Yes, it is a café, hitting all the right hipster notes of excellent coffee, perfect pastries, hipster-friendly publications such as Pamplemousse and Kinfolk for the steady stream of international crowd that turn up for their daily caffeine and gluten hit. And yes, behind the panelled office at the back, it is also a money change bureau offering the world’s currencies in fair exchange for your readies. But it’s the styling that wins the prize: the soft peach and jade marble counter that runs the length of the room, mustard leather banquettes, a mosaic floor redolent of 1950s Italy and wall to wall walnut panelling. The sort of place you should travel across the city for. 

Jeremy King knows how to bang out a perfect restaurant; he leaves a trail of London’s finest behind him: The Ivy, The Caprice, The Wolseley to name a few. The Park, a curved glass-fronted space running opposite the park calls itself a ‘New World Grand Café’ and is divided into three: a restaurant, a sparkling bar and an all-day café, all panelled in honey-toned wood. Its handsome deco feel threads its way through the design, the glassware, menus, gracious staircase and confident service. The menu consists of irresistible fuss-free classics from classic hotel-style breakfasts of eggs (many ways), house-made cereals and granolas, and bakery. Lunch and dinner are run as a single all-day menu, old school comfort foods including Escalope Milanese, Tagliatelle Bolognese and a fresh mushroom risotto with seasonal truffles. To nibble on, there’s Carpaccio, Shrimp cocktail and a gooey, stringy Grilled four cheese sandwich to die for. 

For those in search of a real work out Barry’s gym with it’s ‘Red Room’ (of pain) offers an array of demanding HIIT classes throughout the day.  Top spec equipment and no membership required have made these loud, fun and extremely demanding HIIT classes all the rage. The café for post-workout fuel allows for some excellent people watching, too. 

With its neutral interiors made with organic, tactile materials such as  marble, stone, and wood, and its stripped back Scandi-inspired sense of calm, the 168 rooms and shared spaces of this hotel focus on wellbeing. Shared spaces include an all day plant-based restaurant café run by holistic retreat centre Yeotown with an array of hot drinks including adaptagenic mushroom drinks and matcha everything. There’s a spa downstairs with two treatment rooms, an exercise studio, and most importantly for some, you can bring your pooch, too.