TOWN HALL HOTEL & APARTMENTS

Having stood empty for decades, this Edwardian Town Hall has recently been revamped to create London’s hippest new hotel in the vibrant Bethnal Green neighbourhood – at a reassuringly safe distance from the West End but close to the financial district and the trendy Hoxton. Maintaining the art deco interiors (sweeping marble staircase and domed glass roof) but adding a much-needed dollop of design, you’ll get the best of the East End in one room, courtesy of vintage finds and artwork by cool young artists mixed in with original fixtures and fittings.

Choose from apartments and loft rooms dappled with the light from the building’s ornamental metal veil or simpler doubles decked out in cool grey slates and sturdy oak furniture. Studios and apartments come with a built in, fully functioning kitchen which allows chefs to come and prepare your in-room dining fresh from the stellar in-house restaurant Viajante, the latest from ex-El Bulli whizz kid Nuno Mendes. Now that’s civil service.

The basement pool is better suited for dipping than swimming (15 meters long) but provides a pretty view for a cardio workout at the gym (open from 07-22), which is similarly compact in dimensions but sufficiently functional to keep the flab at bay.