LONDON - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 179

KING'S CROSS
Expensive
Rough Luxe Just minutes from St. Pancras International Station, this small
boutique hotel was salvaged from the remains of one of the area's many nondescript
guesthouses. Despite the setting in a row of Georgian townhouses, the decor is
almost industrial, resembling the interior of a warehouse art gallery. No two rooms are
alike. Three units come with private bathroom, with glass-enclosed showers and
“rainfall” shower heads. Decades of wallpaper and paint were peeled away, leaving
distressed walls of hand-painted mosaic wallpaper and plaster. Many of the antiques
found throughout were purchased at an auction of the Savoy Hotel's throwaways.
1 Birkenhead St., London WC1H 8BA. www.roughluxe.co.uk. & 020/7837-5338. Fax: [phone]
units (3 with bathroom). £155-£210 double. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, MC, V. Tube: King's
Cross. Amenities: Breakfast room. In room: TV, hair dryer.
Inexpensive
Jesmond Dene Hotel The King's Cross area is a bit of a curate's egg; unparal-
leled travel links—you can be in Paris or the Lake District within 3 hours—but at the
cost of a scruffy, noisy district. So, hurray for the Jesmond Dene. This small but neat
B&B is great value, surprisingly quiet, and renowned for friendly, helpful service. Not
a place for a 2-week holiday but if you're looking for a base to explore London, that's
also handy for day-trips, you could do a lot worse.
27 Argyle St., London WC1H 8EP. www.jesmonddenehotel.co.uk. & 020/7837-4654. Fax [phone]-
1633. 20 rooms, some with private bathroom. £70 double without bathroom, £100 double with bath-
room. AE, DC, MC, V. Tube: King's Cross. In room: TV, Wi-Fi (free).
COVENT GARDEN
Very Expensive
Covent Garden Hotel The phrase we hear most often from guests who've
stayed here is “expensive, but worth it.” The former hospital building lay neglected for
years until it was reconfigured in 1996 by hoteliers Tim and Kit Kemp—whose flair
for interior design is legendary—into one of London's most charming boutique hotels.
Upstairs, accessible via a dramatic stone staircase, soundproof bedrooms are fur-
nished in English style with Asian fabrics, many adorned with hand-embroidered
designs. The staff is among the friendliest and most knowledgable in London—
always useful in an area thronged with theatres, galleries, and rare bookstores.
10 Monmouth St., London WC2H 9HB. www.firmdale.com. & 020/7806-1000 or 800/553-6674 in the
U.S. Fax [phone] units. £290-£335 double. AE, DC, MC, V. Tube: Covent Garden or Leicester
Sq. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; concierge; exercise room; room service. In room: A/C, TV/
DVD, movie library, CD player, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (£20 per day).
One Aldwych Hoteliers take note—One Aldwych is an object lesson in
how to combine old-school London elegance with state-of-the-art facilities. Guests
bask in an artfully simple layout that includes stylish minimalist furniture, big bay
windows, masses of flowers, and lashings of contemporary art. The bedrooms are
sumptuous, decorated with elegant linens and rich colors, and accessorized with raw-
silk curtains and deluxe furnishings. On Friday and Saturday evenings, and at Sunday
brunch, movies are shown in the screening room. And, unusually for such a smart
hotel, sustainability is taken seriously; the glorious swimming pool is chlorine-free,
toilets and showers use significantly less water than in most hotels, and the inhouse
Axis restaurant uses local produce when possible.

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