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Best bets for a place to stay in London

Best bets for a place to stay in London:  Frommer's picks for accomodations for every style and budget
/ Source: Frommers.com

Best in the East End: The first luxury hotel to be built in Holborn, Renaissance London Chancery Court, 252 High Holborn, WC1 (tel. 020/7829-9888), has become an instant hit. A 1914 landmark building has been stunningly transformed into this citadel of luxury and plush comfort.

Best for a Romantic Getaway: The hip couple of today checks into the Covent Garden Hotel, 10 Monmouth St., WC2 (tel. 020/7806-1000), which has been hailed as 1 of the 25 hottest places to stay in the world. The former hospital is now the epitome of chic and comfort, with rooms that are so elegant and stylish that romance is inevitable.

Best Historic Hotel: Founded by the former manservant to Lord Byron, the stylish Brown's Hotel, 30 Albemarle St., W1 (tel. 020/7493-6020), dates back to Victorian times. It's one of London's most genteel hotels, with its legendary afternoon tea and paneled bar.

Best for Business Travelers: Wheelers and dealers head to The Langham Hilton, 1C Portland Place, W1 (tel. 020/7636-1000), Hilton's flagship hotel in Europe, which boasts sleek styling and grand public rooms. At times, it seems that all the world's business is conducted from this nerve center.

Best Trendy Hotel: St. Martins Lane, 45 St. Martin's Lane (tel. 020/7300-5500), is almost without challenge in this category. Ian Schrager has brought New York cutting-edge style to a 1960s building in Covent Garden. It's his first hotel outside the U.S., and it's eccentric, irreverent, and whimsical. Would Madonna go anywhere else?

Best for Thoroughly British Ambience: In a gas-lit courtyard in back of St. James's Palace, Dukes Hotel, 35 St. James's Place, SW1 (tel. 020/7491-4840), has an unsurpassed dignity. From the bread-and-butter pudding served in the clubby dining room to the impeccable service, at Dukes there will always be an England.

Best Modern Design: The Hempel, 31-35 Craven Hill Garden Sq., W2 (tel. 020/7298-9000), might be housed in a trio of 1800s row houses, but the renovations by designer Anouska Hempel are purely modern. A grand Italian sense of proportion is balanced with Asian simplicity, and soothing monochromatic tones prevail.

Best Service: 22 Jermyn Street, 22 Jermyn St., SW1 (tel. 020/7734-2353), does more for its guests than any other hotel in London. The owner has outfitted a room on the sixth floor with a superbly equipped computer center, which guests are free to use. He also informs you of the hottest and newest restaurants, along with old favorites, the best shopping, and even what's hot in theater. The staff won't deny any reasonable request -- they even grant some unreasonable ones.

Best Location: Creaky, quirky, The Fielding Hotel, 4 Broad Court, Bow Street, WC2 (tel. 020/7836-8305), is hardly London's finest hotel, but oh, the location! It's in an alleyway in the center of Covent Garden, in the heart of the excitement of London, almost opposite the Royal Opera House, with pubs, shops, markets, restaurants, even street entertainment, right outside your door. Stay here, and London is at your fingertips.

Best Health Club & Pool: The Savoy, The Strand, WC2 (tel. 020/7836-4343), has a health club and large swimming pool atop the historic Savoy Theatre, overlooking the heart of London. It's the best gym in central London; the views make it extra special. There's a massage room, plus state-of-the-art health and beauty treatments.

Best Boutique Hotel: The Beaufort, 33 Beaufort Gardens, SW3 (tel. 020/7584-5252), is a gem that's sure to charm. Personal service and tranquility combine for a winning choice, a private but not snobbish place 200 yards from the famed Harrods Department Store. Even longtime patrons of Claridge's and The Dorchester have deserted those bastions of luxury to check into The Beaufort.

Best Inexpensive Hotel: In this price category, it's hard to be chic, but The Pavilion, 34-36 Sussex Gardens, W2 (tel. 020/7262-0905), manages to do it. Known for its bedrooms' wacky themes, this theatrical and slightly outrageous hotel attracts models and music-industry folks. Rooms range in decor from "Oriental Bordello" to "Honky-Tonk Afro."

Best for Families Who Don't Want to Break the Bank: The Colonnade Town House, 2 Warrington Crescent, W9 (tel. 020/7286-1052), stands in the canal-laced Little Venice section. This family-friendly hotel lets children under 12 stay free in their parent's room. The staff can also arrange babysitting. This residential area of London is safe at night, with tree-lined avenues leading down to a canal. It's got a real neighborhood feel to it.

Best B&B: For 2 years (2001 and 2004), Aster House, 3 Sumner Place, SW7 (tel. 020/7581-5888), has won the London Tourism Award for the city's best B&B. A friendly, inviting, welcoming place, it's safely tucked away on a tree-lined street in the heart of South Kensington.

Best for Value: In historic Bloomsbury, site of the British Museum, The Jenkins Hotel, 45 Cartwright Gardens, WC1 (tel. 020/7387-2067), has been hailed by London's Mail on Sunday as one of the city's "10 best hotel values" -- and we heartily concur. This homey, Georgian-style hotel is straight out of an Agatha Christie TV show (indeed, it was featured on Poirot).

For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed accommodations, visit our .

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