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Drop your bags at the Mentone Hotel, if the words "homey," "intimate," and "off the beaten path" hit the spot. Oh, and those that need peace and quiet will be pleased to know that the Mentone is so quiet that Tommy at the front desk addressed us in a whisper!
Decorated in a subtly hip direction, the Mentone, based in the heart of Bloomsbury, only a mile away from the British Museum, has a lot of surprising touches: hall doorways have diamond-shaped windows, bathroom mirrors are trimmed with tiles, and the mod chairs take their retro cues from the '50s.
Rooms are large, at least for a London B&B. Furniture has that my-first-'80s-apartment look with floral bedspreads and matching lampshades and curtains. Artwork comes in the form of framed prints. And the bathrooms are incredibly clean.
But, don't worry, if the subtle, retro hip-ness of the hallways and bedrooms isn't subtle enough -- the fantastically real television lounge waits. Straight out of a 1970s British comedy, it offers a comfortable mix of antique wood furniture, old couches, and even an old fireplace with a marble mantle. Cricket games whirr away on the television. It's as if the hotel decorators forgot to open the door and let the '00s in.
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