London's best family hotels

Best for views to impress: Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard London

The Shard is one of London's most exciting - and easily recognisable destinations - and the kids will love the incredible views at the Shangri-La, especially from the Infinity Sky Pool on Level 52 (even getting to take the lift up to Level 52 will feel like a treat). Children are given cookies on arrival, as well as mini robes and slippers, but they'll probably be too enraptured gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in their rooms to notice.

Best for kids' club: Meliá White House

A Regent's Park address next to the ZSL London Zoo and Madame Tussaud's? Tick. Free stays for kids up to the age of six (kids 6-12 get 50% off the adult rate), plus rooms for under £100 a night? Tick. Presents for kids on arrival? Oh, yeah, as well as kids' toiletries, baby bottle warmers, nightly milk and cookies and extra cots and beds if you need them. As if all of that didn't already sound fantastic, there's also an on-site kids' club (typically a feature of hotels in more exotic destinations), with movies, gaming, drinks, snacks and more.

Best for family rooms: The Landmark London

With a healthy selection of spacious family suites kitted out with two double beds, The Landmark provides plenty of breathing - and sleeping room - for your whole gang (parents can even have in-room spa treatments while the kids watch telly in the sitting room). Families of four should book in for the Family Escape break, which includes a trad English breakfast in the Winter Garden restaurant, as well as hotel room camping: the room will be set up with a tent and headlamps, and kids will get to munch on freshly baked cookies on arrival. From socket safety covers to baby bath tubs, they've got the crawling set covered, too. Did we mention there's a stunning hotel pool as well?

Best for all those details: Royal Garden Hotel

Sure, the Royal Garden Hotel is in an amazing location, with great family-friendly amenities like connecting rooms, cots for babies and babysitters you can hire as required, but what really makes it incredible for families are all those little details that parents will appreciate. Like the fact kids can borrow Micro Scooters for excursions around London (they'd get too exhausted walking), or the wigwam tents for them to play in. Parents will also like the early dining option (dinner is served from 5:30pm in the Park Terrace restaurant), the kid-specific room service menu and the backpacks with toys for the little ones - all part of the Family Escape Package.

Best for proximity to museums: The Ampersand

We already knew that The Ampersand's Sci-Fi tea was one of London's best afternoon tea for kids destinations, so it's no surprise it's one of the family-friendliest hotels around. Not only are you in easy walking distance of the city's top museum attractions for kids (Natural History Museum, V&A, Science Museum and Hyde Park's amazing playgrounds), but the hotel also offers family-friendly and interconnecting rooms, which can accommodate an extra cot or fold-up bed. Suites have kitchenettes so you can warm up a bottle or make an emergency snack at any time of day (or night), and parents can request children's bathrobes and slippers, as well as toiletries and activity packs. As we all know, a present on arrival pretty much guarantees a happy child.

Credit: Amy Murrell

Best for the Mary Poppins experience: The Kensington

Parents staying at The Kensington won't just benefit from its great location and proximity to many of London's top attractions. Book in for the Suite Nannies package, created in collaboration with leading nanny agency, Imperial Nannies, and your visit to London can include a Mary Poppins of your very own. The three-night package comes with 12 hours of nanny care daily; not only will the nannies arrive with their very own carpet bag with toys, books and other surprises, they'll take the kids on excursions around London, to destinations like the Science Museum and Battersea Children's Zoo. Who needs a date night when you can have a triple bill?

Best for a full night of sleep: The Zetter

Eco-friendly, creative and chic, The Zetter has it all, and then some. Parents will love the quirky retro-meets-modern aesthetic in the room design; they'll also be happy to have an interconnected room, which gives them a chance to be close - but not too close - to the kids, which ideally translates to uninterrupted sleep. The hotel is well equipped for babies, with video monitors and cots, while children will also get crayons, colouring books and their own menu choices at breakfast and dinner.

Credit: Darren Chung

Best for days when you can't leave the hotel: Ham Yard Hotel

Travelling with kids is unpredictable at best, which is why your surroundings are so important: some days, the kids are too shattered to sightsee and need some TLC. The centrally located Ham Yard not only provides stunning interiors inspo from Kit Kemp, but rooms also accommodate extra cots or beds (and you can opt for an interconnecting room). There's a kid-friendly outdoor restaurant with kids' menu, a retro bowling alley, on-site babysitting, kids' books and games and even milk and cookies before bedtime.

Best for getting some country air: The Grove

An hour-and-a-half away from London you'll find the Grove in Hertfordshire, which gives kids the chance to reconnect with nature in just about every amazing way imaginable: Segway rides, nature walks, junior golf camps and three swimming pools, for a start. The hotel's walled garden will house a pop-up cinema experience in collaboration with Everyman Cinema for the whole of August, with family-friendly films like Mrs. Doubtfire and Captain Marvel.

Best for large families: The Marylebone

Located in one of London's dreamiest neighbourhoods, The Marylebone is well-suited to families of all sizes, and kids can sleep under teepee tents or on rollaway beds. As part of the London with Family package (from £350 a night), kids are greeted with a hotel teddy bear to take home, dinner on the house (if they're under five, and eating before 7pm, which you will be), and can enjoy complimentary movies and games in the room. Bedtime is accompanied by milk and cookies in the teepee, and breakfast for the whole family is included. There's also an on-site pool, ideal for making those early mornings more enjoyable.