The hotel that “outshines them all”

Swish through the revolving doors into the “London legend” that is Claridge’s, and something “magical” happens, says Laura Fowler in Condé Nast Traveller. Everything “becomes more fabulous than it really is”. London is bursting with high-end hotels, but this “art deco gem” in Mayfair “outshines them all”. Its elegance is more understated, its gilded and curlicued edges are more refined. “This must be how Americans imagine England to be.” Amid the “tinkle of silver spoons” on fine china, “life’s most blessed” glide through the foyer, “convivial and graceful” in their exquisite tailoring. In the restaurant, “wild British ingredients” become “works of art”. The hotel’s only “dark side” is The Fumoir, a dimly lit, leather-and-velvet drinking den “where bad girls go for cocktails”.

Claridge’s has always attracted the top tier. When “theatre king” Richard D’oyly Carte bought the hotel in 1893, he brought with him “the life and soul of the West End”. In the 20th century, “everyone came”, from Joan Crawford to Jackie Onassis and Cary Grant. Today, there is still a feeling of the Roaring Twenties in its public spaces, but it’s no pastiche, and Claridge’s never seems out of date. If you’re going to stay there, think big: the Terrace Suite is “thrillingly huge”, with marble bathrooms and a “wall of French doors across the chimchim-cheree rooftops of Mayfair”. The extra touches include “his’n’hers Burberry trench coats” and personalised pillowcases. Doubles from £690 per night; suites from £1,500 per night. 020-7629 8860, www.claridges.co.uk.