Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

Once famous as a haven for intellectuals and writers (Keats, Freud, Waugh, du Maurier), Hampstead is one of the most civilised enclaves of London – and the Jubilee line whisks you effortlessly into town. Just south of hilly pretty Hampstead Village is this handsome Victorian semi-detached house with a ground-floor apartment distinguished by a sensational décor: find minimalism combined with theatricality and fun. Across a hallway lined top to toe with books of every size and hue is a gorgeous living room with high ceilings and classical trim, one wall mirrored, another with French windows; fling them open on warm days to a multi-layered garden (presided over by an elegant stone angel) full of clever niches in which to read and dream. Back inside, enticing objets divert you at every turn, the wood-burner keeps you snug, the kitchen has polished surfaces and moody lighting, and the bedroom is a soothing slate-blue, with pale-painted boards and a sensuous painting above the bed. The most blissful bolthole for two – or, if you're feeling sociable, six: two suave sofas convert to beds at night.