Why the St Martins Lane is the place to stay if you’re on a London culture break

You can't beat the location

st martins lane hotel
(Image credit: Niall Clutton)
Penny Goldstone
By Penny Goldstone
published

You can't beat the location

The location

The clue's in the title, you really can't beat the location of St Martins Lane hotel. Just off Trafalgar square, it's just the ticket if you're on a culture break that involves a trip to the National Gallery (which has an excellent black and white paintings exhibition on at the moment) and the National Portrait Gallery.

If art isn't your bag, no biggie. All the major theatres are further up the street towards Leicester Square, so you can easily catch a showing of Les Misérables, Book of Mormon or Sienna Miller's latest play, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

The vibe

Given that it's in sucha buzzy area, the hotel is a surprising oasis of calm. A palette of white is made intriguing by carefully curated art and furniture, from gold tooth stools and antique side tables to arty photography.

st martins lane hotel

The room

At the end of a busy day spent viewing exhibitions and shows, you simply want to put your feet up in a cosy and serene room, and that's exactly what St Martins Lane provides. Think crisp white sheets, potted plants and the odd pop of colour. The bathroom is all sleek marble and posh toiletries, which is always a bonus.

The food

If you're not too tired, you must grab a drink and nibbles in The Den, a classically British, oak-panelled snug on the ground floor of the hotel. Curl up with a book, play a game of backgammon or catch up with friends over a Gin & Tonic, while enjoying the quirky oil paintings on the wall.

st martins lane hotel

Should you prefer a night in, the room service has plenty on offer, from pizza and sandwiches to classic salads.

Book now: Prices start at £219 per night, including taxes and fees. Book here.

If you're looking for more travel and hotel ideas for your next trip, do check out our lifestyle section online.

Penny Goldstone
Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.

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