Review: The Hari

Why book?

For a personable, well-connected London base tucked away in Belgravia – this feels like a secret hotel for romantic liaisons or a weekend break taking in a show or exhibition, shopping on Sloane Street then stretching out for an indulgent Sunday morning.

Set the scene

This is black-cab, embassy-land London, just south of Hyde Park off a small leafy square, the London Eye just about visible over the rooftops; a fleet of bicycles stands outside a modern facade partially hidden behind tumbling foliage and smoked glass. Inside, steps lead up to mezzanine levels, bright with mood lighting, shiny marble, chrome and touchy-feely fabrics, with G-Plan furniture, pink orchids, art books and artworks to browse, oysters and fizz to slurp. With the flurry of London openings in recent years, you’d be forgiven for overlooking hotels such as The Hari, but this is a contemporary bolthole with an artistic temperament and loft-style bedrooms that are a pleasure to dawdle in. And while many of London’s classic hits are a stroll away, staying in for an evening isn’t to be sniffed at either, drifting on a little passeggiata from the bar with its riffs on classic cocktails down to the restaurant for authentic Italian dishes.

The backstory

One of Hong Kong’s top openings of 2021 was The Hari, a coolly elegant hotel in the Wan Chai district with mid-century looks and an intriguing collection of contemporary art. Five years before that, however, the Hong Kong-based Harilela Group landed in Knightsbridge, opening The Hari in a space that was previously the Thompson Belgraves (with its own Mark Hix restaurant) – and one of the first projects by British designer Tara Bernerd. She worked with Philippe Starck and has gone on to get creative with Four Seasons hotels and Rosewood Munich. Bernerd’s 2012 aesthetic for this – all smoked wood flooring, bare brick, Arabescato marble and vibrant fabrics – was intended to conjure a luxe New York-loft vibe with a little nightclub pizazz and has dated well in a part of town that usually drinks deep from tried-and-tested, red-white-and-blue tradition.

The rooms

There’s a real sense of being tucked away here, of bedrooms being chic dens from which you can peek out at London, with decor mixing Starck-like polish with just a little burlesque (a waft of gauze, a lingerie-clad portrait) and lithographs such as Tracey Emin’s ‘She Lay Down’. We stayed in 405, a corner studio suite with a twin aspect over the outside streets and satisfying cantilevered alcoves – one with a lipstick-red sofa, others with a marble bath and the desk – along with a console desk, an Eames-style swivel chair and a sliding mirror door leading to the marble cocoon of a bathroom. Rather than chocolates on the pillow at turndown, we were presented with three biscuit easels with painted icing – sweet artistic miniatures. There’s very little noise from outside.

Food and drink

Il Pampero, the ground-floor restaurant, is a lovely space with geometric floor tiles, leather booths and an intriguing collection of framed art and photographic prints – pop by for the weekend live- jazz brunch but otherwise dig deep into the full Italian menu from Sicilian-born, Tuscany-raised chef Calogero Carlino, who plates up smart takes on classics such as vitello tonnato, Sardinian fregola with mussels and samphire, saffron risotto with a quail ragu and a squid-ink ravioli you’d write home about, filled with potato and mint and drizzled with lobster sauce. There are plenty of surprises – cured mackerel with smoked ricotta, for example – and fresh ingredients that are simply but lovingly prepared (chargrilled radicchio with orange). Puddings include a fine rhubarb and coconut panna cotta. The creative spin continues at breakfast when you can graze on poached eggs with mortadella and burrata, or sweet potato croquettes, with a Bellini or two perhaps, and a strawberry coulis. The mezzanine bar – all low-slung sofas and Anglepoise floor lights – leads up past a neon sign to a small terrace space; both share a generous bar menu (soft-shell crab burger, gyoza, posh spag bol) and drinks such as Bolney sparkling English, trademark Haritinis made with the spicy house gin and colourful, creatively-garnished cocktails inspired by artworks including Up Up and Away, based on Banksy’s ‘Girl with a Balloon’, with hibiscus-infused gin, cherry liqueur, cranberry and a bubble of smoke, presented on a drinks mat with the artwork on (although, as the waiter grumbles, “Young people like to steal that one, so we keep an eye on them.”)

The neighbourhood

Plenty for lovers of Georgian stucco and Pont Street Dutch architecture, and peeking into those leafy, private square gardens and imagining you might one day own a key – the more realistic will stride out to Green Park and Hyde Park. All the designer labels of Knightsbridge and Sloane Street flutter nearby, along with foodie hits such as Café Kitsuné, Granger & Co and Harry’s Dolce Vita; cultural ones include the Royal Court Theatre and the Churchill War Rooms. Very handy for Victoria station.

The service

Gentle, thoughtful and courteous – many of the staff have been here for several years and the sense of teamwork shows. In the restaurant, the mainly Italian team (Naples, Asti, Florence) were keen to recommend favourite dishes from the menu.

For families

This isn’t perhaps the most obvious choice for those with children, but it’s quiet and very well located for museums such as the Science Museum, Natural History and V&A.

Eco effort

Turn-down gifts include sustainably sourced body oil, lip balm and bath salts; while a sustainability management plan addresses food waste and other issues. The hotel is a member of NOW Force for Good Alliance and supports charities such as the Born Free Foundation. Borrow a brace of Hari’s bikes to get around rather than a cab.

Anything left to mention

The small gym just off the mezzanine bar has a Peloton bicycle.

Is it worth it?

While this isn’t pushing any boundaries, this is a likeable, low-key base for a central London stay – you’re in good hands with the lovely staff.