I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to London -- I was there 40 years ago and don't remember much, other than I stayed at Kensington Hotel. I'm looking for a nice/pretty area with a good choice of restaurants that we can walk to. In Paris, we love the 6th arr. (Relays Christine) and in NYC we like the upper east side, just to give you an idea of our tastes. Mayfair sounds perfect from what I've looked at although The Goring was recommended by a friend. I don't like huge hotels. I'm leaning towards The Beaumont, The Connaught or The Goring (or others that you can recommend). Which has the prettiest location? Does The Goring have a good choice of nearby restaurants? I'm not really concerned about being near a tube station. Our interests are The Eye, a boat ride on the Thames, Imperial Museum, Tower of London, etc. Possibly the theater, but maybe not.

Any opinions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Of the three you mention, I've only been to the Goring which is stellar. It's not a "huge" hotel at all, in fact, I'd call it a boutique hotel. I love the location and would recommend it highly for anyone who wants to pony up for the price.

The Goring is my favorite boutique hotel in London. The Connaught also gets good reviews - you'd probably prefer the "old" wing. Another delightful place to consider is Egerton House (though not in Mayfair).

All three are "Virtuoso" meaning you get free amenities at the same rate on the hotels' websites. You can check out the amenities here: http://tinyurl.com/ydgtjlbz

>>Mayfair sounds perfect<<

Mayfair (other than Shepherds Market) is a pretty sterile 'high end ghetto'.

The Goring is REALLY fine (heck, if it was good enough for Kate Middleton the night before her wedding ) -- but the top end hotel scene in London is VAST. There are probably 40 or more hotels comparable to the Goring.

For what you like -- I'd look in Sloane Square, Covent Garden, parts of Knightsbridge, the southwest corner of Mayfair, parts of Fitzrovia.

Can't speak to the others, but we loved the Egerton. Wonderful staff, a few blocks from Harrods, great breakfast. No restaurant, but many nearby.

I've never seen "Virtuoso", Travelhorizons. Is it a site you join?

Virtuoso is the way to go for high end travel. Highly recommend.

Iwan2go - Virtuoso is a consortium of luxury hotels, cruise lines, tour companies, etc., and several thousand luxury travel advisors. You should be able to find one that won't charge booking fees — and you can even book through their site.

>>I've never seen "Virtuoso", Travelhorizons. Is it a site you join?<<

Travelhortizons IS a virtuose travel advisor and he just manages to skate around Fodors no-advertising rules