15 Best Boutique Hotels in London With Turndown Tea, Lush Gardens, and Rooftop Bars | Condé Nast Traveler

"The vibe: English eccentricity Location: Clerkenwell Top amenities: The award-winning cocktail bar Best for:  Those in the know In Clerkenwell, the maximalist Zetter Townhouse taps a rich vein of Victorian eccentricity to create an urban den with genuine warmth—a theme hotel without the cheese, and a lovely, under-the-radar hotel that’s for seasoned London lovers. With only 13 rooms and no check-in desk, there’s an intimate feel—and you couldn’t be anywhere but the U.K. with this decor. Expect Union Jack flags flying from the beds, over the headboards, and (somewhat more discreetly) in the colors chosen for the throws. Bottles from the East London Liquor Company fill the mini bars, while Wilhelmina’s Lounge, the award-winning bar downstairs, does a fine line in cocktails—its apothecary-like bar is a nod to the area’s historic distilleries. If you don’t know Clerkenwell as an area, that’ll be because it’s not at all touristy. Rather, it’s an interesting corner of the city between the famous West End and trendy Shoreditch that’s home to great pubs, literary agencies, and independent boutiques. Nearby Farringdon station is one of the hubs for the Elizabeth Line, the high-speed, cross-capital Underground line which opened in 2022." - Julia Buckley