The best hotel bars in London

This is the pinnacle in hotel drinking. Not only is the Connaught Bar draped in plush, silvery furnishings and fitted with a fleet of effortlessly efficient – not to mention dapper – staff, but the place has a dedicated martini trolley. A martini trolley, people. Grab a chair and let the trolley do the rest of the work. You’ve earned it.

If you’re going to live it up in London hotel bars, pick one that looks the part. The Coral Room at the Bloomsbury Hotel is a chic hangout with its hot pink tones screaming to be Instagrammed. Find a booth or sit up at the bar where flirtatious can offer advice on one of the best English sparkling wine lists in London – a fabulous drink for a fabulous setting.

This Shoreditch hotel is the very definition of boutique, with just the one bedroom. Its bar to bed ratio is also pretty impressive, with three drinking spots to choose from. Sack and Black Rock are bars specialising in sherry and whisky respectively, while The Devil’s Darling is the more traditional of the three, serving exemplary versions of the classic cocktails from a small, daily changing menu. And a bed for the night is within stumbling distance.

A plush yet modern space within The Principal London, this Bloomsbury bar comes across a bit Jazz Age meets disco – and we’re here for it. Bar snacks are substantial and ultra-indulgent, including hasselback spuds dressed with caviar, darling. Cocktails are inventive little numbers too, from cucumber daiquiris to a twist on the negroni that evolves with each sip thanks to a flavoured ice cube at its middle. DJs stop things from getting stuffy.

West London has its own gin hotel and no, you didn’t hit your head before reading this. Whether settling in for a night under the juniper-scented sheets or just stopping by for a nosey, it’s worth paying second-floor bar GinTonica a visit. The Spanish-themed spot serves tapas, but it’s the goblet-sized gin and tonics you’ll want to check out, made with measures that will make the expats proud.

Inside City playground The Ned is a surprisingly intimate drinking space, The Library Bar. Sipping martinis and champagne in among leather-bound books makes you feel sophisticated as hell, but there’s still a playful side to this bar – two adorable trollies that get wheeled up to your table when you order a classic house martini.

This is one of London’s most dazzling drinking spots – not only is the art a bit mind-boggling at Waeska Bar within The Mandrake hotel in Fitzrovia, but there’s also an open-air terrace in the middle of it all with gorgeous tall palm trees. Cocktails make a pretty big impact too, with gorgeous plantlife decorating drinks and with unexpected flavours ready to flirt with your tastebuds – from lobster essence to ‘pineapricot’.