London's most luxurious - and romantic - hotels

Around London, hotels are feverishly scattering rose petals, lighting candles and putting heart-shaped ice cubes in every cocktail to prepare for a night to remember...

The Langham
1c Portland Place, W1 (020 7636 1000; langhamhotels.co.uk)
What The Langham opened in 1865 as Europe's first grand hotel. Afternoon tea was born here.
Décor Following an £80 million restoration, the colour palette is now based on semiprecious stones including jade and amber.
Room The bed was spectacularly comfortable and the mirrors cleverly concealed.
Food The oval Landau restaurant has gilded timber walls, Vera Wang china and the cutest pink coat tags by Bill Amberg.
Extras My cocktail came with a heart-shaped lump of ice that looked like a giant diamond. The waiter selected a black napkin to match my dress.
Cost The Enchanted Valentine's package starts at £508 and includes champagne and a seven-course dinner.

Dean Street Townhouse
69-71 Dean Street, W1 (020 7434 1775; deanstreettownhouse.com)
What The latest member of Nick Jones's Soho House Group launched in November.
Décor Oak floors, subdued lighting, antique chairs. The walls are covered with contemporary paintings by the likes of Gavin Turk.
Room There was an antique free-standing bathtub in the bedroom. The four-poster bed had nine plump pillows and a hand-woven Nina Campbell throw.
Food Seared scallops, smoked haddock mousse, grilled lemon sole and Bannockburn rib steak.
Cost Room only from £90 (Soho House Group members get priority booking at a reduced rate).

The Halkin
Halkin Street, SW1 (020 7333 1000; halkin.como.bz)
What The Halkin is owned by Christina Ong, whose vision is to do for hotels what Giorgio Armani has done for clothes.
Décor The cool, neutral interiors were designed by Italian company Laboratorio Associati.
Room Our Deluxe room had cream sofas and wood panelling.
Food The hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant Nahm serves Thai banquets. We had crispy noodles and red peanut curry of venison and Thai basil.
Extras A signed copy of David Thompson's Thai cookbook.
Cost All About Love package, £599.

The Egerton House Hotel
17-19 Egerton Terrace, SW3 (020 7589 2412; egertonhousehotel.com)
What Egerton House is a converted 1843 townhouse off Brompton Road.
Décor Old-fashioned comfort. Each of the 28 rooms is decorated with 19th-century paintings and lithographs.
Room Our room was cream with an elaborate four-poster bed, a large flatscreen TV and a green marble bathroom with Penhaligon's products.
Food Eat sandwiches and steaks in the hotel bar where head barman Antonio Pizzuto makes amazing martinis.
Cost The two-night St Valentine's Day: Rediscover Romance package runs until 28 February and costs from £270 per night.

Sanderson
50 Berners Street, W1 (020 7300 1400; sandersonlondon.com)
What Designed by Philippe Starck, the Sanderson is a wild mix of colours, dramatic furniture and technology.
Room There was a silver-leaf 19th-century sleigh bed and a candlelit balcony. The bathroom was stocked with Korres and Aromatherapy Associates products.
Food The Long Bar serves a mean daiquiri and the restaurant, Suka, offered Malaysian buttered prawns, a watermelon salad, Gressingham duck and sea bass in lemongrass sauce.
Cost The Spread the Love package from £345.

The Athenaeum
116 Piccadilly, W1 (020 7499 3464; athenaeumhotel.com)
What Dating back to 1849, the hotel has had a recent revamp and boasts a spectacular vertical garden.
Room We stayed in a Green Park suite which had tiny model soldiers guarding a miniature Queen, a four-poster bed and a huge walk-in shower room.
Food Highlights in the restaurant include wild black bass with razor clams and gnocchi, aged Casterbridge rib-eye steak and sticky toffee pudding. There is a whisky bar for nightcaps.
Extras The Valentine's package begins with pink champagne and rose-scented truffles. It includes a gift of Ren bath products, free drinks, and your own ice-cream bar in the room.
Cost The Valentine's Day Rose package starts from £385 for a Deluxe room.

Boundary
2-4 Boundary Street, E2 (020 7729 1051; theboundary.co.uk)
What Terence Conran's new hotel opened last summer. The rooms are each inspired by a designer (such as Eileen Gray and Andrée Putman) or an art movement (including Bauhaus and Shaker). A borehole brings water up from an aquifer 120m beneath the building, which is used in the air-conditioning system.
Room We were in the Conran Suite and the beaming face of Sir Terence rather muted the romantic mood. There were coffee-table books (by - you guessed it - Sir Terry); his favourite chair, the Karuselli armchair designed by Yrjo Kukkapuro; Ren products in the bathroom and the bed was on a mezzanine level.
Food The Valentine's menu of smoked salmon, fruits de mer and Pavlova is served in the Boundary restaurant under its astrological ceiling decoration.
Extras The Good Sex Guide is available in all rooms.
Cost The Friday/Saturday Conran Suite rate is £300 not including breakfast, which is served in the Albion café on the ground floor. The set Valentine's dinner menu is £65 for three courses.

Blakes
33 Roland Gardens, SW7 (020 7370 6701; blakeshotels.com)
What This discreet South Kensington hotel, with just 48 rooms, is owned by interior designer Anouska Hempel. Her motto is 'Design, refine, repeat on an individual level'. The result is daring and dramatic --Mickey Rourke is a fan.
Room The white-on-white ground-floor Corfu Suite (above) is through the hotel's candlelit garden. The four-poster bed was so high I almost needed a stepladder to climb in.
Food Calf's liver with truffle mash, soufflés and chocolate fondants in the French fusion restaurant.
Extras A bottle of champagne by the bed.
Cost £999 per night for the Corfu Suite including breakfast.

The Ritz
150 Piccadilly, W1 (020 7493 8181; theritzlondon.com)
What The Barclay brothers' gilt and cream satin extravaganza.
Décor Fin-de-siècle finery, courtesy of Victorian architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis.
Room Our Junior suite had an enormous bed and a marble bathroom.
Food Follow cocktails in the Rivoli Bar with dinner and dancing in the restaurant. We had scallops with saffron fondant and ravioli of pumpkin with ceps and truffles.
Cost The Valentine's package includes a six-course dinner-dance, accommodation in a Superior room and breakfast, and costs from £1,045 per couple.