"Best for: families who love to swim Nearest tube: Hyde Park Corner The Lanesborough has always had a knack for transcending generations. One glimpse around the ornate Lanesborough Grill and you’ll likely spot an impeccably coiffed grandmother helping her grandson navigate the afternoon tea stand. While this proud traditionalist has plenty of expensive vases to knock over or marble to glide on (watch out for this in the bathrooms) it does its very best to offer kids something to do between the formal breakfasts and afternoon swim slot. On arrival, children are handed personalized Mini VIP leather passes, which they can use for free ice cream and drinks in any of the restaurants They can also look forward to treasure hunts in the room, mocktail workshops with the hotel’s enthusiastic mixologists, mini manicures in the spa, and trips to Hyde Park to toss artisanal sourdough into the Serpentine (lucky ducks). The hotel’s feline resident, Lilibet, can often be found sprawled across one of the sofas in the resplendent Withdrawing room or patroling the corridors, much to the delight of the children spotting her. And, having whisked them to Hyde Park to burn off some energy (the concierge somehow managed to procure a stroller in under an hour) or even watched the guards’ horses on their morning exercise, parents can check into the swishy, subterranean spa for their thermal suites and best-in-class massages, with young children napping under the watchful eye of a trusted babysitter." - Rosalyn Wikeley
