Has anyone ever stayed at Blakes Hotel? If so, do you have any suggestions for a particular room type. I am trying to decide between there and One Aldwych.

Thanks in advance.

As a London resident, I will always always advise people to steer away from staying in these "trendy" hotels. The service at both those properties leaves a lot to be desired, and the locations are nothing special either. The Strand is hardly central, and it's really rather ugly.

London has some of the world's most legendary properties, these are characteristic of the city, and are not some concept dreamed up by some pretentious being. They've evolved throughout their history, and like fine wine have such memories to impart.

Trendy is perfectly acceptable in the newer cities of the world like Bilbao which haven't had the fortune of such great history and lineage for their hotels. But, when you're in London you want to feel a part of the city, and stay somewhere that's helped the city to become what it is today.

I'd recommend Claridge's as the top property without swimming pool, however, if you want somewhere to swim, then The Berkeley and Mandarin Oriental have marvellous pools. Their location is far superior too.

If on the offchance you don't want to spend as much money as m_kingdom thinks you should, and on the chance that you HAVE thought this through and you do like those hotels, I'd personally go for Blake's over One Aldwych, if you're strictly looking at quality, but I think both are nice. On the other hand for location, I'd personally choose One Aldwych -- Kensington doesn't do much for me. For me the location of One Aldwych is great, because I like going across Waterloo Bridge to the southbank (and unlike some people, I love to walk), and also I love walking to the theatres which is very convenient.

I find nothing in the world wrong with that part of The Strand, but then I also have been known to wear clothes from designers that I didn't buy at their flagship stores. HORRORS! So obviously I lack taste and breeding.

Blakes is my favorite London hotel, however the rooms can be extremely small so be sure to check on this. The Hempel is another hotel to consider if you are a fan of Anouska Hempel's hotels. Alternatively, the Firmdale group have some wonderful hotels at addresses all over West London which are well worth looking at. Let us know which you decide on.

My dear, Anouska Hempel is one of these dreadful women who equate money to style. As Christian Dior once said "it's not about the money, it's about the understanding".

I had a stay in One Aldwych a couple of years ago and thought it was great. The service was fantastic. Heated floors in the bathroom and a mini-tv on the tub was a nice touch...not to mention the pool with music playing underwater.
The restaurant I remember was very expensive but good.

On the down-side our room was a bit on the small-ish side for the amount of money we paid.

On the other hand I had friends from London stay in the same hotel but paid more and the room was humongous.
Overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you everyone for your feedback.