Artist Residence London Artist Residence

We're big fans of the Artist Residence hotel group, which also has places in Brighton, Cornwall, Bristol and Oxfordshire. They're good-value, well-run and strive to be different, so we weren't surprised at all when their London flagship property won the Good Hotel Guide's  'London Hotel Of The Year' in 2016. The 10-bedroom boutique hotel features individually decorated guest rooms and suites, plus a cafe, basement bar and all-day restaurant.

Room decoration is delightfully random, with reclaimed floorboards, a mix of furniture that blends vintage and contemporary, and – naturally – a good selection of art on the walls. They also have fast wifi, air-conditioning, flatscreen Freeview TVs and digital radios, well-stocked fridges, Nespresso machines and complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits.  The beds are big and bouncy, and all the rooms have powerful rainfall showers, while the larger rooms and suites also have free-standing baths and walk-in showers, super-king-size beds and seating areas.

Pimlico is maybe not central London's most interesting district, but it is a proper neighbourhood and you are super-central, very well located for public transport options but also within walking distance of any number of major London sights. But the hotel has also been deliberately designed for people to hang out in, so once you're done exploring the city, you can sip cocktails in the bar and eat well in the hotel's busy restaurant – maybe even enjoy a spot of ping-pong in the basement games room. Your choice – and your very cool home in the centre of London!