Review of Egerton House, by Nadia Latif

Personalised service is key to Egerton House, a beautiful little boutique hotel tucked away in a quiet corner of South Kensington. It is intimate and home-like, but polished enough for a stay there to feel like a real treat. There are little touches of this attentive service everywhere you look, from the collections of tasteful magazines piled up on antiquated tables, to the bowls of nibbles standing ready in the bar, to the complimentary internet access throughout.

The lobby is serene, and this quiet ambience is carried throughout. The main reception leads onto the cosy Drawing Room, filled to the rafters with overstuffed sofas and armchairs, oil paintings, tables weighed down with flower displays and dark-wood cabinets.

The bar area is small and serves mainly hotel guests. The real star of the show here is Antonio the barman, whose specialty martinis are a draw in themselves. As for food, Egerton House serves a great breakfast and will cater for dinners (for up to ten people) on request. There is also a simple bar menu (which is exactly the same as the room service menu). The food itself is traditional British, with a home-cooked feel.

There are twenty-nine rooms, including four suites. Every one is individually decorated in a chic English country house style. The rooms are generous in size - even the 'smallest' Classic Double has rooms for a sofa and desk area. Fresh fruit is laid out as a welcoming present for every guest, as well as fresh orchids - these seem to pop up throughout, along with the magazines, on just about every conceivable surface.

The marble bathrooms (bath tub and shower in every one) have dinky 'Splash TV's' for an extra touch of refinement alongside Penhaligon toiletries. There are iPod docking stations as well as flat-screen televisions (the suites have 42-inch monsters) in the bedrooms too. Return guests will find an iPod already installed in their room, with their favourite music loaded up and ready to go. These personal touches make all the difference.