Travel guides for couples
A weekend for two runs better with the table booked early. Start in London with how far ahead to book a starred table at Wild Honey St James, inside Sofitel London St James, at Raffles London at The OWO or at The Savoy.
GuidesHow far ahead should you book a Michelin-starred table in London?
The Savoy opens online bookings for 1890 by Gordon Ramsay four months ahead; Wild Honey St James and Mauro Colagreco publish no window. The rules in full.
What do the guides cover?
The guides answer the practical questions that come after choosing a hotel: when to book the table, which nights a restaurant is closed, what a late cancellation costs. Each one is written from the pages of the hotels, their restaurants and official sources such as the MICHELIN Guide, with the main sources linked in the text and the date they were checked written under each table.
Hotels appear in a guide when the facts call for them. The guide on booking a MICHELIN-starred table in London names three, because only three Accor hotels in London hold a starred restaurant: Sofitel London St James with Wild Honey St James, Raffles London at The OWO with Mauro Colagreco, and The Savoy with Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay. A guide gives no ranking and no “Our pick”. For that, open the list of the best hotels for couples in London, where Sofitel London St James comes first for its starred table and its spa with a couples' suite.
How far ahead should a couple book a starred dinner in London?
As soon as the dates are fixed, and up to four months ahead where a restaurant allows it. Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay at The Savoy is the only one of the three starred tables in Accor's London hotels that publishes a window: online bookings open four months ahead, for up to five guests. Ten tables over five dinner services a week is the whole supply.
Wild Honey St James, inside Sofitel London St James, and Mauro Colagreco, at Raffles London at The OWO, publish no booking window. Both take requests by email and telephone alongside their booking pages, so we would write as soon as the trip is fixed and offer a Tuesday or a Wednesday as well as the Saturday. Mauro Colagreco also asks for cancellations at least 48 hours ahead and charges per person after that, at lunch and at dinner. All three serve dinner Tuesday to Saturday and close on Sunday and Monday, which leaves five evenings a week in each room.
Where can you eat on a Sunday or a Monday night?
The same hotels keep other restaurants open when the starred rooms close. At The Savoy, the Savoy Grill serves on Sunday from 12:00 to 23:30 and on Monday from 17:00 to 00:00, and The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay opens every day. At Raffles London at The OWO, Paper Moon runs daily 12:00 to 23:00, Saison serves from 12:00 to 22:30 Monday to Friday and from 12:30 at weekends, and Kioku by Endo opens on Sunday 17:00 to 21:00 but closes on Monday.
St Martins Lane London keeps Restaurant 45 open every day from 12:00 to 22:00, with a pre-theatre sitting from 16:00 to 19:00, though its Blind Spot bar closes on Mondays. Sofitel London St James has the quietest start to the week: Wild Honey St James is closed, and the Bistrot at Wild Honey and The Rose Lounge publish no hours of their own. Bōkan 37 at Novotel London Canary Wharf is shut on both nights as well.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the guides?
The editorial team of Best Hotels for Couples. For each guide, the team reads the official pages of the hotels and restaurants, the MICHELIN Guide and Forbes Travel Guide, records every fact with its source and the date it was checked, and links the main sources in the text, so you can confirm any hour or rule yourself.
Do the guides link to booking agencies?
No. A guide links to the official sources it uses: the hotel's own site, the restaurant's booking page and the MICHELIN Guide. When a page offers to book a hotel, the Check rates button opens the hotel's own booking page, not a third-party agency.
How far ahead can you book Restaurant 1890 at The Savoy?
Up to four months ahead online, for up to five guests, according to the restaurant's booking page; parties of six or more go through the private dining team. Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay holds one MICHELIN star, has 10 tables and closes on Sunday and Monday. The Savoy Grill, in the same hotel, uses the same four-month window and takes 1 to 10 guests online.
Do the guides give room rates?
No. Room rates change with the dates and the room, so no guide or list quotes them; the Check rates button opens the hotel's own booking page. A guide gives a figure only when a hotel or restaurant publishes it as a fixed rule, such as the late cancellation charge at Mauro Colagreco, and names the page it comes from.