The family-owned Irish boutique hotelier Doyle operates this upscale classic town-house hotel 2 blocks south of the Natural History Museum. Everything that makes a Kensington town house iconic—two-story ceilings, floor-to-roof windows with flowing curtains, wainscoting and wood floors—have been assembled in rooms as comfortable as ones in our century. The rain showers are powerful enough to wash a Saint Bernard while four-poster beds, duck down duvets, and chandeliers add the right Regency tone. Breakfast is continental with an edge (goat cheese and spinach tarts!), but you can order cooked food at a charge.