BudgetTravel

The rooms: The 16 rooms vary in size and are labeled Cozy, Fancy, or Swanky. They're all furnished with dark-wood wardrobes and desks, and suede or leather easy chairs. A soothing palette of browns, tans, and creams shows up everywhere, from upholstered headboards to velour throws.

Plus: The lounge and dining areas are civilized spots to have a drink. Or you can get cocktails delivered to your room.

LONDON HOTELS If you want to stay someplace with style, you're going to spend at least £99 a night. Here are six hotels that are worth it. • Launch the slide show FEBRUARY 2007 ISSUE • Table of Contents • Secret Hotels of the Riviera Maya • James Turrell: Sky High • Dubai: Just Add Money • Eat Like a Local: Melbourne • Five Hotels: What 99 Pounds Buys in London • Road Trip: Hawaii • 40 Best Vacations

Minus: Breakfast isn't included in the price. Eat elsewhere--the hotel charges an absurd £12.95 ($25) for a cold buffet of baked goods.

Details: 2 Montagu Pl., 011-44/20-7467-2777, montagu-place.co.uk, from £149 ($287).

HARLINGFORD

'Hood: Bloomsbury, the neighborhood that gave its name to a group of 20th-century artists and writers that included Virginia Woolf. The British Museum and the Russell Square gardens are nearby.

First impression: Although word-of-mouth referrals have kept the hotel busy for 40 years, the owners decided it needed a new look. Renovations completed in 2006 replaced the frumpy floral wallpaper and dingy burgundy carpets with brightly painted walls and modern furnishings.

The rooms: All 43 rooms have built-in blond-wood desks and wardrobes. Some period touches (ornamental fireplaces and moldings) were saved. Bath-rooms, done in jade tile, got thoroughly updated.

Plus: There are four tennis courts in Cartwright Gardens, across the street (borrow a racket at the hotel's reception desk). Guests are given keys to the front door, so they can come and go as they please.

Minus: The three-story hotel has no elevator (there are four ground-level rooms), and the bathrooms are miniscule.

Details: 61-63 Cartwright Gardens, 011-44/20-7387-1551, harlingfordhotel.com, from £99 ($190), includes breakfast.

THE HOXTON HOTEL

'Hood: Hoxton, a hip and gentrifying area near the East End and the Financial District. The bars of Shoreditch and the shops and restaurants of Spitalfields Market are within a short walk.

First Impression: The high-ceilinged, exposed-brick lobby has a minimalist, shabby-chic feel, and the focus is on useful amenities (no gym, no overpriced minibar). "I don't like being ripped off," says owner Sinclair Beecham, cofounder of the British sandwich-shop chain Pret A Manger.

The rooms: The 205 rooms are identical, with wood paneling, flat-screen TVs, and down duvets and pillows. Fridges stock free mineral water and milk.

Plus: Pret Lite Breakfasts (a pot of yogurt, a banana, and fresh orange juice) are left on a hook outside each door. Local calls are 6¢ a minute, calls to the U.S. are 10¢, and the Internet and Wi-Fi are free.

Minus: Great Eastern Street is a heavily trafficked (and rather seedy) strip, so it can be noisy. Request a room overlooking the courtyard or quieter Willow Street.

Details: 81 Great Eastern St., 011-44/20-7550-1000, hoxtonhotels.com. Note that the hotel's pricing structure is modeled on those of budget airlines; rates fluctuate wildly depending on the demand and how far in advance you book. From £59 ($119), includes breakfast.