The Gore
Where? Part of London's Kensington Gardens; walk around the corner from the hotel and the 162 hectares of Hyde Park suddenly become your front yard.
It has a bit of history then? Built in 1892, it has always been a hotel, apart from a four-year stretch as the Turkish Embassy at the turn of last century. About 4,500 pictures cover the walls, giving a sense you are walking through history itself. There's even a Thomas Crapper original in one of the bathrooms.
Any famous guests? Legendary Australian warbler Dame Nellie Melba was often a visitor back in the 1920s -the hotel is a mere stone's throw from her beloved Royal Albert Hall. Her suite is dripping in the luxury she enjoyed.
Lovely, luvvy. What about the other rooms? Delightful. From the Tudor Rooms - all four-poster beds, wood panels and romance - to the singles, one of which has its own tiny balcony. The deep baths in the suites are ideal for soaking away the aches of a day's shopping or sightseeing.
What about things that go bump in the night? Well, maybe it was just the pipes . . . but you can calm your nerves at the bar, which boasts a staggering array of whisky and, on Friday nights, the cool set slip in to wind down with quiet cocktails after the working week.
