Tried and tested, these are the most romantic hotels in London for special occasions

London is a city with romance beating through its streets. It’s hard not to feel enchanted when wandering along the cobbled pavements of old London Bridge, browsing boutiques in Notting Hill, or wining and dining in the glitzy West End. The hotels too, provide the base for a romantic getaway. These sumptuous stays have just the spa treatments, deep soaking bathtubs, champagne bars, and glorious views to make any occasion that extra bit more special. Whether checking in with the spouse on your anniversary, romancing a new squeeze, or hanging with the bestie on Galentine’s Day, you’ll fall head over heels in love with the best romantic hotels in London.

The best romantic hotels in London, England

1. Flemings Mayfair

Flemings is an exquisite boutique experience through and through. This is one of the oldest family-owned hotels in the city, dating back to 1851 when it was converted from 13 Georgian townhouses. From concierge to turn down service to the recently Michelin-anointed Ormer Mayfair by Sofian, every interaction is flawless. The guest’s focus is simple: savour and savour some more.

All 129 rooms and suites are a chic blend of modern Art Deco style touched with Georgian elegance. Each is a plush Mayfair boudoir that exudes romance. Bespoke furniture in silver-stained fiddle-back sycamore, wireless and modern connectivity throughout, soothing grey slate bathrooms heated by marble mosaic floors, and The White Company essentials, are just some of the elements of the overnight experience. Studio suites and apartments have gin ‘honesty’ bars with premium gins, fine tonics, and bitters. Though, if you prefer a professional to do the mixing, swanky Manetta’s Bar is a top choice pre- or post-extravaganza at Ormer or afternoon tea in The Drawing Room. 

Find out more about Flemings Mayfair

2. The Londoner

Leicester Square, previously just a destination for film premieres, today the stars are staying beyond the promotional trail thanks to The Londoner. This super boutique hotel towers with 16 storeys of regal navy facade. 350 rooms, six concept eateries and bars, a member’s club-style private area, cinemas, and an expansive wellness retreat are for guest pleasure. Rooms are stylised in modern neutral tones with British touches. Enjoy twinkling views via an inviting chaise and a cup of East India Company tea, or roll the blinds up in the comfort of your handcrafted Vispring king bed.  Original pieces by Edd Pearman and The Connor Brothers add character.

Couples: snag a table at Whitcomb’s, a sexy Mediterranean escape to feast with a glass of Gusbourne. It particularly swoons pre-theatre. Or treat yourselves with a spa treatment at The Retreat (or at least a dip in the 25-metre pool). 

Find out more about The Londoner 

3. The Lanesborough London

Art museum or hotel? The Lanesborough London is a welcome trick. This is the former home of Viscount Lanesborough given an Oetker Collection makeover. Breeze through hallways draped in fine art and lined with sculpture, right up to your boudoir which itself is an extension of the regal social spaces.

Each room is outfitted with neo-classical touches, embroidery, and chandeliers for a fairytale stay. Smart TVs are cleverly concealed behind a framed painting to turn the room back in time once digital devices have done their job, and heated marble bathrooms remind you to give thanks to modern genius. 

The Lanesborough Grill is the revamped home of Exec Chef Shay Cooper’s exquisite British gastronomy. Don’t miss the Beef Wellington, and if you’ve space, spill lunch into afternoon tea. A huge wellness centre, located basement level, provides a sumptuous (and heavily awarded) retreat for 360-degree R&R. A partnership with GROUND Wellbeing incorporates a range of techniques and vegan products to the classics, inducing both inner and outer calm.

Find out more about The Lanesborough London

4. London Marriott Hotel County Hall

Window watching together doesn’t get any better when you book a Thames-side room at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall, situated right in front of city heavyweights, the London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Bridge. The Grade-II listed building itself is part of the postcard, opened in 1922 by King George V and Queen Mary as the HQ of local government. Guests today slumber in a contemporary space that provokes city thought—not just window side but across the London-mapped walls. Marble bathrooms with Molton Brown products, signature robes and slippers, and The Tea Makers of London brews accompany.

In terms of amenities, there’s a 25-metre indoor pool on the fifth floor, a small but well-equipped ground-floor gym, and a selection of eateries. Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar has over 100 gins and locally sourced steaks (and it’s also where breakfast is served). Afternoon tea is held in The Library. Both eateries face the Thames and all its landmarks. Finally, the lobby area is a London-themed lovers’ dream. You’ll see.

Find out more about London Marriott County Hall

5. Pan Pacific London

For swooning in the style of a Crazy Rich Asians rom-com, check your love into Pan Pacific London, a gleaming tower in the heart of FiDi Square Mile. Opened in 2021, this is the Singaporean luxury brand’s first foray into Europe, sprinkling Asian hospitality and attention to detail, design, and of course gastronomy, on the traveler’s British plate.  There are 237 guestrooms, including 42 suites and a signature Pan Pacific Suite, each basking in natural light and inspiring city views via floor-to-ceiling windows, which guests comfortably enjoy in the company of robes, Diptyque pamper products, and fine Chinese teas.

All-Day dining restaurant, Straits Kitchen, celebrates the flavours from the Straits of Malacca—the soft shell crab brings out the theatrics. Meanwhile, The Orchid Lounge serves afternoon tea, and there’s a Ginger Lily Bar with an outside terrace. A dedicated wellness floor on level four is a tranquil escape for two—with an 18.5-metre infinity pool, treatment rooms, relaxation pods, studios, saunas, and steam rooms at your service. 

Find out more about Pan Pacific London

6. Nobu Hotel London Portman Square 

Marylebone’s quaint streets and independent boutiques ooze quintessential British charm, and Nobu Hotel London Portman Square is its base for romance. 249 guest rooms and suites are touched with contemporary Japanese elegance that meets English garden joy, think light-filled oaks and white linens, traditional ceramics and calligraphy art, and pops of plant life in your urban oasis. Grown Alchemist products are the bathroom soothe, and you turn these taps on at the touch of a button.

The service is impeccable, and a knowledgeable concierge can suggest or create any desired itinerary. Do factor a full evening in for dinner at Nobu Restaurant, where the Miso Black Cod is a must. Then cap things off at the izakaya-style Nobu Bar with a passport of inventions, like the sensation Norenwake, a Pisco Sour elevated. The hotel is also home to the world’s first Nobu Pilates Reformer studio, a space to discover effective sculpting classes and then restore and re-balance with a slew of treatment options.

Read our full review of Nobu Hotel Warsaw to find out more about the brand.

Find out more about Nobu Hotel London Portman Square

7. Georgian House Hotel

Georgian House Hotel is the kind of London boutique build you see in the movies; blending Victorian charm in a fashionable townhouse style, the Grade II-listed property is romance all corners. 63 rooms and apartments are uniquely decorated, including classy doubles that feature original 19th-century notes uplifted with a contemporary palette and modern functions like USB charging and Smart TVs. The White Company goodies make the bathroom extra inviting, and post-soak, fluffy robes, and slippers await. 

A breakfast selection comprising a la carte and buffet options is served every day in the Pimlico Pantry. Afternoon tea, themed to wizardry, is served on weekends, and guests can extend spellbinding endeavours with overnights in a lower-ground wizard chamber. A cinema is also available to get lost in movie magic

Find out more about Georgian House Hotel

8. Sanderson London

One of the West End’s original A-list hangouts, the Sanderson remains a timeless fantasy retreat housed within a landmark 1950s building. The 150 rooms have been newly renovated by Tim Andreas of Banjo, and free-standing tub potions are currently courtesy of MALIN+GOETZ for Ciel Spa. 

The Restaurant at Sanderson London is a fine choice for lunch, with seasonals spanning saffron risotto, wild bass, as well as grilled steaks and seafood, and it is also the venue of the city’s famed Mad Hatter’s tea parties. Just off the lobby don’t shy from The Long Bar. This 80 ft stretch has flirty winks and kisses all over, especially if you order their revered Sex ‘n’ the City cocktail. Sanderson’s now part of the Ennismore group meaning Dis-loyalty members can take advantage of perks.

Find out more about Sanderson London

9. Great Scotland Yard Hotel

A townhouse turned luxury hotel, Great Scotland Yard is hidden behind the bustle of Whitehall, and that means it’s conveniently located by London’s biggest landmarks from Big Ben to Trafalgar Square. Couples travelling with kids can opt for the two-bedroom residence; a separate wing with a private entrance and five stories so each member has ample space, particularly the parents. Ekstedt at The Yard is the flagship hotel restaurant, but we love afternoon tea in The Parlour. Look out for seasonal themes: camera rolls will need to tuck in first.

Read our review on Great Scotland Yard Hotel.

Find out more about Great Scotland Yard Hotel

10. Hotel Café Royal

For over 150 years, Café Royal has welcomed notable names in history, from Princess Diana to Winston Churchill, so it’s only right that the hotel it has become today should house guests with equally discerning taste. Despite the historic exterior running along Regent Street right up to the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus, inside you’ll discover a beautifully modern contrast. 

Sleek hallways infuse Far East Zen with European comfort, as key touchpads lead guests into contemporary rooms panelled in fumed English Oak, and there are Carrara marble bathrooms for the soaking. Dining options include Cakes & Bubbles by the ‘World’s Best Pastry Chef’, Albert Adrià, and the bucket list-worthy, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal; while the underground spa is a sanctuary in the heart of the city.

Find out more about Hotel Café Royal

11. Shangri-La The Shard, London

Occupying 18 floors of the tallest building in the capital, every room at the Shangri-La radiates with observatory-level views no matter what tier you fall upon. Select rooms and suites even feature window-adjacent bathtubs for the sexiest of soaks. Think postcard views of St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge as you lather in L’Occitane bubbles, or sip on the Laurent Perrier variety. 

52 stories high is another wet deck in the clouds: the infinity Sky Pool, officially the highest hotel pool in Western Europe. It sits alongside a Sky Sauna and expansive gym. When hunger pangs hit, the British-Asian restaurant, TING (level 35), and GONG bar (level 52), continue the feast for all the senses.

Find out more about Shangri-La The Shard, London

12. Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane

This Park Lane property is understated compared to Mayfair’s more famous and ostentatious builds, exactly as their tasteful clientele desire. No lines of tourists doing selfies at the entrance logo here: guests strut through the marble lobby, are navigated by knowledgeable concierge, or zoomed out by towncar Bentley, with uninterrupted class. 

The 196 refurbished rooms and suites offer classic amenities, including 55-inch Smart TV, Nespresso, and Floris London products. A neutral palette with mirrored accents soothes wake up, and likewise, the transfixing Hyde Park lights join turn down, unless Pavyllon from multi-Michelin awarded Yannick Alléno calls. Since it was recently anointed with its own star, it’s not only an on-site dining option for guests, but a destination for all of London (and beyond). Stop by for a tasting menu to sample his sauces of wonder, and stay a while for an Ikigai cocktail at Bar Antoine.  Pure romance.

Find out more about Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane

13. Sunborn London

For a unique East London couples experience, hop aboard Sunborn, the UK’s one and only super yacht hotel. It has a platter of maritime delights, like water views to an O2 Arena backlit by Canary Wharf, and plush wide cabins reminiscent of a boutique cruise. 

Lands End is the ship’s signature restaurant, allowing casual attire for comfort and therefore retaining cruise perks. After your Sunborn Fish ‘n’ Chips, mosey upstairs to the terrace and perch inside (or outside) the gin and champagne bar, a glorious way to soak distant sky traffic of DLR and cable car movement across the arena. Sunborn’s London’s low-key treasure, a quirky staycation for locals, and an alternative city escape for the repeat overseas visitor. 

This unique stay also features on our list of the world’s best boat hotels.

Find out more about Sunborn London

14. Hotel AMANO Covent Garden

A chance to charm lovers with an interest in design, date-night hangouts, and quality gastronomy. For those unfamiliar, AMANO is a Berlin-based hotelier, and this is their first British foray. 141 rooms have a lounge feel, with black and gold colour scheme and contemporary tech. Goldy Rooms come with freestanding golden bathtubs by the window.

AMANO Rooftop Bar is a Covent Garden gem, DJ soundtracked and showcasing London from an alternative vantage point, one off the beaten lift button. Try the signature The Rooftop cocktail, spiked with Grey Goose and Champagne. Penelope’s on the ground floor serves a duet of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, including a baklava cheesecake to change your life. It’s worth coming for that alone. 

Find out more about Hotel AMANO Covent Garden

15. The Hoxton Southwark

The Hoxton Southwark successfully marries millennial cool with business chic. All 192 rooms beam with Thames-side light and rustic industrial materials harmonised by velvet furnishings. There’s plenty of eye candy: Jealous Gallery-curated art and provoking literature pepper each room. They’re small, but you came for the social spaces, which are where it’s at. Head up to the hot seat, Seabird, Hox’s 14th-floor rooftop restaurant, for delicious Shard views and an extensive oyster list for the slurp.

But wait, there’s more…

• If you’re thinking of hitting the West End, consider the iconic The Savoy
• Spoil your love at one of our favourite restaurants in London
• Travelling with little ones? Here’s our pick of the best family hotels in London