Sleep it off: five great London pubs with bedrooms

London hotels can cost an arm, a leg, and quite possibly the remaining kidney – particularly if you want somewhere with a bit more character than a Premier Inn. But there’s another option: stay in a pub. Not on the floor of one, obviously (it’s not the Nineties), but in one with proper bedrooms upstairs. You get somewhere to sleep, somewhere to eat, and, funnily enough, somewhere to have a drink. Here’s five worth booking.

The Grafton Arms, Fitzrovia

Located at 72 Grafton Way, this one’s been licensed since 1792, and today, it’s a compact, handsome pub with a small roof garden at the back and 11 bedrooms upstairs. In this case, “rooms” doesn’t mean “two slightly damp cupboards above the kitchen,” but charming boutique spaces, with air-con, big beds, Netflix, and Nespresso machines. 

Downstairs, they serve delicious Asian food and real ales. And because this is Fitzrovia, you’re surrounded by one of central London’s best collections of restaurants, bars, galleries, and general opportunities for spending money you didn’t intend to.

Find out more about the Grafton Arms

The Fox & Anchor, Clerkenwell

Located on Charterhouse Street, beside the historic Smithfield meat market, this is a Grade II-listed pub dating from 1898 – and if you have even the slightest weakness for Art Nouveau, prepare to become extremely excited about the tiles.

There are just six boutique bedrooms squirrelled away above the bar (the pub’s own description calls them “not-so-secret”), and they’re stylish to a tee; a handful have freestanding roll-top tubs – and there’s even a private terrace.

Appropriately for somewhere sitting beside Smithfield, the menu is big on beef, including steaks and côte de boeuf. In other words, you can go from meats to sheets without even needing to cross the road.

Find out more about The Fox and Anchor

The Windmill, Clapham

The grand old bruiser of this list. A pub has stood on the site beside Clapham Common since at least 1665; but these days it’s less “17th-century coach station” and more “rather jolly place to spend the weekend”. There are 42 eclectic, boutique-style bedrooms, including 13 dog-friendly rooms (because: Clapham Common).

Downstairs there’s a proper pub, restaurant and garden, plus a seasonal Burger Shack. The opened-up interior offers distinct drinking areas, and CAMRA notes the large room through to the left “boasts a whispering gallery effect to rival that of St Paul’s Cathedral.” 

So, should you actually wish to spend your evening whispering things across the room to your companion, this is very much the place to come.

Find out more about The Windmill

The Alma, Wandsworth

A proper old Victorian boozer, with 23 boutique-style bedrooms, ideal for extended business stays. The rooms have comfortable beds, modern facilities and minibars stocked with drinks. Downstairs, it’s very much a working boozer: British food, local craft beers, cocktails and, says the pub, “an electric atmosphere on match days.” Which is one way of putting it.

Located directly opposite Wandsworth Town railway station, the pub says you can be in London Waterloo within 10 minutes (“which is pretty handy”). Which means you can have dinner, enjoy a drink, wander a few yards to your room and be back in central London before most commuters have finished their first coffee.

Find out more about The Alma

The Princess Royal, Notting Hill

The tiny glamorous one. This Victorian pub has just four boutique bedrooms, each individually designed by British designers and manufacturers, with enormous beds. They’re called Diana, Alexandra, Margaret and Lilibet, because apparently calling them Room 1, Room 2, Room 3 and Room 4 wasn’t sufficiently royal.

Downstairs, there’s a horseshoe bar, a conservatory, two private dining rooms and a pair of terraces designed by landscape designer Jinny Blom.

Then there’s the location. Hereford Road is bang in the middle of Notting Hill, with restaurants, independent shops and Portobello all within easy reach. So you can spend the afternoon wandering around, have another drink, then head upstairs. No need to catch the Tube or wait for a night bus, wondering why you didn’t just stay in the pub.

Find out more about The Princess Royal