Dukes London, in a quiet spot just off St James's Place in London
Suite dreams: The light-filled Duke of Portland's suite with lovely touches such as orchids, fruit and chocolates
I love a hotel with a history and Dukes London is my latest find – a hidden gem just four minutes’ walk from Green Park tube. Yes, I timed it.
The Queen Mother and Diana, the Princess of Wales, loved Dukes, and no wonder, it’s tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac off St James’s Place, yet within a hop from Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason, the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly, Jermyn Street and Bond Street.
The five-star boutique hotel has an elegant red-brick façade with wrought-iron railings and flower-filled window boxes where an inviting arched double doorway leads to a classically furnished reception.
Here, the Dukes’ staff are friendly and efficient so you immediately at home in a property that evokes a timeless elegance. Plenty of beautifully arranged fresh flowers and well-chosen artworks grace the public areas which also add to the welcoming atmosphere.
Light pours through the tall box-framed windows and my three-room suite made for a peaceful retreat with tasteful décor and sumptuous furnishings that included two generous two-seater sofas, a polished wood dining table and chairs, a blissfully comfortable bed and a large marble bathroom with Floris amenities.
Dukes also offers a generous helping of ambience which echoes through to the bar where it is said James Bond author Ian Fleming coined the phrase ‘Shaken, not stirred’.
Yes, I did try the famous martini. I also loved the GBR restaurant, which is open all day, offering traditional British menus with a modern twist.
Breakfast was a triumph with a quiet corner and a newspaper to read while working my way through yoghurt with sliced bananas and honeycomb plus a rainbow of poached eggs and avocado on sourdough bread with plenty of freshly squeezed orange juice. Service was spot on and coffee topped up without a chase.
To walk off the calories I took myself on a Blue Plaque tour of the neighbourhood which turned out to be an extraordinary enclave for writers, musicians, politicians and royalty. (Download the Blue Plaque app which links the people of the past with the buildings of the present).
I had already spotted the plaque marking the home of former Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) and his son Horace in Arlington Street on my way to the hotel but now, just over the road from the hotel, I found 4 St James’s Place – the house where composer Frederic Chopin stayed before he went to the Guildhall to give his last public performance.
Further on, at 4 St James’s Square, I came across the home of Nancy Astor, the American politician and society hostess who was the first woman to sit in Parliament, holding her seat for more than 25 years.
At 1c King Street, St James's, I was surprised to find the scheme’s earliest surviving plaque, marking the home of Napoleon III, the nephew and heir of Napoleon I and the last Emperor of France. It was erected in 1867 by the (Royal) Society of Arts.
Evidently, Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled from France after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and in the years that followed he lived in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, America and London, where he lived briefly at 1 Carlton Gardens – also in St James’s.
On his return to France in 1840, Louis Napoleon was imprisoned for life, but six years later he managed to escape and fled to England. In February 1847 he took a lease on a newly built house in King Street and transformed its interior into a shrine to the Bonapartes, installing a portrait of Napoleon I by Delaroche, uniforms worn by his uncle and other relics that survived the first Emperor’s fall.
The Prince became a leading figure in London society and was given honorary membership of some of the most celebrated clubs in St James’s, and enrolled as a special constable during the Chartist riots of 1848. According to English Heritage, greater disturbances across the Channel in 1848 led to the overthrow of the French Bourbon monarchy and in September Louis departed for France.
It seemed he left King Street in some haste, as his landlord found ‘the Prince’s bed unmade and his marble bath still full of water’.
I made my way on to St James’s Square to find a plaque commemorating Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852) who in her short life was a pioneer of computing. Who'd have thought it?
At 82 Pall Mall was the former home of painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) and in Carlton House Terrace, still only 10 minutes from the hotel, there was a plaque commemorating Marquess Curzon, a statesman Viceroy of India. In the same row a lovely porcelain plaque from 1925 marked the former home of Prime Minister William Gladstone (1809-1898).
Before I crossed the road for a loop around St James’s Park, at 2 Carlton Gardens I found the plaque for Field Marshal Kitchener of Khatoum (1850-1916) who also had a home in my county of Kent. Quite a who's who in such a small area.
After a squint at Buckingham Palace I took a walk across Green Park, where there’s a shortcut back to the hotel.
While relaxing in my suite I decided that although I travel for I living, I become more proud of my home city every time I build in time to explore its rich history and heritage – I always discover something new and this time Dukes completed a joyful stay.
Dukes London is a five-star hotel at 35 St James's Place, London, SW1A 1NY
Factfile
90 recently refurbished rooms including fifteen suites (nine junior suites, five deluxe and one penthouse
Cognac and cigar garden
All-day restaurant also serves traditional afternoon tea
Complimentary WiFi
Prices from £320 per night, including breakfast
dukeshotel.com
Telephone 020 7491 4840
The Queen Mother and Diana, the Princess of Wales, loved Dukes, and no wonder, it’s tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac off St James’s Place, yet within a hop from Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason, the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly, Jermyn Street and Bond Street.
The five-star boutique hotel has an elegant red-brick façade with wrought-iron railings and flower-filled window boxes where an inviting arched double doorway leads to a classically furnished reception.
Here, the Dukes’ staff are friendly and efficient so you immediately at home in a property that evokes a timeless elegance. Plenty of beautifully arranged fresh flowers and well-chosen artworks grace the public areas which also add to the welcoming atmosphere.
Light pours through the tall box-framed windows and my three-room suite made for a peaceful retreat with tasteful décor and sumptuous furnishings that included two generous two-seater sofas, a polished wood dining table and chairs, a blissfully comfortable bed and a large marble bathroom with Floris amenities.
Dukes also offers a generous helping of ambience which echoes through to the bar where it is said James Bond author Ian Fleming coined the phrase ‘Shaken, not stirred’.
Yes, I did try the famous martini. I also loved the GBR restaurant, which is open all day, offering traditional British menus with a modern twist.
Breakfast was a triumph with a quiet corner and a newspaper to read while working my way through yoghurt with sliced bananas and honeycomb plus a rainbow of poached eggs and avocado on sourdough bread with plenty of freshly squeezed orange juice. Service was spot on and coffee topped up without a chase.
To walk off the calories I took myself on a Blue Plaque tour of the neighbourhood which turned out to be an extraordinary enclave for writers, musicians, politicians and royalty. (Download the Blue Plaque app which links the people of the past with the buildings of the present).
I had already spotted the plaque marking the home of former Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) and his son Horace in Arlington Street on my way to the hotel but now, just over the road from the hotel, I found 4 St James’s Place – the house where composer Frederic Chopin stayed before he went to the Guildhall to give his last public performance.
Further on, at 4 St James’s Square, I came across the home of Nancy Astor, the American politician and society hostess who was the first woman to sit in Parliament, holding her seat for more than 25 years.
At 1c King Street, St James's, I was surprised to find the scheme’s earliest surviving plaque, marking the home of Napoleon III, the nephew and heir of Napoleon I and the last Emperor of France. It was erected in 1867 by the (Royal) Society of Arts.
Evidently, Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled from France after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and in the years that followed he lived in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, America and London, where he lived briefly at 1 Carlton Gardens – also in St James’s.
On his return to France in 1840, Louis Napoleon was imprisoned for life, but six years later he managed to escape and fled to England. In February 1847 he took a lease on a newly built house in King Street and transformed its interior into a shrine to the Bonapartes, installing a portrait of Napoleon I by Delaroche, uniforms worn by his uncle and other relics that survived the first Emperor’s fall.
The Prince became a leading figure in London society and was given honorary membership of some of the most celebrated clubs in St James’s, and enrolled as a special constable during the Chartist riots of 1848. According to English Heritage, greater disturbances across the Channel in 1848 led to the overthrow of the French Bourbon monarchy and in September Louis departed for France.
It seemed he left King Street in some haste, as his landlord found ‘the Prince’s bed unmade and his marble bath still full of water’.
I made my way on to St James’s Square to find a plaque commemorating Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852) who in her short life was a pioneer of computing. Who'd have thought it?
At 82 Pall Mall was the former home of painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) and in Carlton House Terrace, still only 10 minutes from the hotel, there was a plaque commemorating Marquess Curzon, a statesman Viceroy of India. In the same row a lovely porcelain plaque from 1925 marked the former home of Prime Minister William Gladstone (1809-1898).
Before I crossed the road for a loop around St James’s Park, at 2 Carlton Gardens I found the plaque for Field Marshal Kitchener of Khatoum (1850-1916) who also had a home in my county of Kent. Quite a who's who in such a small area.
After a squint at Buckingham Palace I took a walk across Green Park, where there’s a shortcut back to the hotel.
While relaxing in my suite I decided that although I travel for I living, I become more proud of my home city every time I build in time to explore its rich history and heritage – I always discover something new and this time Dukes completed a joyful stay.
Dukes London is a five-star hotel at 35 St James's Place, London, SW1A 1NY
Factfile
90 recently refurbished rooms including fifteen suites (nine junior suites, five deluxe and one penthouse
Cognac and cigar garden
All-day restaurant also serves traditional afternoon tea
Complimentary WiFi
Prices from £320 per night, including breakfast
dukeshotel.com
Telephone 020 7491 4840
 Floral arrangements adorn the public areas and the scent of lilies fill the air  Try the Blue Plaque app for a tour of SW1 while staying at Dukes London |
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