London street that's best for B&Bs

It may not appear on the Monopoly board but a quiet street in South Kensington is, officially, the most desirable place to spend the night in London.

Tree-lined, stucco-fronted Sumner Place is as close as it gets to urban English perfection for thousands of American and Japanese tourists.

One of the capital's most exclusive areas is the home to a breed of B&B far removed from the fearsome landladies, inedible food and inhospitablerooms of legend.

Three townhouse hotels in the residential street have been nominated for the award of best bed and breakfast establishment by the London Tourist Board.

Staff at Nos 3, 5 and 16, normally the best of professional acquaintances, will discover on Thursday if they have won the title.

They combine the personalised charm of old-school B&Bs with modern innovations such as pow er show ers, duvets and espresso machines.

The fact that three in the same road have been nominated has plenty to do with the location. With its adjoining m ews street, perfectly restored wrought-iron railings, local church and pub - complete with a sign advertising "Draught ports, sherries and Navy rums? - Sumner Place is the Holly wood dream of Victorian London.

Harrods is a short walk away, South Kensington's restaurants are nearby and the Science, Victoria and Albert, and N atural History Museums are around the corner. So is the Royal Albert Hall and the freshly-restored Albert Memorial.

It is the kind of street where you can imagine Hugh Grant would live in a m ovie - an impression confirmed when the actor sauntered down the neighbouring Old Brompton Road as the Evening Standard was visiting.

Justin Pinchbeck, the manager at B&B Number 16, said: "We don't have the glitz of the West End but we offer tourists something they are looking for above all - a slice of quiet, elegant, residential London."

At a time when London's lack of value-for-money quality accommodation remains a major flaw for visitors, the emergence of a new breed of ultra-chic B&Bs offer a vital alternative.

Number 16, with its 38 rooms,awardwinning patio garden and refined drawing rooms, is just the heritage experience its mostly American guests are looking for.The fashionable Charlotte Street and Covent Garden hotels are within the same Firmdale Hotels group. No 16 brings four townhouses under one roof to offer something a little grander and larger than the typical B&B.

Its nearest rival to the title of London's leading B&B is 100 yards down on the other side of the road. Independently owned 5 Sumner Place is equally popular with American visitors - one group emerged to ask the all-important "Where's Harrods?" question.

The 13-room establishment was converted from a townhouse by its owner in 1989 and has been almost alw ays full since.

Hotel manager Tom Tyranowicz, who came to London from Poland to study tourism and has been manager therefor 10 years,attributes the new appeal of B&Bs to their "personal touch". The upmarket B&Bs don't come cheap. A room for the night can cost in the region of £150. How ever,Mr Tyranowicz said: "Many hotels in London cost £100 and offer no amenities, comfort or genuine welcome. You wouldn't want any family member to stay there even if you really disliked them."

Sumner Place's transform ation occurred in the late Seventies when Kensington and Chelsea council decided to restore the ambience of the street. It issued a conservation order requiring original-style railings to be erected (like many in London, they were melted down during the Second World War).

The third rival, Aster House,has been thriving as a B&B for 15 years. Current managers Simon and Leonie Tan have used their expertise gained from working in London hotels to offer the best of both worlds.

Guests can eat breakfast in a sunlit conservatory, feed the ducks in the pond outside and experience marble-floored bathrooms and "the best shower in Europe", to quote the guest book.

The award winner will be announced ata ceremony at the Ironmonger's Hall in the City on Thursday. Other categories include hotel of the year, best sightseeing tour, best visitor attraction and world class welcome.

Up for awards are Tate Modern, the Royal Opera House, the London Eye, Kenwood House and Eltham Palace.