As a regular business traveller I have stayed at Parkes Hotel on more than 30 separate occasions. On my first visit I was thrilled with the easily accessible phone port and power sockets above the desk, the adjustable lighting, the great bathrooms with fantastic showerheads and the wonderfully comfortable beds. Oh, and I musn't forget to mention the maxi-bar - you'll know what I mean when you see it. The service, visit after visit, has been exceptional. I will miss them all very much when I finally get my own London flat!

I love hotels, and I spend a lot of time researching them whenever my husband and I travel to make sure that we stay in a place that enhances our experience of the location. However, invariably, at the end of any hotel stay, no matter how grand, I am always glad to return to the comfort of home. Not so with regard to the Parkes. It has been five days since we returned home from our stay at the Parkes in London, and as I sit at home after a busy day at work, I find myself wishing that I could return to the comfort of that place.

My husband and I recently spent four nights at the Parkes on a special trip to London with our mothers. This was a special treat for both of them, and I spent a lot of time planning to make sure things were just right. I chose the Parkes because we had stayed in Beaufort Gardens at a different hotel on our last trip to London, and loved the location on this quiet, tree lined cul-du-sac in the middle of bustling Knightsbridge. Another factor in choosing the Parkes was the great packages they offered on Luxury Link for four nights in a junior suite, including breakfast each day, theatre tickets or airport transfers, champagne and flowers. I booked two of these packages for our moms and booked a superior one bedroom suite for my husband and me. I spent months corresponding with the staff by e-mail to make the theatre arrangements, airport transfers and other little details. They were always prompt, courteous and helpful in their responses to my e-mails.

Parkes is a small townhouse hotel which consists of two houses converted into luxurious rooms, suites and comfortable public spaces. We arrived at the Parkes and were shown promptly to our rooms. As we arrived at each of our rooms, we were astonished by their beauty. My mother-in-law stayed in room 22 which was a magnificent junior suite with extremely high ceilings, opulent furnishings, crystal chandelier, floor to ceiling french doors looking out over the street and a lovely balcony with small dining table and chairs. I have never seen a more romantic, lovely room. My mother stayed in room 70 which was another junior suite with steps down to a posh bedchamber, high ceilings and its own special character. Our room, number 78, was beyond words. Two huge rooms on two different levels with huge living/dining room, small, but well appointed and terrifically modern kitchenette, and a beautiful bedroom.

All rooms featured magnificent floor to ceiling marble-clad bathrooms with high quality fixtures, deep soaking tubs, heated floors, magnifying mirrors and the greatest rainshower I have ever experienced. Bathrooms were appointed with a huge selection of full sized Molton Brown toiletries. What a treat! The rooms also featured the largest and most well stocked minibar that I have ever seen, large, well lit wardrobes with ample closet and drawer space and furnishings and fabrics that were broken in just enough to feel comfortable and inviting without being shabby. All of the bed and bath linens were top of line and simply divine. The feather beds and duvets were so comfortable that it was hard to get up every morning.

The hotel is small and intimate and has a wood paneled lounge with internet access and a lovely lower level breakfast room serving a wonderful continental or full English breakfast each morning. Despite its beautiful furnishings and surroundings, the biggest asset this hotel has to offer is its staff. I have never met a more hard working, pleasant, helpful and competent group of people in my life. They provided everything from restaurant recommendations, to sightseeing tour tickets to pleasant friendly conversation with the greatest ease and efficiency. Every request was was fulfilled instantly and by the time we left, each one of them knew us by name. The housekeeping was impeccable with twice daily maid service, yet, we never saw a housekeeper the whole time we were there. Since the hotel only has three to four rooms per floor, I think one housekeeper is assigned to a floor. They must keep track of everyone's comings and goings because everytime we left the room, even for an hour, everything was magically neat and straightened when we returned.

I could go on and on about our stay at the Parkes, but I will sum up by saying that it really felt like a home away from home. There are many hotels that make this claim, but the Parkes truly delivers. For a magical stay in a magical city, try the Parkes. You won't be disappointed. It is worth every penny.

My wife and I were guests at the Parkes Hotel for six nights at the end of April, and were most pleased with the experience. Our room was spacious and beautifully appointed; the heated marble bathroom floor was a special treat. We don't usually stay at small hotels, but based on our experience at the Parkes, we will likely do so whenever possible in the future. The staff, particularly Christine and Michael, with whom we had most contact, could not have been more gracious and accomodating.

I highly recommend including the continental breakfast with your room reservation. The typical continental breakfast consists of fruit juice, pastry, and hot beverage. The Parkes goes well beyond that, including also cut fresh fruit, hot and cold cereals, yoghurt, breakfast meat, and cheeses; all of this for 10GBP. We found that we could easily do without a sit down lunch, having only a snack or two before dinner. The downstairs dining room for breakfast was lovely, and the service quite attentive. Be sure also to take advantage of the comfortable lounge, with books, several current newwpapers and magazines, and internet access; it's located to the right of the lift on the entrance level.

The Parkes is located 3.5 blocks from the Knightsbridge tube station on the Piccadilly line; just travel past Harrods for two additional blocks on Brompton Road, turn left onto Beaufort Gardens, and the hotel is 50-60 yards down on the right. Be aware, however, that the last 30 or so steps up from the tube do not have an escalator, and getting your luggage up could be a problem. (It was fine for us). An alternative route in from LHR, although much more expensive, might be to take the Heathrow Express to Paddington, and then a taxi to the hotel.

Thanks to TripAdvisor for introducing us to the Parkes.

My husband and I just returned from a five night stay at the Parkes and I think it was my best hotel experience ever! We had a junior suite that was spacious and beautifully decorated. The bed was very comfortable with great linens, and the bathroom was large with a great shower/tub. But, what really makes this a fabulous hotel is the staff. I have never felt so well looked after. Every person we came in contact with was incredibly friendly, helpful, and went out of their way to make our trip fun and stress-free. I don't know who is responsible for hiring these people, but we sure could use them in some hotels in the States! We recommend the Parkes whole-heartedly!