COMO The Halkin Hotel

COMO The Halkin Hotel

On a quiet Georgian street in Belgravia, five floors and just 41 rooms sit behind arched windows and brick facades that give away nothing of what's inside. COMO The Halkin was built as a townhouse and still behaves like one: guests get complimentary access to Belgrave Gardens and its private tennis courts, rackets and balls included, a privilege almost no hotel this size in London can match. Rooms come with a yoga mat and meditation videos on the in-room TV, plus Egyptian cotton linen and an E-TV loaded with over sixty channels and internet radio, details aimed at people who notice such things. Downstairs, the Halkin Bar runs from afternoon tea through tapas to evening cocktails, and the all-day menu leans on the lighter COMO Shambhala Kitchen alongside proper comfort food when that's what's called for. There's a spa and massage room on site, plus complimentary access to the COMO Shambhala wellness facilities and fitness centre, useful for guests who'd rather keep training than take the week off. It's a three-minute walk to Hyde Park tube and close enough to Mayfair and Knightsbridge to skip the taxi most days. This suits travellers who want London's centre without its noise, who'd rather book a tennis court than queue for a rooftop bar. It won't suit anyone chasing scale, big lobbies, multiple restaurants, a pool. With only 41 rooms across five floors, COMO The Halkin stays what it was built to be: a private address that happens to take bookings. A 41-room Belgravia townhouse with complimentary access to Belgrave Gardens and its private tennis courts, something few hotels its size in London can offer. Expect Egyptian cotton linen, a yoga mat with meditation videos in every room, and a Halkin Bar that moves from afternoon tea to evening cocktails.