Amid London’s ‘race for space’, with scores of new high-rise behemoths planned across the city, it's a relief to step back in time, through the porch into the panelled lobby of this cosseting hotel, owned by the Miller family since 1921. Occupying a terrace of brick and stucco Georgian townhouses, it is ‘a haven of quiet and consideration, with its charming, extensive little public rooms blessedly free of change’, writes a trusted reader who knows it well. Check in with the ‘charming, multi-lingual reception team’ before being shown to your room. ‘Do not go expecting the last thing in room design or fabrics, but it will be comfortable and superbly cleaned’, with a Savoir bed, classic furnishings, a bath or shower room and L’Occitane toiletries. Local restaurants abound, or you can dine in on weekdays, choosing, say, a ribeye steak with tarragon butter, chicken and leek pie or risotto. It’s the perfect place for a civilised afternoon tea by the fire after browsing Marylebone's boutiques or a visit to the Wallace Collection opposite, while ‘the extensive and freshly cooked breakfast menu is an example to all’. (Keith Salway)