Finding a luxury hotel in central London that balances grandeur with genuine warmth feels almost impossible. Most five-star properties here belong to enormous corporate portfolios, where the service is polished but the personality has been sanded off. Tucked away on a quiet street in Belgravia, though, sits the exception: The Goring, London’s last remaining family-owned five-star hotel.

Opened on 2 March 1910 by Otto Richard Goring, this Edwardian icon is still run by the family that built it — Otto’s great-grandson Jeremy is the fourth generation at the helm. It is also the only hotel in the world to hold a Royal Warrant for hospitality services, granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. And it is where Catherine, now the Princess of Wales, spent the night before her 2011 wedding to Prince William.

When we planned a last-minute weekend in London (flying over from Paris to watch our nephew perform in an experimental theatre production), I wanted a hotel that felt as celebratory as the occasion. We spent two days immersed in this pocket of Edwardian elegance, and I came away understanding exactly why The Goring remains a cherished home-away-from-home for royals and romantic couples alike.

Why The Goring Is Unlike Any Other Luxury Hotel in London

A little history helps explain the hold this place has on London.

Designed by architect Ernest George, The Goring was the last grand hotel built during the Edwardian era, opening just months before Edward VII died. It was startlingly modern for 1910: it is widely credited as the first hotel in the world to offer an en-suite bathroom and central heating in every room. A night cost seven shillings and sixpence.

The royal connection began almost immediately and never let up. During the First World War the hotel served as a command center for the Chief of Allied Forces. During the 1953 Coronation, so much visiting royalty checked in that The Goring effectively became an Anne to Buckingham Palace. Winston Churchill visited his mother here. Margaret Thatcher kept a regular table in The Dining Room until weeks before her death.

What makes it different today is scale. With just 69 rooms and suites, The Goring is small enough that the staff genuinely learn who you are. That is the thing no corporate five-star can replicate, and it is the reason I would book it again.

Day 1

Our Arrival: Bowler Hats and Beeston Place

From the moment our taxi pulled onto Beeston Place, the legendary service was on full display. We were met by doormen in immaculate wool morning coats and bowler hats — a flourish that could read as theatre, but here just feels like the house style.

Despite booking at the absolute eleventh hour, the team welcomed us as though we had been expected for months. Our luggage disappeared inside, a hand was offered, and within ninety seconds we had gone from a London pavement to feeling like family friends who had finally come to visit.

The lounges are a masterclass in whimsical British heritage: chandeliers, deep armchairs, fresh flowers, and the quiet hum of a hotel that has never needed to shout about itself.

Our Room: The Garden Junior Suite

For a romantic retreat, we checked into a Garden Junior Suite, and it perfectly epitomizes what I would call curated English comfort rather than showy luxury.

The suite has a spacious, open-plan sitting area wrapped in rich woven silks, with classic antique furniture and a vast, cloud-like king bed. Waiting on our pillows was the hotel’s famous mascot: a soft, plush Goring sheep. (Ours came to Paris with us. I regret nothing.)

Small touches give the game away that this is a family-run house and not a chain. The in-room lighting switch offers settings labeled “Bright,” “Cosy,” and “Oooh.” The marble bathroom is stocked with Asprey toiletries and plush robes, and several rooms still have their original Thomas Crapper flush toilets, chain pull and all.

Best of all, large windows and a private balcony opened directly onto the hotel’s legendary back lawn — a private garden almost unheard of in central London, and a genuinely serene green oasis considering Buckingham Palace is a five-minute walk away.

Afternoon Strolls and Evening Cocktails

Because the hotel sits a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, we spent our first afternoon walking arm-in-arm through the manicured pathways of St. James’s Park. If you have never done it, the walk from The Goering’s front door to the Palace gates takes about five minutes, and the park just beyond is the prettiest in London.

We returned before dusk and headed down to the Goring Bar, a vibrant, red-lacquered room that buzzes with an eccentric mix of high-society Londoners and international travelers. We sipped impeccably crafted signature cocktails while looking out over the private garden — the ideal pre-theatre toast before heading into the West End to watch our nephew shine on stage.

Day 2

Breakfast at The Goring

Our second day began with what is quietly one of the best breakfasts in London. The Goring skips the standard hotel buffet entirely in favor of a comprehensive à la carte menu, built around revered Clarence Court hens’ eggs.

Two dishes are non-negotiable. The Goring Native Lobster Omelette has an almost obsessive following. And Eggs Drumkilbo — a decadent tangle of lobster, caviar, tomato and quail’s egg — was famously the Queen Mother’s favourite, and remains the most requested dish in the house.

Afternoon Tea at The Goring

You cannot stay here without booking Afternoon Tea at The Goring. Served on the sunny glass-roofed Veranda overlooking the garden, it is a highly personalized masterclass in pastry and pairing — and the cakes are inspired by the late Queen Elizabeth II’s sartorial style, which is a lovely, very Goring detail.

Unlike the rushed, tourist-heavy tea services at some of London’s larger properties, the pace here is delightfully relaxed and ideal for couples. We worked our way through delicate finger sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream, and exquisite hand-crafted pastries, all served alongside perfectly brewed blends in silver pots.

A booking tip: the Veranda fills up weeks ahead, especially at weekends. Reserve when you book your room, not after you arrive.

Dinner in The Dining Room: One Michelin Star

To crown our final evening, we secured a coveted table at The Dining Room, which has held a Michelin star since 2016 and retains it in the 2026 Michelin Guide, alongside three AA Rosettes.

The room itself is the work of British designer Russell Sage, in collaboration with Fromental’s hand-crafted wall coverings — and it is where the hotel’s famous sense of mischief comes out to play. Look closely at the magisterial red-and-green walls and you will find monkeys drinking Champagne, monkeys bursting out of cakes, and oil paintings that include the hotel’s chairman in a judge’s wig. It is the least stuffy Michelin-starred room I have eaten in.

Under Executive Chef Graham Squire — who trained at Claridge’s and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and has led the kitchen since 2019 — the cooking is refined, seasonal and unapologetically British. Ingredients are sourced from across the British Isles, from Rhug Estate lamb to Cornish fish, and the hotel keeps its own forager for truffles and wild herbs.

The theatre is table-side. The Beef Wellington, carved from a silver trolley, is among the best in London. Our Dover Sole was filleted beside us with pristine precision, and the heritage Rhug Estate venison was spectacular. Save room for the Rum Baba Flambé.

Throughout, the staff kept the atmosphere fun and personal, entirely devoid of the hushed reverence that makes so much fine dining feel like homework.

The Goring Location: What’s Nearby

One of the strongest arguments for The Goring is where it puts you.

• Buckingham Palace — 5-minute walk
• St. James’s Park — 5-minute walk
• Victoria Station (Gatwick Express, Underground) — 5-minute walk
• Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament — 15-minute walk
• Sloane Street and Knightsbridge shopping — 10 minutes by taxi
• The West End theatres — 10–15 minutes by taxi

It is one of the few genuinely quiet addresses in central London that is still walkable to everything.

What to Know Before You Book

• Rates: expect from roughly £700 per night for an entry-level room, rising to £7,500+ for the Royal Suite where the Princess of Wales stayed before her wedding.
• Best rooms for couples: ask specifically for a garden-facing room or a Garden Junior Suite with a balcony. The garden views are the whole point.
• Dress code: smart-casual throughout; jackets are appreciated in The Dining Room in the evening, though nobody will make you feel uncomfortable.
• Book ahead: Afternoon Tea and The Dining Room both need reserving well in advance, even for hotel guests.
• Best time to visit: late spring and early autumn, when the garden is at its best and you can actually use that balcony.

Is The Goring Worth It? My Verdict

Leaving The Goring after two short days was remarkably difficult.

It commands a premium price, and I won’t pretend otherwise. But it rewards couples with a combination that is genuinely rare in London: royal history, flawless design, a private garden, a Michelin-starred restaurant downstairs, and warm, personal hospitality — even when you book at the very last minute.

The staff here do not simply memorize your name. They anticipate your quirks. If you want to experience luxury London through an authentic, romantic, old-world British lens, I don’t think there is anywhere better.