Review of The Portobello, by Jenny Pidgeon

The Portobello Hotel is something of a legend in London boutique hotel circles, not to say throughout the UK. It has been accommodating celebrities, fashion, music and media icons for the last thirty years. This reputation has led to a certain insouciance amongst the staff and one feels that since the 70's, the creed has been "why change what works?" Many people who stay, however, (at least those lucky enough to stay in a 'special room') would probably be inclined to agree.

The first townhouse boutique hotel in the capital, the smart, un-showy entrance on a quiet Notting Hill street two blocks from the famous Portobello market, gives little indication of the eccentric nest which lies inside. The small, chaotic reception area is dominated by an old Polyphone music machine featuring a gleaming disc 'It's Hard to Say Good-Bye!'. Patterned carpets covered with old rugs, crowded with eclectic furniture, lamps, baskets, fresh flowers and tall palms set the style for the rest of the Portobello- a mixture of Victorian period character spiced up with Asian and African artefacts.

Also in the basement is a small breakfast room next to the kitchen and a cosy 24 hour bar. More inviting is the light, airy salon on the first floor which serves as sitting room, breakfast room, bar and meeting area. Large windows give onto the garden and the room is refined and calm, with low tables, chairs and sofas of various styles ranging from Art Deco to overstuffed antiques. The high ceiling features a rose and embossed edging, the walls period prints and large mirrors. Dine at nearby Julie's Restaurant, run by the same owners and offering Portobello guests a discount, or get out and explore the vibrant area, which boasts many bars, restaurants and clubs for the night time, antiques shops, cafes and boutiques for the days.

Refreshingly, there is a complete lack of the bewildering wall-panels and hidden controls in the 24 rooms, which can require 10 minutes of explanation in today's modern design hotels. Having said that, the Bang & Olufsen televisions with remote internet access, VCRs and CD players ensure that guests do not have to descend into Victorian times as far as facilities are concerned. Superior doubles are bigger and better than tiny Standards which have only a shower - it would be a great shame to miss out on the claw-footed bathtubs which are one of the Portobello's trademarks.

Each room is different, but solid mahogany furniture, large mirrors, sitting areas with sofas, Victorian armchairs and dim lighting set the general mood in the regular rooms. Many look out onto a wonderfully large, leafy garden, typical of the area and shared with others on the square, to which those on the ground floor have direct access.

The real reason to come though, is for the Special Rooms for which it is justifiably famous. The best-known must be the Round Bed Room with its gleaming brass pipe and nozzle Edwardian bathing machine, infamously filled with champagne by Kate Moss and Johnny Depp and previously home to Alice Cooper's boa constrictors.

Another noteworthy bed is the enormous Elizabethan Four Poster which takes up the whole room and requires mounting steps to climb into. Downstairs in the basement are two special rooms; first the Colonial Room which has a sunken Jacuzzi and a beautiful carved Indian door mounted on the wall just outside the window - an inspired way of making the lack of view into a feature. Next door is the Japanese Room which breaks from the rest with its uncluttered, Zen-like decor; the sleek bathroom is separated by bamboo and paper screens and there is also a small cedar-clad meditation conservatory.