One Aldwych

One Aldwych stands on a curved corner where the Strand meets Covent Garden, its rounded stone front rising like the bow of a ship. Step inside and the lobby bar opens up beneath tall arched windows, with red columns, low sofas and a huge floral display that changes through the year. Before the curtain goes up in the West End, theatregoers and Londoners fill the room with a happy hum.

Upstairs everything slows down. The rooms are pale and softly lit, hung with original artwork, and come with electric curtains, a well stocked minibar and bathrooms that invite a long soak. Suites add a separate living room, and a handful have their own terrace above the rooftops of Aldwych. The evening turndown is one of the small rituals that guests remember.

Indigo, the signature restaurant, serves from breakfast through to early dinners before a show, while the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea has become a London outing in its own right. Downstairs, the health club hides a mood-lit pool where music plays under the water, along with a sauna, a hammam and a gym that never closes. There is a private screening room too. The videos on this page take you from the bar to the rooms and down to that glowing blue pool.