Mr & Mrs Smith

The Fellow, a gastropub around 500m from Rough Luxe, is a must for great food and an authentic buzzing atmosphere. Getting a table might be a bit tricky so try to go early.  Furthermore, the Spanish tapas place hidden in the courtyard next to McDonalds looks like great fun for drinks and a bite with a group of friends. I discovered the above thanks to Leo, the wonderful host at Rough Luxe.

During our stay at Rough Luxe we were pleasantly surprised by the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel. Antonio greeted us with a friendly smile and could not do enough to make our stay a happy one. The champagne offered to us was of top quality and tasted wonderful. He didn’t palm us off with some cheap cava like most places do. The hotel was so unusual and there was something interesting to discover around every corner! The styling, decoration, furniture and features of the hotel were fantastic! Complimentary soap, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and body wash were waiting in the very modern bathroom. Plenty of clean towels! Even a top of the range Dyson fan was in every room to keep us cool and refreshed during the hot summer nights in London. On Saturday night we visited Camden and had dinner at Gilgamesh restaurant, bar and club. The food was beautifully presented; waiters were carefully watching our table to make sure our wine glasses were topped up. After each course the plates were cleared away promptly ready for the next course. Drinks were a little overpriced but it is to be expected of London. We stuck to wine to get better value for money. If you do go, ask for a round table, they looked more comfortable and sociable than the tall rectangle tables we sat at. The club inside Gilgamesh was a little off-putting as there was a minimal spend of £350 to sit at a table. It’s definably worth a look in, even if it is for a drink or two. I did notice there was a guest list you probably need to pre-book or at least call up and enquire before turning up. During the day Camden is one place in London you must visit but my advice would be to get off the tube at Chalk Farm and walk towards Camden town station. It’s too much to take in on one visit and all the real beauties are at the Chalk Farm end of the high street. We made the mistake of starting at Camden town and walking though all the markets with cheap, poorly made, mass produced tat. We didn't make it as far as over the bridge to the better quality and more interesting markets. Stables Market is the one you must not miss. For lunch, visit the stalls on the Chalk Farm side of the bridge along side the canal selling Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Indian dishes. A tray costing £5 will give you a tasty treat for lunch. I made the mistake of accepting the breaded chicken. They give you loads of this because it's cheap. Say no to the breaded chicken! And ask for a little rice; otherwise they will fill your tray with cheap rice.

Back to Rough Luxe and don't worry about waking up at the crack of dawn for breakfast if you have been partying all night long. Lovely Antonio said he could do our breakfast up until 3pm if we liked! He was a jolly good sport! Don’t expect a cooked breakfast though, but the organic jams, honey, marmalade, toast and boiled eggs (my boyfriend enjoyed these, I didn’t have any due to a food allergy so I take his word for it) were so delicious you don't feel cheated in any way with the Continental breakfast. Antonio was very good to us and let us park our car in a very secure section behind one iron gate and one wooden barn door all weekend at no extra cost. He said because it was the weekend no one needed access to the art gallery behind the hotel so he was happy to keep our car just inside and court yard. Rough Luxe is a hidden gem! 5/5 stars from me! Thank you Mr & Mrs Smith for helping me discover this fascinating place.

Thanks to Anthonio, the manager at Rough Luxe, we were given a table at the last minute, and fantastic treatment, at a nearby tapas restaurant; Camino's. If you want an incredibly vibrant and lively atmosphere, with fantastic food and drink to match, you can't go far wrong here. It was rather inexpensive too; with the bill coming to around £80 for two (and we did go all out on each course) with a more than passable bottle of rioja to wash it all down.

We finished the night at the excellent cocktail bar in the courtyard adjacent to the restaurant, with the only down-side being a rather sore head the next day from one or two too many Hendrick's G&Ts.

Just in case the Mr and Mrs membership bottle is not already enough - cross the road and go to St Pancras Eurostar champagne bar then slip back to your (not so) rough, Luxe-daybed via the British Library bookshop with a classic under your arm...

I would definitely recommend a trip to Monmouth Coffee Company at 27 Monmouth Street near Covent Garden (+44 (0)20 7232 3010). They have a large selection of coffee beans for sale, which they roast at their roastery in Maltby Street, as well as cakes and pastries. There is limited seating, the place is tiny, but they do take-out as well as sit-in coffee, and the queue is usually out the door and down the street, but service is quick. If your usual coffee comes from Starbucks this place will certainly open your eyes to the possibilities of speciality coffee.