When Alexander Graham Bell made his first telephone in London, he did so from Brown’s. It was a sensible move—the hotel on Albemarle Street, in Mayfair, has been an epicenter of buzz since its opening in 1837, the same year that an 18-year-old Queen Victoria ascended to the throne. Owned by Rocco Forte Hotels since 2003, it has been fully refurbished and is now home to two of the best suites in London—one designed by Olga Polizzi and named for Rudyard Kipling, and another by Sir Paul Smith. Even the locals can’t resist stopping in to partake in the many delights found at the Donovan Bar, masterminded by mixologist and bon vivant Salvatore Calabrese. —Ashley Baker

Ashley Baker is a Deputy Editor at AIR MAIL