London hotel for wedding anniversary, ££ no object

[PiratePanda]

DH and I have our 5th wedding anniversary coming up, and we'd like to stay overnight in London luxury. For reasons I won't go into we can pretty much afford a standard room in any hotel you care to name.

So which hotel would you choose and why?

Bit more info to assist: we like good food and wine, art and culture, obscure things few people know about, jazz, classical and world music. And we don't like tasteless bling (the refurbed Savoy is the epitome of what we don't like), and are not interested in "pampering" (spas, etc).

Thoughts?

[WipsGlitter]

Claridges. I saw the programme on it and it looked amazing. Emphasis on discreet luxury.

[TravellingToad]

Claridges

[rootypig]

Claridges! All day long.

Or (left field) the Town Hall in Bethnal Green, specifically a signature room, their poncey word not mine townhallhotel.com/rooms/signature_suites/

The restaurant is excellent. But not as special, I don't think.

[annaban]

Kingsway hall in covent garden is nice. Not Clariages, but a very solid 4* hotel. The king rooms / suites are massive and well appointed.

Good location for theatre etc

[LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops]

Yes, Claridges.

[plantsitter]

I stayed at Hazlitts on my wedding night. So, so comfortable and not up itself. Felt like the most private room in the world, in the middle of town (Soho). Definitely recommend. Think we were upgraded so go for a more expensive room.

[eurochick]

The new Corinthia? I was given a tour and it is pretty special.

But I think the refurbed Savoy is lovely. I don't find it particularly blingy and the American Bar is a classic place for a cocktail. I haven't seen the guest rooms there though.

I guess the other obvious choice is the Ritz.

[FitByForty]

South Place Hotel. Stayed here for a wedding here last year and it is fabulous. Trendy but not OTT and the staff are fantastic. And cocktails to die for!

[uggmum]

The St Pancras hotel is lovely. Especially if you can push to a Chambers Club room as you get exec lounge access. This means free snacks, drinks, afternoon tea, pre dinner canapés etc. we've stayed here 6 times and have always had great service.

[Mintyy]

I would say The Lanesborough, The Dorchester or Blakes.

[PassTheCremeEggs]

Look at Firmdale hotels - Charlotte Street, Covent Garden, Soho and Haymarket. Small, boutique, absolutely five star but with loads of character. Cannot recommend enough. Firmdale

[Fridayschild]

Another vote for Claridges. However the South Place hotel is also nice.

[PassTheCremeEggs]

I've just read that back and it sounds very like I work for them... I don't! I spent my wedding night at the Charlotte street hotel and have been in the others for drinks and dinners.

[Creamycoolerwithcream]

The Connaught.

[Roseformeplease]

Browns - room 50 - where we spent the first night of our honeymoon. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

[wannabestressfree]

We had a suite at the covent garden hotel.... Was amazing

[catwithflowers]

Rooty pig, we also love the Town Hall. We had a wonderful few nights there and the breakfasts are amazing. The nicest bread I have ever eaten! We ate lunch in the smaller restaurant, The Corner Room, Nd it was so unusual and delicious but sadly didn't eat at Viagante which has now closed.

[rootypig]

Oh I didn't realise Viajante closed! A shame. Yes the very best hotel breakfast I have EVER eaten, and a bathtub big enough for two to swim in.

[catwithflowers]

Just noticed my spelling mistake, rooty!!! I knew it didn't look right . Nuno Mendes has a new restaurant called The Chiltern Firehouse with an American rather than Portuguese influence.

Loved the Art Deco theme throughout the hotel and the staff were fabulous

[meditrina]

Another vote for Browns.

[PiratePanda]

Ooh fabulous list! Thanks everyone. I think boutique would suit us best probably but Claridges is certainly on our list.

Sadly DH hates Paris, no idea why, and we can only be away one night due to childcare issues. So London it is.

[petitdonkey]

My absolute favourite London hotel is The Langham - just something about it that I love. Followed closely by Claridges for glamour (but I don't rate the bedrooms at all). Neither of those have a great location though.

Would second the vote for any Firmdale Hotels - they have the cool factor and are in better locations. Browns also great.

Any idea about which area of London you would like to be in?

[rootypig]

Boutique: The Zetter or Zetter Townhouse, will depend if to your style taste. Lovely restaurant, different part of town.

[PiratePanda]

Knowing my husband and where we'd most likely be eating (a well kept London secret that I haveno intention of revealing ;-) prob within walking distance of Soho. But we're good walkers, and a nice bedroom is probably higher up the list than anything else - we're still co-sleeping with our 3-yr-old ;-)