The Cadogan hotel review: your own townhouse in the heart of Chelsea

Nestled between Hyde Park and Sloane Square, the discrete yet impressive Chelsea townhouse - The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel - is the perfect harbour for a romantic getaway. With just 54 rooms over its five floors, the five-star hotel has an intimate scale - at times almost feeling like a private residence - so the staff will get to know you, delivering a very personal and top class stay.

The hotel

Upon first walking into the hotel, the light and airy reception lobby has an absence of formality. A low desk sits opposite a fireplace and armchairs, instantly making you feel at ease and welcome. However, also instantly obvious is that this is a luxurious and impressive hotel. Since reopening in 2019 as a Belmond property, following a $48m (£34.7m) refurbishment, it’s quickly established itself as one of London’s finest. Some 430 original artworks bring a fresh aesthetic, 130-year-old wooden panelling adorns the walls, and a library of books resides in each room curated by John Sandoe Books - these are just a few of the touches which make it quite unique.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Rooms

The rooms and suites are exemplary with comfortable beds, pillows and high-end finishes throughout. Marble, parquet flooring, considered lighting and sumptuous carpets, and modern tech such as Bang & Olufsen Bluetooth speakers also feature. Occupying a corner plot, many rooms have views onto Cadogan Place Gardens, including the Penthouse suite which enjoys balconies on both of the building’s facades and a swath of rooms that make it a favourite for anyone looking for indulgence of the highest order.

Food and drink

Chef Adam Handling, pictured above, is the main attraction with his restaurant, Adam Handling Chelsea. Like the rest of the hotel, it’s smaller in scale, but with an open kitchen, exquisite service and exceptional modern British cuisine, it’s likely this will be a highlight of your stay here. Handling sums it up: “Modern, British, seasonal, sustainable; that’s the ethos that underpins my cooking. I don’t want to be the best restaurant in the world - I want to be the local’s favourite in Chelsea.”

There is another dining option in the less formal Bar and Terrace where you can enjoy a more relaxed dinner, and enjoy a drink from the bar that will serve any cocktail under the sun. It also has an outside seating area along the pavement to soak in the local atmosphere and some people watching. Should a traditional English afternoon tea take your fancy, head to the sumptuous lounge behind the reception area, and in the evening, this becomes a location to settle in for some fine Japanese whisky or a special drink.

Facilities

Given it is a smaller hotel, facilities are on the lighter side. There is, of course, a spa to enjoy massages and other treatments, and a small fitness suite for some exercises, although with Hyde Park just a few minutes walk up the road, why not go for a jog or cycle, or even a wild swim in the Serpentine Lido - the lake in the centre of Hyde Park.

Extra romantic touches

If it’s a nice evening, and you really want to dial things up with a romantic surprise, the concierge can arrange a champagne picnic in the charming Cadogan Place Gardens directly opposite. This is a private communal garden - picture Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts climbing over the railings into a similar one in the film Notting Hill - for nearby residents which the hotel also enjoys access to. A suitably quiet corner will be found to make for a unique and memorable experience.

Price

Rooms start from £560 per night, including breakfast. The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, 75 Sloane St, Chelsea, London SW1X 9SG; belmond.com