The Connaught, London

In short… The most quietly clubby and genuinely welcoming of Mayfair’s legendary hotels, with not one but three great bars .

The surroundings… The Connaught sits on a quiet and polished corner of Mount Street—an idyllic neighborhood with excellent restaurants, shopping, and galleries, as well as the Mount Street Gardens, a public park just a half-block away, all in the heart of Mayfair. It’s very central, and I particularly love that Hyde Park is just a 10 minute walk away.

The vibe… The interiors are clubby and warm, with an intimate lobby, carved wooden central staircase and quiet, carpeted hallways lined with oil paintings—more grand English house than hotel. An extension of that members’ club feeling is a staff that are so warm and present that they remember your name, your orders and preferences, and it never feels fake or phony. And three distinct bars that are genuinely sociable, each attracting their share of locals.

The rooms… Room 211 was lovely–a light-filled living room and separate bedroom with super comfortable beds and possibly the best pillows I’ve ever slept on. The bathroom featured a window that received beautiful light, a Japanese toilet (if that’s your thing), and excellent water pressure, which the English excel at!

The food & drink… I’ve only ever eaten breakfast here, because whenever I’m in London we end up having to go out for every meal. However, I can report that they do make the most perfect poached eggs, and the Jean Georges restaurant on the corner with its big, light-filled windows is an ideal place for a breakfast meeting. This particular weekend we had martinis from the Connaught Bar, a first, which they make tableside from their martini trolley. Previously, we’d spent some time at the Red Room enjoying ourselves a bit too much—but it went down as one of my favorite afternoons in the city. And Matt loves their Coburg Bar, which is bigger than the other two, so it seems less busy and serves a great Negroni.

The gym/spa/wellness… The Aman Spa (yes it’s the only hotel that isn’t an Aman that has an Aman spa) has a lovely pool and a hammam, and I particularly liked the medjool dates that they put out as a snack. (I wish more hotels offered dates and almonds rather than packaged protein bars!) While I didn’t have time for any treatments, I’ve been lucky to have experienced several Aman spa treatments at other properties, and they are just as excellent as you’d expect.

Be sure to… Write your friends and family on the sweet, illustrated postcards they leave in the room. All you have to do is bring them downstairs and the concierge takes care of postage and mailing. And if you’re not too knackered after those martinis, they have an excellent movie selection, curated by the British Film Institute, and organized by the decade—from the ‘30s to the ‘80s.