Uncover the hidden gem hotel near London's theatre and cultural landmarks

Don’t choose one, when you can have everything with a stay at the five-star and independently owned, One Aldwych. 

Interestingly, for a journo like me, it was originally built in 1907 as a home for the Morning Post newspaper, and was designed by Mewes & Davis, who were responsible for The Ritz in London and Paris.  It became a hotel back in 1998.

I was smitten from the minute I walked through the door, and saw the beautiful artwork - there are 350 pieces throughout the hotel - like The Boatman by Andrew Wallace, in the open plan double height Lobby Bar, with its dramatic floral tower of white hydrangeas. 

We’re here to experience some of their arty offerings, via The Curators. They’re the hotel’s team of hand-picked contacts, who can take guests on tours and engage them with other unusual activities.

First, bags are dropped off in one of their 105 ravishing rooms, which have been designed by Robert Angell, who has also worked on The Berkeley and The Connaught, among other iconic luxury London hotels. 

Our boudoir is in serene tones of blush and cappuccino that remind me of Neapolitan ice-cream. There are arty books and blankets from Skye Weavers, as well as lines in the shelving and curve of the V-shaped sofa that echo the balcony’s Art Nouveau wrought iron, which casts shadows against the creamy curtains.

I don’t want to leave, especially when I discover there’s a swimming pool, sauna and steam room - a rare thing in central London - down in the basement. 

However, we’re late to meet curator and director of the London Design Biennale, Victoria Broakes. We depart from the Lobby Bar and she leads us round Covent Garden and nearby Soho, showing us all the David Bowie hotspots, including the former Trident Studios, where Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Space Oddity, were recorded. 

This is not our only tour of the trip. The next day, there’s Shakespeare’s Bankside with writer, historian and broadcaster Dr Matthew Green, who is the author of London: A Travel Guide Through Time. His descriptions of the city’s medieval past are so vivid and enjoyably visceral, especially when it comes to the first coffee shop, which opened in 1652. 

Back then, coffee had nicknames including ‘bitter Muhammedan gruel’ and there was a quaffing culture that involved exchanging gossip and news. 

We also cover the Plague years, the hanging 18th century signs of Lombard Street, and Green points out the vents in various churches, which mark the spots where anchorites would live. 

These are things you could easily stroll past, oblivious.

I feel that my eyes have been opened to another layer of the city. 

The third Curator is Charles Burns - a silhouettist, who cut the portrait of the late Queen, not just once, but three times. 

As we sample their new Gallery Menu cocktails, each of which reflect an artwork in the hotel - I try Breakfast by the Loch, which showcases Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Whisky -  Burns picks out individuals to have their silhouette cut, using this Georgian and Regency era pre-photography technique. 

My other half is first, and after two minutes of snipping with a tiny pair of scissors, he’s presented with his four-inch-high likeness, in a card that features a silhouette of the hotel on its front. I get the same treatment, and it’s such a wonderful souvenir.

Our last hurrah is on the final day’s trip to Donmar Warehouse - once a hop warehouse and a silent film studio - to see the final matinee performance of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Our destination is just five minutes walk and we’re led along there by another One Aldwych Curator - Donmar Warehouse’s director of funding, Silvia Melchior.

The unique thing about this not-for-profit venus is its size. It seats just 251 people, so every performance is intimate and their small stage has been populated by stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Ian McKellen. 

The production we’ll see is a modern take on the classic tale, directed by Benedict Andrews, and featuring a few big names, including Adeel Akhtar, who was in Killing Eve and Sweet Tooth, among other telly productions.

The show, with its simple but effective set, is utterly electrifying. Their next production is Fear of 13, which stars Adrian Brody, and runs from October 3 until November 30 2024. 

Our weekend trip is rounded off with dinner in Indigo, where dishes include the 28-day dry-aged Irish ribeye and day boat lemon sole.

I feel that I will definitely be leaving this place a little plumper and more relaxed (I made it downstairs to the pool).

However, The Curators experience was definitely the cultural cherry on top.

A night at One Aldwych starts from £620 on a room-only basis (1 Aldwych, London, 0207 300 1000, www.onealdwych.com)

Rail travel from Edinburgh Waverley to London Kings Cross with Lumo starts from £19.90 each way, if you book 12 weeks in advance, see www.lumo.co.uk