Our Best Alternatives to Boutique Hotels in London

Few types of accommodation are as charming in their decor, as bold in their design or as confident in their vision as the boutique hotel. With only a limited number of rooms to worry about, more time and resources can be spent on perfecting a mood. Plum Guide's alternatives to boutique hotels in London have all of that too, as well as the icing on the cake. What's that, you ask? The fact that they've all been personally vetted by our meticulous home critics to ensure you'll always get the high standards you deserve.

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So, without further ado, let's look at the top boutique hotels in London and their perfect Plum Guide alternatives.

There’s only one adjective that can sufficiently describe the Artist Residence in Pimlico, and that’s cool. (The James-Dean-smoking-a-cigarette kind of cool.) This small hotel has a decidedly artistic look because it was designed by artists. And not just any artists, but the authentic, starving variety. The story goes that, in exchange for room and board, hundreds of local, contemporary artists who wanted to stay at this high-end hotel contributed their work to the walls, floors and ceilings of the 10 bedrooms. It’s a feast for the eyes, but if you’re looking for real food and drink, the creative vibes continue at the accompanying Cambridge Street Kitchen and basement-level Clarendon Cocktail Cellar.

The Shoreditch Treehouse is one of our best alternatives to boutiques hotels in London. At first glance, the design might feel too mismatched to be enjoyably eclectic, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see that all the details are purposeful and thought out. From the desk with a view of bustling Shoreditch, to the projector screen for movie nights, this space also regularly plays host to cool events in the city. Oh, and in case we forgot to mention, there's also a concert sized grand piano for the musicians among us. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more unique space in Central London.

The only thing more Soho than this boutique hotel, with its 15 restored Georgian-style rooms, is the Kettner’s salacious past. Founded in 1867 by the chef to Napoleon lll, the Kettner Restaurant proved a hotspot for high society shenanigans. Notable clients included Sir Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, Bing Crosby, and a rumoured rendezvous between King Edward VII and his mistress, the actress Lillie Langtry. The art and design continue the French nostalgia with original Grade II listed details, including floral plasterwork, mirrored walls, and rosewood furniture.

If you're looking for something quintessentially British, then The Flamingo has all of the comfort (and much less of the bawdy details). It’s set in perennial tourist hot-spot, Notting Hill, and is ringed by neighbourhood restaurants and pubs. Portobello Road’s legendary antiques market is a short walk away, and an Underground station which can have you in Soho in ten minutes. Each room of this high-end homestay strikes the perfect balance between cozy and chic, so no matter where you decide to lounge, you’ll always be sitting pretty in pink.

One of the latest hotels on the London scene is The Mandrake in Fitzrovia. The West End space immediately transports you away from the brash London streets and into a secluded oasis. Within each of the 30 bedrooms are deep and rich interiors with appropriate artworks to enhance the fantasy. The real treasure of this boutique hotel however, lies in its hidden courtyard. The Mandrake plant is known to possess medicinal properties, and with a lovely splash of green in Fitzrovia, the hotel version is on track to healing guests with its calm and serene spaces.

The courtyard at The Mandrake is open to all guests, but at Garden Apartment in Chelsea, you get a lovely terrace filled with perfectly manicured plants all to yourself. It’s a treat not easily found in cramped London, so you’ll feel like you’re somewhere else entirely. It's ideal, whether you want to make the most of our increasingly warm summer weather by dining al fresco, or just enjoy a cup of coffee and your breakfast before hitting the town. Open up the doors and enjoy a bottle of wine as the lines between indoor and outdoor space starts to blur.

There is nothing understated about this high-end Clerkenwell hotel, The Rookery, and that’s exactly the point. Describing itself as period charm, you might find it a little more period drama. From open fires and antique furniture to four-poster beds and clawfoot tubs, every detail is unabashedly over the top. The Rookery is close to many longstanding institutions including St Paul’s Cathedral and the Old Bailey.

Even the Rookery might say the Taj Cinema is too much. But is there really such a thing? This home would gasp and exclaim, 'Absolutely not! How dare you even conjure the idea!' and then presumably faint on a chaise. The pastiche of styles and textures and colours shouldn’t work in theory, but in execution they work incredibly well. As one of our most unique vacation homes in London, it's certainly not one for the faint-hearted.

So there we have it – our guide to the best alternatives to boutique hotels in London. Want to carry on exploring by taking a look at our collection of houseboats in London, or perhaps you want to find out what is a serviced apartment with us? Our home critics meticulously vet every award winning home on our site – inspecting everything from water pressure to WiFi speed – meaning you'll only ever be choosing from the top 3% of vacation homes. We're serious about standards, and we know you are too.