Anja Kroencke Flight Delays
Two recent openings in London's southwestern enclaves prove that high style doesn't have to come at a high price. The intimate Rockwell (181 Cromwell Rd., SW5; 44-207/244-2000; www.therockwell.com; doubles from $284) comprises 40 rooms tricked out with oak furniture and Neisha Crosland wallpaper, housed in an elegant Georgian manse that retains such period details as wrought-iron banisters and mosaic-tile floors. Add 24-hour room service and a trendy restaurant, One-Eight-One, and you get what may be South Kensington's choicest opening in years. Nearby, upstart company base2stay (25 Courtfield Gardens, SW5; 44-207/244-2255; www.base2stay.com; doubles from $170) puts an affordable spin on serviced apartments in a white-stucco town house near Earl's Court. The 67 units, designed in a sparsely chic Scandinavian vein, all have kitchenettes and daily maid service—and most have spacious bathrooms (a bonus in London at any price). Nearby restaurants, gyms, laundromats, and shopping are handily listed for guests. Pound for pound, these hotels are hard to beat.
