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The Berkeley

COST: $$$$

<p>Discreet yet stylish, this hotel is the centerpiece of so many must-dos it's easy to forget about the elegant rooms. Downstairs is Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Café, while Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and Hyde Park are neighbors. By day, the fashionista crowd arrives for the signature Prêt à Porte afternoon tea in the Caramel Room: nibble Liz Hurley-designed bikini biscuits and cakes inspired by the latest catwalk collections (Missoni striped madeleines with banana and vanilla bavaroise; or Zac Posen dark purple macaroons with chocolate and passion fruit ganache) served on Paul Smith bone china. After dark, the David Collins-designed Blue Bar attracts a trendy crowd with its Balearic Islands soundtrack. Don't miss the top-floor swimming pool (one of only two in London); it perches above Hyde Park with a roof that slides open in good weather. Still, don't neglect an overnight stay: rooms combine marble baths with traditional French wallpaper and the occasional four-poster bed.</p> <p><strong>Insider Tip: </strong>For a pretty pound, a hotel chauffeur will collect you at the airport in an E class Mercedes ($190 each way).</p> <p><strong>Room to Book</strong>: Request one with a park view. </p>

AS FEATURED IN...

From Travel + Leisure , JUN 2008

...ginger cookies in the shape of covetable designs (a Jimmy Choo boot; an Yves Saint Laurent jacket)...MORE>>

– Jennifer Welbel Best Hotel Amenities

From Travel + Leisure , OCT 2005

the ultimate in pampering, with ...in-room manicures, Cosmopolitans, Bliss products, and a hamper full of late-night snacks...MORE>>

– T+L 2005 Women's Travel Special

From Travel + Leisure , DEC 2004

Behind the discreet exterior, it turns out, lies my new favorite London hotel. I'm crazy about the Berkeley because it's an old-school hotel that gives the genre a kick in the pants by also being blisteringly hip (yes, that was Madonna basking in the inky violet glamour David Collins confected for the Blue Bar). The miracle is that the hotel pulls off this yin-yang act with no signs of schizophrenia, proving you can have it both ways. Factor in 49...MORE>>

– Christopher Petkanas The New Old Guard

Last updated June 2008