Journal · City guide · London
48 hours in London: where to stay, dine and drink
Mayfair, St James's and the Strand: a weekend in London planned from the Atlas, from the martini trolley to afternoon tea.
Where to stay
Claridge's for Art Deco Mayfair, The Connaught for discretion, or The Savoy for the river.
Day one
Begin in St James's with a visit to James J. Fox, trading in cigars since 1787. Afternoon tea in the Palm Court at The Ritz, jacket on.
In the evening, the Connaught Bar and its martini trolley, then dinner at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught under the same roof.
Day two
Lunch at CORE by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill, warm and precise.
End where the cocktail grew up: the American Bar at The Savoy, with piano most evenings, or a martini mixed at the table at Dukes Bar, where Ian Fleming drank.
The addresses
- Claridge's · London
Mayfair's most famous address, beloved of royalty and celebrated for its Art Deco interiors. - The Connaught · London
A discreet Mayfair institution with one of the world's most celebrated bars and Hélène Darroze's three-star restaurant under the same roof. - The Savoy · London
Opened by Richard D'Oyly Carte in 1889 on the Thames, the Savoy was among the first hotels in Britain lit throughout by electricity. - The Ritz London · London
Opened in 1906 overlooking Green Park. - James J. Fox · London
London's historic cigar merchant, trading since 1787, with a large walk-in humidor and a smoking room upstairs. - Connaught Bar · London
Perhaps the most celebrated hotel bar in the world, famous for its martini trolley. - Hélène Darroze at The Connaught · London
Hélène Darroze's restaurant in the oak-panelled dining room of The Connaught, with menus that change with the seasons and the producers she works with. - CORE by Clare Smyth · London
Clare Smyth's restaurant on Kensington Park Road celebrates British produce with warmth and precision. - American Bar at The Savoy · London
One of London's oldest cocktail bars, where Harry Craddock wrote The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. - Dukes Bar · London
A small St James's bar famous for its martinis, mixed at the table from a trolley.
