Town Hall Hotel & Apartments ★★★★★

Set amid the kebab shops and post-war apartment blocks of Bethnal Green, the extravagantly ostentatious architecture of the Town Hall Hotel & Apartments seems slightly out of place. I suppose you could use the hotel, renovated and opened in 2010, as an indication of an ‘up-and-coming’ London neighbourhood. Much as I dislike that phrase, with every other part of London being labelled the latest up-and-coming district, it is hard to avoid the fact that Bethnal Green is slowly (but surely) adding an ‘arty chic’ character to its East End grit. The arrival of a swanky boutique hotel in a place famous for Jack the Ripper, 19th century squalor and 20th century council housing only serves to highlight that the area is very much on the up.

As if to emphasise the new creative spirit beginning to emerge, the Town Hall displays many impressive works by contemporary local artists scattered around the building. This is combined with an inventive mixture of old-fashioned and modern style, making for a chic and attractive hotel with an artistic vibe. The melange of styles is apparent from the moment you enter – for example, just to the right of the front door I spotted a Union Jack-emblazoned dog, sitting between a quirky selection of Art Deco chairs on one side and a vintage chess table and ballot box on the other. The first of many pleasant surprises...

I may as well cut to the chase – much as I could, and will, rattle on about the top notch facilities and services and the stylish interiors of the bedrooms, the Town Hall has two undeniable show-stopping highlights. These are the two restaurants, which make the hotel a foodie’s paradise. The only problem is being presented with the impossible decision between the Corner Room and the Typing Room restaurants. Faced with this reverse-Sophie’s-choice between two equally enticing options on our first evening, we stopped to clear our heads at the Peg and Patriot Bar. The bar produces the majority of its spirits, vermouths and liqueurs itself, not trusting many other producers to live up to its high standards, and uses them to concoct delicious and wittily-named cocktails. I went for the very exotic but slightly tenuous ‘Pho Money Pho Problems’, a refreshing taste of the east.

Once we were at the bar, we were more or less in the Typing Room (named after its original function), so our minds were made up. Still feeling indecisive, we took a cursory glance at the à la carte options, decided it was futile and went straight for the seven course tasting menu, taking the ‘a bit of everything’ approach. From our courgette and basil profiteroles to our sinfully indulgent chocolate desert, everything was an utterly delectable treat for the taste buds, and each course perfectly paired with the right wine. The following evening we managed to summon up the energy to head out of the bar after the obligatory cocktail (‘Rice Rice Baby’ this time), and make the short walk up to the Corner Room, where we were rewarded with three more courses of culinary excellence.

The third dining option available was having a private meal cooked for us in our own room by one of the chefs, an undeniably romantic prospect but one we simply did not find time for. We did make the most of our kitchen and cooked for ourselves once or twice - this may be the East End rather than the West End but London prices are still high enough that we didn’t quite want to eat out every evening. A cosy night in with a lovely home-cooked meal and a bottle of wine never felt like being cooped up in a hotel room; rather, it really felt like this was our own place. This is mostly down to the huge amount of space allocated to each apartment, with a clever design and layout to make them feel even roomier.

Though there was still the odd classic detail or antique wooden cabinet, the style in our apartment was much more 21st century, suitable for the modern day city-slicker. Our kitchen was straight out of a glossy magazine, while the bathroom was sleek and beautiful, all pure white and gleaming chrome.

VeryChic doesn’t compromise, of course, so we did not just have space and style, but top of the range facilities too: free Wi-Fi, iPod dock, dishwasher, daily toiletries deliveries, air-con, flat screen TV, and even (not that we needed them) EU and US plugs for international visitors… We literally had everything we needed and more! This is the kind of hotel to make you feel like one of the countless A-listers who call London home. In fact, among other stars of the big screen, Keira Knightley had tea at the Town Hall for a scene in ‘Atonement’.

Just a word of warning to finish – avoid falling into the hotel’s trap! Between a fully equipped home-from-home apartment, two incredible restaurants, an innovative bar, a fitness centre, a swimming pool and enough superb art to make you feel like you are in a gallery, you will never want to leave. But make the effort to take the short walk down the road to the tube station, and you will find yourself within easy reach of every single shop, pub, attraction, restaurant and landmark of one of the world’s most exhilarating cities!