The Place
There is no quarter of central London with more character than Soho, and there are few places to stay with more character than Hazlitt’s, formed from three Georgian terraced houses off Soho Square. The sloping, creaking floorboards have been retained (it can be an uphill walk to your bed), and the rooms are decorated with suitable antiques, busts and prints. Restoration work has revealed original fireplaces and Georgian panelling that’s 300 years old.
The bedrooms, named after some of the people who visited or stayed in the house where the eponymous essayist himself lived, are delightfully different from most London hotel rooms, some with intricately carved wood headboards, one with a delightful four-poster, all with free-standing bath tubs and Victorian fittings in the bathrooms.
As befits an establishment with such literary connections, Hazlitt’s is particularly popular with visiting authors, who leave signed copies of their works when they depart. Sadly, the dresser in the little sitting room in which they are kept is now locked to protect the books, which had a habit of going missing. Continental breakfast is served in the bedrooms, as well as light dishes such as pasta and filled baguettes. A hotel for people who like their comforts authentic, yet stylish.