As I’ve said many times before now, my choice of hotel in London is largely dependant on the length of my visit, the purpose of my visit and how much time I intend to spend in my room. My last visit was staggered across two days such that I had a larger part of the afternoon, an evening and part of the morning to kill, which meant that I wanted somewhere comfortable, in which I could really relax. It has to be said that such a specification could cost you a fortune in London, but I was determined not to go with one of the major chains, and set about looking for a smaller, possibly independent hotel. Due to proximity to Euston station and meeting locations in Angel, Old Street and Holborn, I tend to stay in the Holborn/Bloomsbury area, and decided to try out one of the Bloomsbury town house hotels that I have walked past so many times.

In line with its rather picturesque name, The Montague on the Gardens occupies a prime location in the heart of Bloomsbury, amidst one of the streets of gorgeous period townhouses. The building is extremely elegant, with period features throughout and a high standard of décor and fittings throughout. The name is entirely accurate, as the hotel overlooks a rather tranquil garden terrace to the rear, and some of the rooms have views out onto the square (for an additional £10 premium.)

WHAT A WELCOME

THE ROOM

The bed was located in a recess, with a small cabinet to either side and a minimum of space to move. Immediately in front of this was a desk unit and chair, just big enough to accommodate my laptop and a glass of wine, as well as the portable television. There was a small round table and chair in the corner, which added no real use to the room and could realistically have been taken out to free up some space. The desk unit rather neatly housed all the bits and bobs – a mini bar, hair dryer, tea, coffee and telephone directories. There was also a medium-sized wardrobe that was used to store an ironing board and the trouser press. In retrospect, everything was quite carefully considered within the very compact size, but it was still cluttered.

What sets this hotel out from the competition, and probably contributes to its apparent popularity, is the range of facilities available to guests. For such a comparatively small hotel, the Montague has a considerable amount at its disposal. Adjacent to the hotel is a bistro, with a traditional ambience and menu – there is even a piano player most evenings. The bistro was being refurbished on my last visit, but I am assured that the food is of an excellent standard and the bistro is very popular with theatre goers for pre-show dinners. I liked the lounge bar, in so far as it was comfortable and quite atmospheric, although if you were looking for something a bit lively, you would be disappointed. There is also a conservatory, which looked like a real sun trap to me, and served afternoon tea as well as evening drinks. I’m sure that in the summer the garden terrace would be extremely pleasant – certainly something that you’d struggle to find in many other London hotels.

The Montague also has an established reputation for hosting social events. Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night they have a happy hour with live jazz music that seems to go down a treat. They’re all geared up for Valentine’s Day, but things are not cheap. A romantic candle-lit dinner will cost you £40 per head - £94.50 if you want a room to go with it.

FINAL VERDICT