Yahoo News The best hotels near Buckingham Palace for a fabulously royal welcome
If there was ever a year to stay near Buckingham Palace, 2022 is the one to pick. With so many pockets of celebrations happening for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee throughout the year it makes perfect sense to bed down and be right in the thick of the events for maximum enjoyment. Spots like Victoria, Westminster and St James's Park provide a great base for jumping off into the fun, but also crucially offer a much-needed calming retreat to escape to when fatigue sets in. Within walking distances of around 15 minutes, here's our pick of the best hotels near Buckingham Palace, including the top for Michelin-starred restaurants, soothing spas, quiet rooms, hip cocktail bars and stand-out service.
The raison d’être of Hotel 41 is, first and foremost, to please the customer. Once there, indulgence is very much encouraged (and included in the cost of the room), from the glass of champagne on arrival and the 24-hour pantry stocked with snacks and ice cream, to scones in the afternoon and canapés in the early evening. All of the 30 rooms are spacious and come with incredibly comfortable Savoir beds. Turndown service is a major event – you will return to your room to find candles dotted around, a hot water bottle tucked under the covers and small gifts on your pillow. Buckingham Palace is six minutes' walk.
What sets the Goring apart from other hotels near Buckingham Palace is its lovely big garden which offers a unique sense of privacy in a very busy city area. Inside it's just as special. To mark its 100th anniversary, the hotel has revamped its interiors to feature hand-painted wallpaper of exotic animals in the front hall; a richly decorated bar and lounge in reds, yellows and gold; and The Dining Room is notable for its Swarovski ‘blossom’ chandeliers. In-room champagne has been replaced by complimentary cocktails and the de rigeur butler service for suites is provided by a ‘fleet of footmen’, Downton Abbey style.
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Tucked away on quiet St James’s Place, four minutes’ walk from Buckingham Palace, The Stafford is a hidden delight in its own mews. Open since 1912, the hotel has masterfully avoided that sense of faded grandeur that can befall grande dame hotels. Walk through the classic wood-panelled lobby and you’ll reach the Game Bird restaurant, which is the heart of the hotel. Carry on and you’ll see the American Bar with its low-lighting and memorabilia left by United States visitors since the 1930s. For plush digs, pick the suite-only Mews building. This is the type of place that becomes the in-the-know visitor’s base in London.
Quite simply one of London’s finest hotels. The architecture – all meticulous scrollwork and theatrical bas reliefs – is gulp-inducing. Interiors have the panache to match, from the peacock-print wallpaper to the large floral displays. All the apartments in this suites-only hotel are spacious, with affection for contrasting textures and nods to British design. The south-west coastal Indian cuisine at Michelin-starred Quilon is memorable, as are the afternoon teas at Kona which are more creative than the norm. There is also a spa on site. Buckingham Palace is six minutes on foot.
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A favourite of both the late Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales. The royal connection is still strong, and the hotel's emphasis on tradition is one of its biggest draws (the Union Jack still flies above the hotel’s courtyard entrance). All 90 rooms, suite and the penthouse are elegant, light and have subtle, muted tones which blend easily with the antique furniture. There’s a decent gym, steam room and treatment rooms plus Dukes bikes are available to hire and staff will prepare picnics to take to one of the London parks. The cocktail bar is as popular as ever and GBR – the Great British Restaurant – is now an all-day brasserie. Buckingham Palace is 10 minutes on foot.
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The lobby at St Ermin’s is immediately striking: it looks as though someone has gone mad with an icing gun, for J P Brigg’s 1899 plasterwork is now blinding white. After a £30 million refurbishment by its American owners, the rooms are attractive, the bar warmly convivial, and it all hums with life. This is where big is brilliant: there are many double-doubles with two small bathrooms instead of one large one – perfect for families. Bathrooms are spacious too. The chef at The Caxton Bar & Restaurant is particularly energetic, and the bar has a very jolly cocktail list. Buckingham Palace is 11 minutes on foot.
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A four-star railway hotel with Victorian roots and French Renaissance flair. Think an imperial staircase from heavily-veined marble, thickly gilded walls, and duck-green pilasters topped with moulds of roaring lions. Entry-level rooms feel boxy, Deluxe rooms less so, but Executive rooms, with their high Victorian ceilings, are formidable and spacious. The Chinese Grand Imperial Restaurant here does one of the best Peking Ducks outside of Chinatown, while the hotel bar Réunion, with its installation of hanging light bulbs, and velvet Sherlock chairs in electric blue, is as handsome (and great for people-watching). Buckingham Palace is 10 minutes on foot.
A b&b with very reasonable and affordable prices, attractive bedrooms and a warm family atmosphere. The attractive Georgian façade, with ornamental trees in tubs and overflowing window boxes, heralds a hotel that’s immediately relaxing and welcoming. It has a country, homely feel inside. The owners, Matt and Charlotte Goodsall, could not be more friendly or well disposed towards their guests, and single travellers are particularly well looked after. The rooms, although small, are attractive and comfortable, and there is a breakfast room, lounge and a garden. Buckingham Palace is 15 minutes on foot.
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A cracking little budget option royally located right next to Buckingham Palace (five minutes’ walk), making it an ideal sightseeing base. In the lobby, archive footage of the area’s royal history is played next to soft lounge chairs in the waiting area. This space adds a cosy feel, unusual for a chain hotel, and guests are offered a glass of wine or soft drink on arrival. Rooms are impressively compact: behind what appears to be a nondescript wardrobe is a well-equipped kitchenette, with microwave, fridge, Nespresso machine and sink with in-built Brita filter. No restaurant or breakfast available though.
Contributions by Emma Beaumont, Sophie Campbell, Fiona Duncan, Emma Featherstone, Lizzie Frainier, Simon Horsford and Sherelle Jacobs
