A bubbly base in the heart of London
Eclectic Elegance
Knightsbridge, London
£380 a night for 4
YOU can get a decent hotel in London for £350 a night, but when all is said and done, what you have is just a room – albeit a very nice one.
How much would you have to pay, say, for a two-room apartment that is handsomely furnished and gorgeously decorated?
Well, Eclectic Elegance – a two-bedroom and two-bathroom basement apartment just a stone’s-throw from Harrods – ticks all the boxes.
You are invited to have confidence in the quality of the apartment because it is included in The Plum Guide, which says it has searched high and low to find the ideal home for your city break, hand-selecting and testing the top one per cent of properties from the top 25 booking sites.
‘We accept just one in 100 homes and share detailed, balanced reviews so you can find your perfect city stay,’ it says.
We were welcomed by our host Vlad, who had a basket of provisions waiting in the kitchen, including a bottle of champagne.
The flat was exquisitely decorated with original artworks. Particularly striking was the kitchen, housed in an old cellar, which looked like a set from the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The property comes with a guidebook which recommends local sights, shops and bars.
Actually, you don’t really have to look hard for things to do: across the road stands the Victoria and Albert Museum, and close by is the Natural History Museum. And while there are plenty of good restaurants on your doorstep, you may prefer to make your own meals. You are living in the ‘downstairs’ part of a handsome London townhouse but as you sip your free champagne, you can enjoy living like an upstairs lord… The place: Knightsbridge? It doesn’t get more upmarket. The accommodation: Stylish and beautifully maintained: I particularly liked the big-screen TV on a 1960s stand. The food: Feed yourself. With Harrods Food Hall on your doorstep and Harvey Nichols just up the road, you can enjoy life high on the hog…