Suites, separate from the Main House, with whirlpool tubs and fireplaces to boot. And of course you can get any spa treatment delivered to your door at any time. For those of you who do manage to drag yourselves out of doors, there’s the pool (open in the summer), the trails, the ponds, and the tennis courts (Outdoor activities continue well through the mild Tennessee winters.) The point, of course, is to work up an appetite for the star attraction at Blackberry — the food.

No matter how hard you resist, every one gets on a three-meal eating plan, plus extras. You couldn’t starve if you tried: from breakfast in bed to lunch (including, but not restricted to new potato salad, beef tenderloin, deep fried corn on the cob, and two kinds of pie) to the four course dinner. Blackberry Farm has been winning raves for the last eleven years for its unpretentious and yummy foothills food — pecan-crusted trout, pickled fresh water prawns and grits. Plus Blackberry Farm has one of the best wine cellars in the southeast with over 60,000 bottles to satisfy any wine enthusiast. No amount of hiking and swimming will work off the amount you will eat and drink. So for goodness sake, bring baggy clothes. (It’s not a place to strut in Gucci, anyway.) You will put on a few pounds at Blackberry for sure, but every one of them will be worth it.

How to get there:

Blackberry Farm is a 25 minute drive from Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport.

There is a 3 night minimum stay requirement at Riyad Al Moussika.

One could reasonably argue that the experience of staying at a historic hotel, an ancient castle, say, or a converted country mansion, can be improved by a bit of familiarity with the heritage of the place, a passing acquaintance with the story of whatever medieval friar or Victorian earl used to own the place. In the case of the Riyad al Moussika, however, the point is open for debate: if you wish, read up on its original owner, the infamously brutal Moroccan ruler (and genuine villain) El Glaoui, and tell us if you sleep any easier in his old palace for knowing the sort of things he was up to in there.

So never mind the old pasha, let’s discuss the riyad. The whole point of these things, the converted inside-out walled-courtyard mansions in the old quarter of Marrakech, is that they offer a little island of serene opulence amid the clamorous bustle of the medina. And if serene opulence is your thing, you’ll be delighted to find that you can’t possibly do much better than the Riyad al Moussika.

This entire palace (which happens to be roughly the size of an American roadside chain motel) is divided into just six lodgings: three suites, two double rooms, and, charmingly, a single. The idea is that you’ll feel like a royal guest, and the experience is designed around this effect, from the incredible detail of the architecture and décor to the friendly and solicitous service to the remarkable feeling of privacy — you might pass an entire stay at the Riyad without noticing that there are in fact other guests.

Custom-made mattresses, Egyptian cotton sheets, English lambswool blankets; the creature comforts are among the best you could ask for, and a damn sight better than the treatment El Glaoui’s guests got — you, for example, are free to come and go as you please. Not that you’ll necessarily need to get out — the Riyad serves stunning French, Italian and Moroccan food, and the endless patios, sitting rooms and courtyard corners would be hard to leave behind.

How to get there:
Riyad Al Moussika is approximately a 15 minute drive from Marrakech-Menara Airport. Please contact customerservice@tablethotels.com to arrange complimentary airport transfers.

A location a half hour’s drive past Heathrow from London means that Pennyhill Park is a good deal more convenient than the average English country-house hotel. It’s not exactly Downton Abbey, but having one foot in the modern age is key to Pennyhill’s appeal — though it dates back only to the 1920s, this Surrey estate is all ivy-clad atmosphere, and even the new residential wings stick to the style of the place, a sort of art-directed mod-glam version of a country-house romance.

Pennyhill Park’s rooms and suites, with their handmade mattresses and hand-selected furnishings, are all different, all comfortable and elegant — they’re not penthouse-suite over-the-top, but they’re certainly up to the task. It would be a vast exaggeration to say that the rooms are beside the point, but perhaps accurate to say they play a supporting role, as very few guests come to stay without an eye on the spa and the two highly regarded restaurants.

The former is simply known as The Spa, which is the sort of mock-understatement which belies a supreme self-confidence — and a look around the lavish facilities reveals that they’ve got quite a lot to be confident about. The same applies to the restaurants as well; The Latymer, under the direction of the Michelin-starred Michael Wignall, is Pennyhill Park’s fine dining option, and The Brasserie is more casual but no less worthwhile. It’s not unusual for visitors from London to grab a room as an add-on to a meal or a spa package — why not beat them to the punch?

The hundreds of islands that dot Lake George, a formidable body of water that stretches for 32 miles along the southeastern edge of Upstate New York’s Adirondack State Park, offer a variety of experiences. At rather the more civilized end of things is the lakeside town of Bolton Landing, the gateway to the seventy-acre Green Island and its majestic Victorian-era hotel, the Sagamore. Opened in 1883 as a destination for luxury seekers on holiday from New York and Philadelphia, the Sagamore underwent a full restoration in 1983 that saw the addition of seven lodges, making the Sagamore the stately frontrunner among high-end Adirondack hotels.

The 137 guest rooms of the original 1883 structure overlooking the lake at the southern tip of the island offer a cozy, club-style take on luxe Americana; enhanced, of course, by the view, which hasn’t changed much since the French and Indian War. A lively palette of ochres and reds keeps the ambience from feeling too traditional or stuffy. Guests seeking a more contemporary resort experience may want to opt for a suite in one of the lodges, while those looking to ratchet up the opulence should consider the adjacent Wapanak Castle, a fully equipped home complete with five fireplaces.

Diversions include swimming, golf, tennis, and just about anything you can do on a lake, in the woods, or near the mountains — you’ll find the concierge is quite necessary for narrowing one’s options. And at the end of the day you’ll choose from six restaurants, which provide enough culinary diversity to keep you from having to leave the island. And despite its reputation as a premier wedding and family destination, The Sagamore’s sheer expansiveness means no single party or event is capable of entirely taking over.

Though it may sound like a bit of marketing drivel, 101 is quite literally Reykjavik’s most fashionable postal code. This city has long been the holiday playground of hip Europeans and, in particular, Londoners — English pop stars and artists come here for a little anonymity, and the truly anonymous come for the experience of a style capital that still feels like an unpretentious small city.

Until now, Reykjavik has lacked an out-and-out hipster hangout, a contemporary-style boutique hotel to match its reputation. But 101 hotel meets that description, and then some — ensconced within a grim grey modernist structure, the one-time home of the Social Democratic party, the interiors are all 21st-century high design. The décor is all in black and white, with staffers in black to match, and the guest rooms are pared-down and minimal, with open plans and that trademark sleek Nordic furniture. Bathrooms, too, are wide open to the room, with hardwood floors, Aveda amenities, and, in some rooms, claw-foot tubs separate from the vast walk-in showers.

The artistic bent that Reykjavik is lately known for is on display here — a glass roof over the lounge affords a view of a permanent mural installation, and the 101 Gallery shows rotating exhibitions of work by top Icelandic artists. The lounge is a bona fide social scene, as is the restaurant, and the downtown location means it’s not the only game in town — so the restless have plenty of urban exploring to do. If anything, it’s a bit of overkill; a sleek, modern hotel in the vibrant capital of one of the world’s most beautiful countries — what more do you need?

If you need a respite from the corporate efficiency of London’s modern mega-hotels, you’ll appreciate the uniquely English spirit of the Gore. This charming boutique hotel is packed with history, its six floors abloom with Victorian eccentricity.

Sisters Ada and Fanny Cooke opened the Gore on this scenic tree-lined street in Kensington in 1892. Today it’s a bit of an exception in the hyper-luxe London hotel scene, as it seems to prize character well above luxury — which is not the backhanded compliment it sounds like, but a genuine one.

The Gore’s 50 guestrooms are individually decorated with exotic fabrics, antique furniture and period prints. Judy Garland was a past patron of The Gore, and when you stay in her namesake room you’re guaranteed a night’s rest in her old gilt wood bed. The Miss Ada room, named after one of the hotel’s founders, has a four-poster bed draped in crimson velvet and a bathroom with a toilet shaped like a throne. Though luxury-hotel devotees may find these rooms a bit sparse, complimentary wi-fi access and flat-screen televisions are standard throughout.

In-house you’ll find the well-regarded Bistro One Ninety Queen’s Gate, as well as the similarly clubby and intimate Bar 190. Unlike many modern London boutiques, The Gore plays up its classic Englishness, and its location in central Kensington only exaggerates the effect. Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall and countless other museums and attractions are within close walking distance, and the Gloucester Tube station is blocks away.

How to get there:
The Gore is a 15 minute walk from both the Gloucester Road and High Street Kensington tube stations. If you’re arriving from Heathrow Airport the most convenient transfer option to central London is The Heathrow Express Train which leaves Heathrow Airport every 15 minutes and takes 15 minutes to arrive at Paddington Station. One way fares are available from £18 and roundtrip fares from £32. By black cab, The Gore is approximately a 45 minute ride from Heathrow Airport (depending on traffic) and can cost upwards of £50.

About The Gore: The Gore is a small luxury boutique hotel in London, England. The Gore Hotel is located in the center of the Kensington district of London and within walking distance to the Gloucester Tube station and Hyde Park.