Romantic hotel reviews

A review answers one question, whether this hotel suits a trip for two, and gives the facts to check it. It opens with our verdict and says who the hotel suits and who should look elsewhere, then covers the rooms, the restaurants, the spa, the pool and the transport as the hotel publishes them, with opening hours written out day by day.

The review of Sofitel London St James shows the format. The verdict names what decides the stay: a one-MICHELIN-star dinner at Wild Honey St James and a spa with a private couples' suite in the same building. It then says who should book elsewhere, namely a couple for whom a pool is part of a weekend away, or whose only free night for the starred table is a Sunday or a Monday. A table of facts follows, from the 183 rooms and 21 suites to check-in from 15:00 and check-out by 12:00, then a short FAQ and the sources, with the date they were checked.

Ask for the first category with a view or a balcony, because in most of these hotels the standard room has neither. At Sofitel London St James, the Classic, Superior and Luxury rooms carry no view on Accor's pages. The Premium Luxury Room, 32 m², is the first that does, facing Waterloo Place or Pall Mall, and the hotel has 29 of them. Most of its suites look onto Waterloo Place, from the 35 m² Studio and Junior Suites to the 109 m² Opera Suite.

Elsewhere on the London list, the room to name is just as specific. The Savoy sells River View Suites facing the Thames, and St Martins Lane London a One Bedroom Suite and a Penthouse looking onto the London Eye. At Novotel London Blackfriars, the 26 m² Executive Premium Room comes with a private balcony, and at Novotel London Canary Wharf most of the 50 m² Executive Terrace Suites have one. Size is the other check: the smallest rooms are 14 m² at TRIBE London Canary Wharf, 15 m² at ibis London City - Shoreditch and 16 m² at The Hoxton Southwark.

Check the closing days, the payment rules and the facilities a hotel does not have, since each review prints them beside the strengths. The three starred restaurants on our London list, at Sofitel London St James, Raffles London at The OWO and The Savoy, all close on Sunday and Monday. Sofitel London St James has no pool, lists no sauna and keeps its gym for hotel guests, and its own pages name no treatment for two, so the couples' suite has to be requested.

Payment and access rules come next. Pullman London St Pancras is fully cashless, and Novotel London Blackfriars and ibis London City - Shoreditch take cards only. Gym slots at Novotel London Blackfriars have to be booked ahead, and the roof terrace of BOKAN 38-39 at Novotel London Canary Wharf is not served in winter. Where two sources disagree, the review says so: Accor and the MICHELIN Guide differ on whether pets are allowed at Sofitel London St James, so confirm with the hotel before you travel with a dog.