Starhotels’ The Gore offers the quintessential English hotel experience in the heart of one of London’s most glamorous precincts.

The Gore is the kind of institution that sees repeat guests from across the globe year in and year out. A fresh scone’s throw from The Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park, the 50-room hotel oozes member club-esque privacy and old-school sophistication.

READ: The Star of South Kensington

So it’s a Favourite with Celebrities?

While it’s certainly popular with the glitterati set, including fashion models, rock stars and pop icons (Queen Victoria stayed for an extended period, as did Judy Garland, Leona Lewis, Lily Allen, Snow Patrol, Dorothy Tutin and Dames Nellie Melba and Edith Evans), take a perch at the bar or a fireside seat in the plush lounge and you’re just as likely to find well-heeled business travellers and trendy couples enjoying a weekend in the city. The Gore has been a stalwart of traditional hospitality since 1892 and that appeals to A-listers and mere mortals alike.

So it’s Old Fashioned?

Yes but in a way that only a boutique hideaway in Kensington could be. You could walk past the hotel and not even notice it, which is probably what gives it some of that star appeal, but once you enter, you’ll find a time capsule that’s been lovingly preserved for today’s traveller.

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How About the Rooms?

While standard rooms aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (they’re what your grandmother might call quaint), book ahead for one of those individually-decorated suites, including the legendary Tudor Suite, an expansive and fascinating room with a vaulted ceiling, a huge Portland stone fireplace, an oak four-poster bed, a minstrels’ gallery dating from the 15th century, and a vintage bathtub with brass accents.

Time for a Drink?

You’ll rub shoulders with Kensington’s good and great at the cosy Bar 190 (in 1968 The Rolling Stones threw a launch party for their Beggars Banquet album here), with its extensive list of single malts and intriguing cocktails mixed up by Santo Borzi, including A Cold Day in Queen’s Gate, a flaming take on a Hot Toddy.

Afterwards, slip next door to the newly renovated 190 Queen’s Gate restaurant where award-winning chef Frederick Forster showcases the best of Made in the UK cuisine.