The Zetter

I highly recommend One Aldwyich's restaurant, located in the basement of this hotel (+44 (0)20 7300 1000). The food was fantastic – go for the aged rib-eye steak, cooked to perfection. Staff were polite and service was quick.

We ventured out to Chez Gerard in Covent Garden (+44 (0)20 7379 0666) for their pre-theatre dinner offer. As well as its ideal central location and fantastic views over Covent Garden from their veranda, the food was exceptional and the service was great.

P.S I would also recommend cocktails in the Zetter bar (staff there were excellent) and a visit to Ben's Cookies Covent Garden (+44 (0)20 7240 6123) too!

A stone's throw from the hotel in Bleeding Heart Lane is the Bleeding Heart empire. For those not in the know, the Bleeding Heart 'sowners have a pub on the corner, a restaurant in one corner of the yard and a bistro in the other. The great news is that the bistro is now open at weekends. The Bleeding Heart, with its vaulted rooms, dried flowers, hushed tones and impeccable service) has to be one of the most romantic restaurants in London, so if you are staying Friday night it's a must (at the very least for the best cheese board in town). If you are only in London at the weekend, visit the bistro for simple high-quality french cooking and relaxed service. Breakfast or brunch on a Sunday morning has to be at Smiths of Smithfield. Despite Smithfield market's closure on Sunday, the main room downstairs is still busy with passers by and the leisurely crowd who know where to get the best bacon sandwiches. A fantastic menu, reasonably priced, in a great atmosphere. Sunday mornings don't get better than this.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the eccentric Les Trois Garcons at 1 Club Row (+44 (0)20 7613 1924); a five-minute cab ride from the Zetter to Shoreditch. The decor, comprising of stuffed exotic animals draped in gemstones, has to be seen to be believed, but we enjoyed the company of a giraffe politely keeping check on our table whilst the humans provided top-cat service. Although, having seen their hanging display, I hate to think what inspiration Mrs P may have taken for her own handbag collection.

For breakfast, whilst the Zetter's own fare is certainly not to be sniffed at, the Modern Pantry (+44 (0)20 7553 9210) just across the cobbled St John's square was exceptional: simply the best breakfast I've ever had, enthused Mrs P. All the right ingredients perfectly prepared and presented. The Modern Pantry (www.themodernpantry.co.uk) also offer seating outside that makes the most of sunnier mornings in this picturesque square, and allows a soothing breeze to help dust the cobwebs away. However, if that last Smithfields Pony or Perfect G&T before bed has caused any regret, then their Japanese Mary (a wasabi twist on the classic) is just the perfect cure.

My stay in The Zetter was great, the room was small but clean and comfortable and great for one nights stay in London. Loved the amenities available, i.e. having a vending machine outside the room where you could get lots of different things and make yourself free tea and coffee at any time of the day and night. Also thought it was fantastic the way they gave you information on everything nearby to see and do and the in-room entertainment was fabulous. Staff were very friendly and the ambience was nice. Went to Moro for dinner which was gorgeous. The only negative is the breakfast in the hotel is overpriced, especially the Continental.

We went to The Zetter for a birthday surprise. Although I live near London and work in London, I am seven months pregnant and wanted to have a relaxing weekend, leaving my 13-month-old daughter at home, safe in the knowledge i could get back easily if necessary. It was good to see London in a completely different light away from the rat  race. We visited Hyde Park and Green Park and took long leisurely breakfast and lunches. We stayed in a really lovely suite and enjoyed breakfast in bed and reading the Sunday paper with a late check-out – without disturbance. Heaven!

So another chance to praise this hotel, and I will, but as a top tip for any culture vultures, it is on a direct bus route to the South Bank Centre, home to the Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and much more. Just walk 50 yards and catch the 243 which runs very frequently day and night. Avoids a long tube trip and is a green way to see the sights on the way too. And as for The Zetter it continues to come up absolute trumps – can't rate it too highly.

Standing on the balcony on my fifth-floor room and watching the snow fall all around with St Pauls and The Gherkin in the near distance was quite a surreal experience but reality was just behind me back through the picture doors into the warmth of my room. I had booked to see Handel’s great oratorio Samson at the Barbican and chose The Zetter because of its proximity. So wonderful was the room, the bar, the scrambled eggs for breakfast, the hot water bottle, the nibbles, its own bottled water from a spring under the hotel, the list goes on and on, that I have booked it again for two further musical jaunts to the big city. Us country chaps need to feel a bit cosmopolitan when we come up to the Big Smoke and boy does The Zetter do it in style.

Great hotel - super location!

We were lucky to stay in the hotel when there was an Argentinean theme – the chef is Argentine. His steak is to die for! I have never ever tasted food that good in Europe – the last time was in... Argentina.

If you need somewhere else to eat close by (if the chef isn't in) I would suggest St Johns at Smithfield market – stunning food, if you like trying new bits of meat.

The only downside was that the bar in the hotel gets busy – it took a while for the drinks to come, but the manager was very courteous. Oh and the heating in the room didn’t work – too many gadgets me thinks!

I have used The Zetter as a base for going to concerts at both the Barbican (very close) and the Festival Hall, (not so close), so have not ventured out into darkest Clerkenwell, but the food at the hotel has been just wonderful. Confit duck salad and a fantastic mushroom pasta dish all swilled down with a glass of something from the bar's excellent range of wines was tip-top. A friend who met me there after the concert sampled one of the exotic cocktails  gave that a definite thumbs-up. And did I mention the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast? If I did do a repeat mention is most definitely worth the keystrokes as it is there at the top of many league table of versions of this classic I have tried. So in essence, if you want a base where you dont have to worry about what may or may not be good in the area, The Zetter does it all; I even noticed a poster for a fancy dress event coming up! And if you do want to get about, transport to and from the hotel is pretty simple.