Mr & Mrs Smith

The Connaught

London, United Kingdom

The Connaught hotel was bound to be stately and stylish: it’s more than 100 years old, set in monied Mayfair and has the royal stamp of approval. Despite a recent revamp, old-fashioned values remain (English grandeur, top-notch butler service, antique furniture) but with modern frills added: flatscreen TVs above the baths, an indoor pool and the UK’s only Aman Spa.

Need to know

• Rooms 121, including 34 suites.
• Rates Double rooms from $549.21 (£348), excluding tax at 20 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional service charge of 5% per room per night on checkout.
• More details Breakfast, from £28 a person (organic, vegetarian and Japanese options).
• Facilities Ballroom, gym, spa, DVD/CD library, concierge and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, iPod dock, integrated CD/DVD, minibar and free bottled water. Bathrooms are stocked with Bamford bath products.
• Poolside The elegant indoor pool is adorned with an impressive water feature and there's a steam room close by.
• Check-out 12pm. Check-in, from 2pm.
• Children Little Smiths are welcome. Cots are free; extra beds are £75 a night; babysitting can be arranged (£8 an hour, give 24 hours’ notice). More...
• Also The hotel’s environmental committee introduces new initiatives each month; staff are encouraged to cycle to work; rooms are lit with low-emission bulbs; anything that can be recycled will be.

Food and drink at The Connaught

• Hotel restaurant

  Hélène Darroze at the Connaught serves sophisticated cuisine – expect a menu scattered with expensive-sounding components (black ball of duck foie gras and black Perigord truffle or creamy carnalori acquerello rice are typical examples), served in an expensive-looking setting (lashings of mahogany and cream, gold and lilac hues). Darroze’s second restaurant, Espelette, is a more casual affair, offering brasserie-style meals and an offbeat afternoon tea.

• Dress code

  Champagne chic for the formal restaurant; off-duty Parisian elegance for Espelette.

• Top table

  Stake out a window seat for magnificent Mayfair views.

• Last orders

  Breakfast from 7am–10.45am; lunch from 12pm–3pm; take afternoon tea from 3pm–5.30pm; dine between 6.30pm–10.30pm (Tuesday–Friday). The two bars’ muddling and mixing takes place from 11am–11pm.

• Room service

  The 24-hour room service includes snacks, salads, soups, pasta and sandwiches.

• Hotel bar

  Pick a bar depending on your mood and outfit. The glitzy Connaught Bar, designed by David Collins, has smoky mirrors, Cubist-patterned walls, intimate tables, a secret passageway entrance from Mount Street and the award-winning bar manager, Santino (try his lip-lickingly good Bloody Mary). Alternatively, sip at the Coburg Bar, styled by Parisian architect and designer India Mahdavi. This modern drinking den has art deco chandeliers, black- and purple-velvet wrapped armchairs, paneled walls and bold black and white cameos.

Also worth knowing

• Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...

The Connaught Carlos Place Mayfair, London, W1K 2AL