Flemings Mayfair

A quietly formidable Mayfair institution located in a posh street with a history of "nobility, surgeons, physicians, legal professionals...and rogues", this 129-room/suite hotel takes its name from Robert Fleming, who in 1851 transformed the then 120-year-old buiding into a house of lodgings, now spread across 13 interconnecting Georgian townhouses. Following a radical refurbishment in 2015 and 2016, decor is rather warm and sumptuous, characterised by varying shades of hip, trendy, funky, classic and elegant, while basically in a category of its own. Ten individually appointed apartments also figure here, as do a gym and the in-house restaurant the Drawing Room, where afternoon tea is served. A restaurant by Michelin-starred Shaun Rankin is due summer 2016. The Flemings location is terrfic, but the prices are miles away from budget, though they do offer a "tiny single" for those who might prefer to be out and about (on the prowl perhaps). Tube station: Green Park.