Forget family hotel rooms, have an entire London townhouse to yourself instead

You don’t have to squeeze everyone into a family hotel in London any more, as Siobhan Grogan and her children recently found out on a stay at The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel.

Haymarket Hotel, London

A family hotel in London where kids have room to spread out

The whole family can live like Londoners in the five-bedroom townhouse at the Haymarket Hotel, where you’ll have bags of space and your own front door yet full use of the hotel’s room service, restaurants and swimming pool.

As we entered The Townhouse through a private door from the Haymarket Hotel, my son said it all, as he clocked the fact that we had an entire house in central London for the night.

“This is unbelievable!” he marvelled, racing up the stairs to discover the other rooms in this four-storey Regency townhouse, originally designed by John Nash, the same architect behind Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

Cosy living room, The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel

Families feel at home in The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel

There’s certainly plenty of room for the extended family – or for a celebratory stay with friends – without needing to disappear into separate hotel rooms. And, unlike any family hotel in London we’ve ever stayed in, this one has its own chic kitchen on the ground floor with pastel-painted cupboards, a large dining table and everything from a dishwasher to a coffee machine for rustling up lunches between sightseeing.

Upstairs, we loved the cosy living room with squishy sofas, a record player and classic vinyl collection, as well as floor to ceiling sash windows and not one, but two, open fires.

The five bedrooms are spread over three floors and all have been overseen by renowned interior designer Kit Kemp so you can look forward to clashing prints, dressmaker mannequins and original artwork. Also, they all have their own huge, marble bathroom, complete with kids’ bath products, mini bathrobes and – to my son’s delight – a TV screen at the foot of every bath. Good to know children’s board games, babysitting and even milk and cookies at bedtime are available too, so you still get the perks of staying in a family hotel in London!

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Swimming pool, Haymarket Hotel

Remember to pack swim stuff

You don’t need to set foot in the adjoining hotel if you don’t want to, as The Townhouse has its own private front door straight onto the street outside, plus there’s a hallway to kick off shoes and dump bags (just like at home).

However, it would be a shame to miss the hotel’s 18 metre pool, which is lit by colour changing LED lights and has its own stash of pool toys and inflatables for kids. When we visited we had it entirely to ourselves and could even dash back to The Townhouse in our bathrobes afterwards.

Kitchen, The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel

Cook, don’t cook, it’s your house and your rules

A top reason for choosing a family hotel in London is the pleasure of not cooking. The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel lets you cook if you want to (as I said, the kitchen is a joy) but, from Pizza Express to the Hard Rock Café, there are countless family-friendly restaurants locally or you can just pop next door to the hotel’s own restaurant, Brumus. It serves food all day long, including afternoon tea, pre-theatre menus and breakfast: we feasted on flaky croissants, stacks of pancakes and bacon rolls.

Dinner is even more of a treat, as it’s possible to order room service straight to the kitchen table in The Townhouse, then tuck into steak and ale pie, salmon fishcakes or venison and aged beef burgers once kids are in their PJs after swimming.

Matilda the Musical © Cambridge Theatre, London

The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel lets you explore London

The Townhouse at Haymarket Hotel is smack bang in the middle of London’s West End, so there’s no shortage of shopping and big-ticket attractions right outside your very own front door.

Trafalgar Square, The Mall and Covent Garden are all close by, as is the Thames for boat rides, the London Eye and SEA LIFE London Aquarium.

Plus, the hotel can also arrange babysitters if you fancy a night at the theatre. His Majesty’s Theatre is just across the road from The Townhouse, Theatre Royal is right next door, and Dominion Theatre for The Devil Wears Prada, is only a short walk away. Although, you might want to treat kids to a night out too, in which case, Matilda The Musical, The Lion King and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child are also at nearby theatres.