The best of Chelsea by the people who know - Cadogan

49 | HOTELS AND APARTMENTS |
The Cadogan
*****
‘A thump and a murmur of voices –
(“Oh why must they make such a
din?”)
As the door of the bedroom swung
open
And two plain-clothes policemen came
in:
“Mr Woilde we’ave come for tew take
yew
Where felons and criminals dwell.
We must ask yew tew leave with us
quoietly
For this is the Cadogan Hotel.”'
John Betjeman’s 1937 poem sums
up both the Cadogan’s prestigious
reputation and one of its most famous
moments – the arrest of Oscar Wilde
in 1895.
The writer, poet and notable wit was
staying in room 118 and, ignoring the
Afternoon
tea at The
Cadogan
pleas of his friends to flee, remained
drinking at the hotel until his arrest for
homosexual activities. He was sent to
Reading Gaol, the beginning of the end
for one of Victorian society’s most
colourful characters. He died in Paris,
destitute, in 1900, aged 46 (for more on
Oscar Wilde, see Tite Street in Streets
and Sights).
The hotel also includes what was once
the home of Lillie Langtry, actress and
lover of the future king of England,
Edward VII. She lived at 21 Pont Street
from 1892 to 1897 – even after she sold
the house and it was absorbed into the
hotel in 1895, she would stay in her old
bedroom. In fact, she was so attached
to the rooms that her ghost is said to
haunt her old living quarters. The
Cadogan’s restaurant, Great Taste at the
Cadogan, is in her former home (see
Restaurants).
These days the Cadogan is a calm,
luxurious place to stay close to Gucci,
Tiffany, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, and
its Edwardian grandeur is a reminder of
its past stories. It has private gardens,
tennis courts and a fitness studio.
75 Sloane Street, SW1X 9SG
T: 020 7235 7141
www.cadogan.com
Chelsea Cloisters
***
A three-star property with more than
200 studio, one-bed and two-bed
serviced apartments. Guests can book
for stays of one night up to many weeks.
Each apartment has its own kitchen and
en-suite bathroom.
Sloane Avenue, SW3 3DW
T: 020 7589 5100
www.chelseacloisters.co.uk
Draycott Hotel
*****
Named England’s Leading Boutique
Hotel in the 2010 World Travel Awards
and a runner-up for Europe’s Leading
Boutique Hotel in 2011, the Draycott
aims to be a luxurious home from home.
It has 35 large rooms and suites,
all individually decorated and filled with
antiques, and each is named after a
theatrical figure – such as Sheridan,
Coward and Grenfell. Every suite has a
fully fitted-out kitchen, and many have
working gas fireplaces. Modern touches
include air conditioning, satellite television,
CD systems and complimentary wi-fi.
The five-star townhouse hotel occupies
three red-brick Edwardian homes and
has its own garden square and a private
dining room. The 'English country retreat'
feel is summed up by the complimentary
drinks served every day at set times in
the Drawing Room – tea and biscuits at
4pm, champagne at 6pm and hot
chocolate from 10pm. If only all homes
could be like that.
26 Cadogan Gardens, SW3 2RP
T: 020 7730 6466
www.draycotthotel.com
Durley House
*****
Boutique hotel Durley House has 11
suites furnished in a classic period style,
all 45 sq m or more, some with kitchens.
It has the air of a private house, with
Lord Durley’s portrait looking on as
guests enter the hotel.
Reservations include complimentary
use of the Peak Health Club and Spa at
the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, a fiveminute
walk away, for one guest.
Durley House does not have a restaurant
but offers 24-hour room service with
dishes prepared by its own chef, delivered
to suites by a traditional dumbwaiter
service lift. Champagne afternoon
tea is served in the lounge (£24.50 per
person).
115 Sloane Street, SW1X 9PJ
T: 020 7235 5537
www.durleyhouse.com
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
*****
The five-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower, a
landmark on the Knightsbridge skyline,
celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011.
Designed by Michael Rosenauer, who
also created the Time Life Building on
New Bond Street, it was the tallest hotel
in London when it opened in 1961.
Its modern design and spectacular
views made it the backdrop to photoshoots
by fashion designer Mary Quant
and Twiggy’s Mini campaign, and
celebrities including Princess Diana,
Michael Jackson and Madonna have
stayed there. It also made the headlines
in 1975 when the IRA shot at the hotel –
luckily, the bullets passed between
The Draycott Hotel