Mr & Mrs Smith

The Sanderson’s central London location means that you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to eating. Fitzrovia and nearby Soho offer some superb food options. Bam-Bou (1 Percy Street; 020 7323 9130) is a buzzing four-storey restaurant that offers upmarket Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese dishes that are designed to be shared. Hakkasan (8 Hanway Place; 020 7907 1888) is another high-end oriental dining experience – make sure you book ahead. If it’s the taste of the Meditteranean you’re after, then go for Locanda Locatelli (8 Seymour Street; 020 7935 9088), one of the best Italian restaurants in the country; Passione (10 Charlotte Street; 020 7636 2833), which specialises in rustic cooking from the bel paese; or Fino (33 Charlotte Street; 020 7813 8010) for an upmarket take on Spanish tapas. Across Oxford Street, in Soho, you’ll find the delightful Andrew Edmunds (46 Lexington Street; 020 7437 5708), a tiny, ridiculously romantic restaurant with a daily changing menu of Modern European classics.

All the West End theatres are on your doorstep (www.ticketmaster.co.uk), as is the Royal Opera House (www.royalopera.org). Major art spaces include the National Gallery (www.nationalgallery.org.uk) and Tate Modern (www.tate.org.uk). See the city from the London Eye (www.londoneye.com). Take a riverboat cruise from Embankment to Greenwich (www.londontown.com/sightseeing). Somerset House (www.somerset-house.org.uk) is great for ice-skating in the winter and concerts in the summer.
London moves so quickly that, by the time you’ve heard about that hot club, exhibition or under-the-radar boutique, chances are it’s, like, so over. Tag along with an Urban Gentry guide, however, and you’ll get an up‑to‑the‑minute take on city life; choose from themed tours including Art Insider, East End Hip and Market Fresh, or get them to tailor a bespoke itinerary around your tastes. See www.urbangentry.com for details.