Hotels in Mayfair

Hotels in Mayfair London are exclusive and expensive.  This is one of the most upmarket areas of the city and the quality of the hotels reflects that, especially the hotels on Park Lane.

There are several serious hotels in this area which are known globally.  Perhaps the best known is the Dorchester Hotel London which has a commanding position mid way down Park Lane overlooking Hyde Park. The Dorchester Hotel is the epitome of London 5 star establishments with Celebrities, Head's of State and Dignitaries from every corner of the globe returning to the hotel year after year. 

An interesting alternative is the swish full service apartment residence at 47 Park Street, again this is 5 star deluxe and affords a little more privacy and intimacy than a hotel.

There are also a few hotels near the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square London.  The Millennium Mayfair Hotel is the closest to the Embassy.

An essential mention is the Grosvenor House Hotel London.  This Park Lane deluxe hotel has 494 imposing guest rooms which are richly furnished. Guest comfort is of the utmost importance with luxurious bed linen and large marble bathrooms.

If your budget does not stretch to the super deluxe hotels then the Park Lane Mews Hotel may be the answer.  Not as exclusive as the previously mentioned super hotels, the Park Lane Mews offers the same location but at sensible prices.

Mayfair Area Guide

The most expensive property on the Monopoly board and containing some of the most expensive property within these shores, Mayfair is as exclusive as it gets.

 Draw a square between Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch and Oxford Circus and that’s Mayfair – covering Piccadilly, Regent Street, the trendy end of Oxford Street and Park Lane, you’ve got one of the world’s best square half-miles of designer shopping and some of central London’s major landmarks.

Famously frantic Piccadilly Circus and the street of Piccadilly itself contains The Ritz Hotel (150 Piccadilly) for posh afternoon teas or top end accommodation. Fortnum and Mason department store (181 Piccadilly, 020 7734 8040, www.fortnumandmason.com) for uniformed footmen and gastronomic treats, the largest bookstore in Europe – eight floors of Waterstones (203-205 Piccadilly, www.waterstones.com) with its very own cocktail lounge. 

Then there is Christopher Wren’s St James Church (www.st-james-piccadilly.org) with a regular programme of excellent, atmospheric classical concerts and recitals.

Worth mentioning you can stay in this part of Town and on occasions bag a real bargain at the Park Lane Mews Hotel not in the big league of the Park Lane Hotels but in an excellent location and offers some excellent rates from time to time.  Also for a terribly British Hotel, The Leonard is worthy of a mention too.

Sharp-dressed men cannot miss a stroll along Savile Row (www.savilerowbespoke.com), whose ‘Golden Mile’ includes some of Londons most historically famous suit-makers – they literally invented the term ‘bespoke’ here. Members of the Royal family have been having suits made on this renowned street for hundreds of years.

Fashionistas should not miss a trip to Selfridges Department Store (400 Oxford Street, 0800 123 400, www.selfridges.com), a monument of a designer store with boutique after boutique, floor after floor of cutting-edge designer names and various oyster, champagne and sushi bars for luxurious refuelling.

Oxford Street is London’s main shopping thoroughfare, with the Bond Street area home to dozens of top designer names and many sartorial bargains to be had elsewhere in the flagship Top Shop, H&M, Primark and Zara stores as well as entertainment names, including a towering branch of HMV (150 Oxford Street, 020 7631 3423, www.hmv.com). And of course for children, there’s Hamleys (188-196 Regent Street, 0800 280 2444, www.hamleys.com) – a magical six-story toy-shop. A place of wonderment for children and adults of all ages.

If retail pleasures wear thin, head to the Royal Academy of Arts (Burlington House, Piccadilly, 020 7300 8000, www.royalacademy.org.uk), a world-famous painting school and gallery for the best in British and international art.

If all the above is just too heavy going then simply explore the many, many vibrant bars, restaurants and cafes in this district of which there are simply hundreds to choose from.

There are underground stations all over Mayfair, including Oxford Circus (Central, Victoria & Bakerloo Lines), Bond Street (Central & Jubilee Lines), Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly & Bakerloo Lines) and Green Park (Piccadilly, Victoria and Jubilee Lines).