Baglioni Hotel
London, United Kingdom[view map]
Local restaurants
Refuel after a hard day’s shopping, on well-presented Modern British and European dishes at the Fifth Floor in destination department store Harvey Nichols on Knightsbridge (020 7235 5250). Gourmets will love the daily-changing set menu in the pretty white interior of Clarke’s on Kensington Church Street (020 7221 9225). Long-time favourite with ladies who lunch, San Lorenzo on Beauchamp Place (020 7584 1074) is Italian, cosy and surprisingly low-key. Lovers of Japanese cuisine should put Zuma on Raphael Street (020 7584 1010) top of their list; book ahead. Lonsdale House on Lonsdale Road (020 7727 4080) is a stylish backdrop for elegant tapas-sized dishes and incredible cocktails. Pétrus at the Berkeley on Wilton Place (020 7235 1200), for Marcus Wareing’s exceptional French cuisine.
Local bars
Boujis on Thurloe Street (020 7584 6678) is a bijou bar where the fashionable flock. Book a private party at Apartment 195 on King’s Road (020 7351 5195), a sexy nocturnal lounge bar in a listed building. Kensington Roof Gardens on Kensington High Street (020 7937 7994) boasts a restaurant, a club and an acre and a half of tropical greenery.
Diary
Late March Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (www.theboatrace.org). Mid-April London Marathon (www.london-marathon.co.uk). Late May Chelsea Flower Show (www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea). Late June Wimbledon LTC (www.wimbledon.org). July-September The Proms (www.bbc.co.uk/proms). August bank holiday Notting Hill Carnival. September Open House Weekend (www.londonopenhouse.org). Mid-October–early November The London Film Festival (www.lff.org.uk). 5 November Bonfire Night, aka Guy Fawkes.