Down a cobbled lane in the east end, lives expensive hotels constructed from more than simply bricks and mortar. Batty Langley's is weaved in the stuff of dreams. Hidden in the throngs of hipster Shoreditch, the small hotel is like a secret in the middle of London – somewhere less than yet discovered – it's an avoid the interest rate from the city.
Part from the Hazlitt group, this boutique hotel lives just by Spitalfields, and it is a recently finished renovation which somehow seems to seem like a time-machine. Entering Batty's seems like a scene plucked straight from The Duchess – it is a fantasy realm of regency dresses, antique bureaus, roll-top baths and four-poster beds – and seamlessly manages to cause you to feel like an aristocrat.
The magical enclave on Folgate Street oozes opulence in every nook and cranny – think gold leaf wallpaper, crushed velvet bedspreads, goose-down feather pillows and ornate copper taps which make the mundane act of washing both hands seem like probably the most luxurious part of the planet.
Downstairs there's a cosy library, that has the immediate effect of creating you feel intelligent once you walk in, as if it were possible – by osmosis – to instantaneously absorb the variety of books which line the walls. Gleam sophisticated 'Honesty Bar' – where you can relax with a G&T along with a happy conscience after helping yourself to drinks and writing down what you owe. The bar sits across the street from a bright and pretty courtyard by the grand staircase leading to the rooms above.
Each room is exclusive, and with its own name, because Batty Langley's “don't believe in numbering their guests”, naturally. The recurring theme which ties the hotel together is the fact that everything has been carefully considered, curated and agonised over. A copy of Voltaire's philosophical musings sits on the night-stand, alongside bedside lights which omit a hot and fiery glow, enough to provide any energy-efficient light-bulb a mid-life crisis.
All rooms have an Apple TV, which is hidden behind a discreet mirror (so they won't shock one's aristocratic sensibilities) and connects to your Spotify, which in turn is synced using the speakers within the bathroom. Said bathrooms feature cavernous bathtubs and REN toiletries, making them the perfect location for luxurious bubble baths which are ludicrously hard to leave.
There's nothing as gloriously self-indulgent as breakfast in bed, and Batty Langley's seems to be comfortable with this fact. Accordingly breakfast is brought up for your room (or could be drawn in the Library downstairs) and consists of freshly baked breads, croissants, gorgeous granola and fresh fruit.
A stay at Batty Langley's is special. Spend only one night here and that we guarantee it will likely be a gold-leafed memory in the making.
