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The 27-room Crescent Hotel, a short walk walk from the British Museum, is the very definition of a charmer. Guests get access to Ca spacious private garden (more like a park) just across the street from the hotel. Vintage furniture, china plates, and the warm family-run atmosphere give the hotel that elusive home-away-from-home feel.
Mrs. Rita Cockle, whose family has been running the Crescent for 50 years, met with us in her drawing room, which, along with much of the hotel, offers evidence of her passion for antique collecting. Little details, such as the attractive chinaware used during breakfast and the 19th-century cast-iron range in the dining room, bump up the Old-English charm-meter.
Rooms share the same appeal with thick, wood bed frames, colorful bedspreads, and an array of antique finds. As Mrs. Cockle and her daughter toured us around, wingback chairs, silver tea sets, glass vitrines, and embroidered pillows gave us the distinct feeling of being at home. Actually, being at the Crescent was better than home!
Most rooms are en suite, but there are basic single rooms that share hall facilities. Be specific when you reserve.
Guests can borrow tennis rackets for use on the court across the street in the gardens. Breakfast is the typical fare with eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, and beans cooked to order, as well as a selection of yogurts, fruits, and juices. Cheers!
But one of our favorite perks was the traveler's manuals, made by Mrs. Cockle and her family, which are in every room. With 40 pages of information, they answer hundreds of questions a tourist in London might have, from where to catch a show or a cab to hiring a babysitter. One guest was so impressed that she interrupted our tour to tell Mrs. Cockle how much she appreciated the book. Well, we appreciate it, too!
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