9 Best Hotels in London, England

Wonderful modern art lines the walls of this former Victorian pub a mile east of the Tower of London, which has been beautifully restored and converted into a modern bed-and-breakfast. It's all the work of Julian Cole, the gregarious and charming owner, who spent decades making arts documentaries for the BBC. Guests can use the sitting room, which doubles as the breakfast room in the morning. There's also a roof terrace, overlooking a striking historic mural that covers one side of a nearby building. Titled The Battle of Cable Street, it commemorates a clash between local Jewish protestors and British Fascists that took place here on October 4, 1936.

The name of this unpretentious, family-run B&B means "the mistake" in Italian, and it also provides the punchline to the unlikely tale of how the original owners (the parents of the current proprietor) met in the 1950s. Standard rooms in this converted mid-Victorian terraced cottage are tiny but clean. Amenities are few, but all rooms have free Wi-Fi and some have four-poster beds (the honeymoon suite even has its own Jacuzzi). There's a summer patio in the enclosed courtyard and the complimentary breakfast gets high marks. The excellent prices mean it books up quickly, and there's a two- to seven-night minimum in high season.

This wonderfully welcoming boutique hotel is a little gem. Each of the four guest suites is spacious, elegant, and uncluttered, with crisp white linens, polished original wooden floors, and tasteful furniture. There's a pretty little terrace where you can sit with a glass of wine or the morning paper. Guests enjoy special rates at a local gym, swimming pool, and spa, and can also call upon the services of a chauffeur who can take guests to the airport for less than the cost of a train or taxi. Breakfast is available upon request and is supplied by nearby chic café/deli, Daylesford.

Those keen to explore Greenwich at a more leisurely pace than a day trip from central London permits should seek out these unexpectedly elegant rooms above a pub, a quick walk from the Old Royal Naval College in one direction and the National Maritime Museum in the other. The seven individually furnished rooms are all extremely cozy thanks to abundant plush furnishings and higgledy-piggledy windows that look out over the rooftops—and masts, in the case of the Cutty Sark—of Greenwich. Bathrooms are modern and scrupulously clean. There's no breakfast served at the pub so fill your mini-refrigerator with supplies from the small grocery store around the corner or pop out to one of several convenient cafés nearby.

At this contemporary guesthouse near Victoria Station, minimalist decor, Scandinavian Modern furniture, and a lounge where a fire crackles away in the winter are all geared to homey comforts. Two rooms have a connecting door, effectively making a family suite. There are also nine self-contained studios and serviced apartments, including compact kitchens, for around £250–£330 per night.

This friendly family-run bed-and-breakfast is a great value given the location: it's only a short walk from the British Museum, Soho, and Covent Garden. Guest rooms won't win any design awards, but they're comfortable and clean. Breakfasts are tasty and filling, even if there's not much choice past the traditional full English breakfast. There's a small guest lounge and a pretty little garden out back—a nice touch for a B&B right in the center of town.

Perfectly located just steps from the tranquility of Hyde Park to the south and the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street to the east, this sweet guesthouse oozes warmth, homeliness, and good value. With helpful hosts and simple but tastefully decorated rooms, it's the perfect little oasis in the middle of the hectic city. One grisly piece of historical trivia: it's situated near the site of the "Tyburn Tree," an enormous gallows used to execute prisoners from the Middle Ages until 1783 (and frequently referenced by Shakespeare)—a memorial on the street marks the spot. Tyburn is further immortalized in the small convent behind the hotel, which has a shrine dedicated to the hundreds of Catholics who were martyred there. The sisters conduct tours of the shrine.

Mere blocks from the British Museum and London's West End theaters, this handsomely fronted guesthouse has clean, neat, and plainly decorated rooms at bargain rates. The public areas are simple but welcoming, and residents have access to a quiet, secluded garden out back. Breakfasts are filling although choices are limited. An interesting historical note: No. 67 was once the home of Elizabeth Stride, who later moved to the East End and fell victim to Jack the Ripper.

This is a classic example of what the British mean when they refer to an "inn"—a pub with bedrooms, albeit one of better-than-average quality for London. Guest rooms are air-conditioned and temperature-controlled, with decent-size beds and antique-style furnishings along with coffee-making facilities, fresh milk, and bottled water. The pub is open from 7 am, almost unheard of in central London, and offers a huge breakfast menu, which is free for hotel guests. It specializes in hearty British fare for lunch and dinner—think slow-braised beef and ale pie with roasted heritage carrots, beetroot, shallots, and red wine gravy. With a range of ales and a decent wine list, it draws the nearby Parliamentary and office crowds from 4 pm until late.