48| HOTELS AND APARTMENTS |Staying powerHotels andapartmentsThe main bar at The CapitalThere is no shortage of places tostay in <strong>Chelsea</strong>, from self-cateringapartments to luxury hotels wherechampagne is served at six. Here,we check out some of the placesto check-inBasil Street Apartments****Luxury serviced apartments close toHarrods. There are eight apartments,ranging from studios to three-bedrooms,featuring kitchens, washer/dryers, anda relaxation area. There is a minimumstay of three nights.15 Basil Street, SW3 1AXT: 020 7631 8288www.basilstreetapartments.comThe Beaufort****A privately-owned, four-star boutiquehotel, close to Harrods and HarveyNichols. Set in a tree-lined cul-de-sac,it has 29 individually decorated rooms.Room rates include a complimentaryafternoon cream tea and a drink at theresidents’ bar.33 Beaufort Gardens, SW3 1PPT: 020 7584 5252www.thebeaufort.co.ukThe Capital*****Opened by Scottish proprietor DavidLevin in 1969, this five-star boutiquehotel is still family-run. Its CapitalRestaurant was voted one of the fivebest hotel restaurants in London byZagat in 2011 (see Restaurants).Special events and masterclasses arerun at the hotel throughout the year.The Capital Apartments in BasilStreet are available for longer stays,from short to long lets, and havekitchens and washing machines as wellas housekeeping.22-24 Basil Street, SW3 1ATT: 020 7589 5171www.capitalhotel.co.ukRoom ratesDue to the changeable nature ofroom rates - which depend onavailability, dates required andany special deals - we have notincluded a price guide for hotels.Please contact the hotels directly orsearch online for the current rates.Drinks at The Capital
49 | HOTELS AND APARTMENTS |The <strong>Cadogan</strong>*****‘A thump and a murmur of voices –(“Oh why must they make such adin?”)As the door of the bedroom swungopenAnd two plain-clothes policemen camein:“Mr Woilde we’ave come for tew takeyewWhere felons and criminals dwell.We must ask yew tew leave with usquoietlyFor this is the <strong>Cadogan</strong> Hotel.”'John Betjeman’s 1937 poem sumsup both the <strong>Cadogan</strong>’s prestigiousreputation and one of its most famousmoments – the arrest of Oscar Wildein 1895.The writer, poet and notable wit wasstaying in room 118 and, ignoring theAfternoontea at The<strong>Cadogan</strong>pleas of his friends to flee, remaineddrinking at the hotel until his arrest forhomosexual activities. He was sent toReading Gaol, the beginning of the endfor one of Victorian society’s mostcolourful characters. He died in Paris,destitute, in 1900, aged 46 (for more onOscar Wilde, see Tite Street in Streetsand Sights).The hotel also includes what was oncethe home of Lillie Langtry, actress andlover of the future king of England,Edward VII. She lived at 21 Pont Streetfrom 1892 to 1897 – even after she soldthe house and it was absorbed into thehotel in 1895, she would stay in her oldbedroom. In fact, she was so attachedto the rooms that her ghost is said tohaunt her old living quarters. The<strong>Cadogan</strong>’s restaurant is in her formerhome (see Restaurants).These days the five-star <strong>Cadogan</strong> is acalm and luxurious place to stay close toGucci, Tiffany, Harrods and HarveyNichols, and its Edwardian grandeur is areminder of its past stories. It has privategardens, tennis courts and a fitness studio.75 Sloane Street, SW1X 9SGT: 020 7235 7141www.cadogan.com<strong>Chelsea</strong> Cloisters***A three-star property with more than200 studio, one-bed and two-bedserviced apartments. Guests can bookfor stays of one night up to many weeks.Each apartment has its own kitchen anden-suite bathroom.Sloane Avenue, SW3 3DWT: 020 7589 5100www.chelseacloisters.co.ukDraycott Hotel*****Named England’s Leading BoutiqueHotel in the 2010 World Travel Awardsand a runner-up for Europe’s LeadingBoutique Hotel in 2011, the Draycottaims to be a luxurious home from home.It has 35 large rooms and suites,all individually decorated and filled withantiques, and each is named after atheatrical figure – such as Sheridan,Coward and Grenfell. Every suite has afully fitted-out kitchen, and many haveworking gas fireplaces. Modern touchesinclude air conditioning, satellite television,CD systems and complimentary wi-fi.The five-star townhouse hotel occupiesthree red-brick Edwardian homes andhas its own garden square and a privatedining room. The 'English country retreat'feel is summed up by the complimentarydrinks served every day at set times inthe Drawing Room – tea and biscuits at4pm, champagne at 6pm and hotchocolate from 10pm. If only all homescould be like that.26 <strong>Cadogan</strong> Gardens, SW3 2RPT: 020 7730 6466www.draycotthotel.comDurley House*****Boutique hotel Durley House has 11suites furnished in a classic period style,all 45 sq m or more, some with kitchens.It has the air of a private house, withLord Durley’s portrait looking on asguests enter the hotel.Reservations include complimentaryuse of the Peak Health Club and Spa atthe Jumeirah Carlton Tower, a fiveminutewalk away, for one guest.Durley House does not have a restaurantbut offers 24-hour room service withdishes prepared by its own chef, deliveredto suites by a traditional dumbwaiterservice lift. Champagne afternoontea is served in the lounge (£24.50 perperson).115 Sloane Street, SW1X 9PJT: 020 7235 5537www.durleyhouse.comJumeirah Carlton Tower*****The five-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower, alandmark on the Knightsbridge skyline,celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011.Designed by Michael Rosenauer, whoalso created the Time Life Building onNew Bond Street, it was the tallest hotelin London when it opened in 1961.Its modern design and spectacularviews made it the backdrop to photoshootsby fashion designer Mary Quantand Twiggy’s Mini campaign, andcelebrities including Princess Diana,Michael Jackson and Madonna havestayed there. It also made the headlinesin 1975 when the IRA shot at the hotel –luckily, the bullets passed betweenThe Draycott Hotel
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