In London, How Do You Find a Boutique Hotel?

London is known as one of the world’s oldest and sadly, the most expensive cities to stay in around the world.  Finding boutique hotels London requires good research and especially, looking at reviews from travelers just like you. If you can relate to what the commenters are saying on review sites like TripAdvisor, then the advice will probably be helpful.

What is the most important?  To many people it’s the location. They want to be very near the big London attractions. It’s a sprawling city and there are thousands of hotels.  Here is what one reviewer had to say about the Halkin, a boutique hotel located in the city centre.

What can I say. Our stay at the Halkin was absolutely wonderful. When we arried for check-in they offered me a bottle of chanpagne as i was celebrating my 40th; talk about class. The hotel is excellently located in posh Belgravia, close to Park Lane, Kensington, Buckingham Palace etc. we stayed in the smallest room they offer, which was absolutely roomy and spacious for 2 people with 2 large bags and 2 carry-ons. The bath is splendid and the water pressure in the shower was probably one of the best I have had in Europe. Bath amenities are great. We loved it so much that we have already booked again for next year. We loved the Halkin.

There is always a discussion about what constitutes a boutique hotel. Is it just that it’s small, that it doesn’t have a gigantic lobby, and maybe the owner is sometimes on the premises?   Some like the minimalist approach, that spartan treatment with just the essentials…like free wifi, snacks, flat screen TV and no bellman. Others seek out the period furniture, fluffy bedspreads full of pillows, and high-end shampoos and soaps to primp up the guests.

I am writing this post in a very elegant boutique hotel located across the ocean from London, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Here at the Blomidon Inn, which was once a rich shipbuilder’s private home, the touches are all top notch. From the herb gardens stretching out behind the main house, to the 10-room gift shop and wooden carved antique beds, this is the definition of a classy boutique hotel.