It can sometimes feel like there’s not a whole lot of originality left in this world. So muted are we all expected to be, at times correctness can feel like a substitute for spontaneity. Packages and experiences are heralded for their authenticity as if it’s a quality that can be pumped through the ventilation systems. Built by Lord Chelsea, 11 Cadogan Gardens in a spectacular example of early 20th century interior design, and once thoroughly inside it’s clear that this was once a house – or four adjoining townhouses- and certainly not purpose-built as a hotel. But that is all part of its charm and its character.
There is no shortage of places to explore as you begin to wander past reception. “No room is alike” is marketing speak used in every second hotel press release, but here that rings undeniably true, as each passage ends or opens to reveal another space entirely, unlike where you have been before. The best example of this must be the mirror room, a resplendent ground-floor dining room with a lattice of polished glass.
Open to both hotel guests and passersby, the glossy Chelsea Bar is a great find and stays open late into the night. The property has the feel of a private members’ club (which it once was) rather than a hotel or a hidden gem that only few have discovered. There is a leafy outdoor terrace around back, which to many is an unexpected touch. And there is a cosy book-lined library near the main entrance that proves a quiet and contemplative place to pause.
As London has no shortage of delightful places to eat, it would have been easy ti skimp on the restaurant. Accessible from inside the hotel or street side from pedestrianized Pavilion Road amidst the artisanal food shops and name-brand boutiques, Han’s Bar & Grill, serves simple modern British cuisine. It has an immediate neighbourhood feel, a nice place to eat, regardless of whether you are a hotel guest. A nod to the restaurant’s heritage, portraits of Sir Hans Sloane, once a physician to the royal family and founder of the British Museum, hang from the walls.
Dishes are traditional, but well executed. The menu is extensive, as is the 180-bottle-strong wine list. It’s somewhere that you could as easily pop into for a weekend superfood salad as you could languor over a bone-in cut of British-reared steak on a Tuesday night.
The 56 rooms including 25 suites are all individually decorated. Some are bold, some more muted, some contemporary and others more kitsch and old fashioned. Bathrooms very in size and shape but all feature creamy marble and rain shower fixtures as large as a truck tire. The Sloane Suite is a perennial favorite, with its antique furnishings and grand canopied bed. It feels quite regal. And yet it’s also homey with its large bay windows and exceptional view of the neighbouring Cadogan Gardens.
For many, even the exceedingly wealthy, opulence isn’t any longer about stuffy nose-in-the-air service or stiff linens, instead its about feeling at ease amidst polished surrounds. Guests want to feel its not a problem to riffle through the library book shelves while still wearing a robe or to be the last one propping up the bar because they’re deep in conversation with an old friend. Sure, the floorboards creak and the layout is convoluted, but that’s half the fun. You might stumble on a space you never knew was there.
11 Cadogan Gardens, London SW3 2RJ 11cadogangardens.com
