Where to actually take her in London

London is enormous and the temptation is to let geography make the decision for you. Do not. A well-chosen hotel in Marylebone or the City and a bar within walking distance of it beats anything improvised on the night, and the difference in cost is one round of drinks. What you want to avoid is a long cab ride at the end of the evening in either direction.

Hotels that do not make it awkward

The single most common way an evening goes wrong in London is the front desk. Some houses charge a visitor fee, some ask for her passport, some simply do not allow a second person in the room after midnight. The houses below are the ones worth booking in this city - and because policies change with the season and the manager, the one question worth asking at reservation is whether a registered guest may come up to the room.

• The Ned City of Londonhotel bar - she can arrive without crossing a lobby · open late · walkable to everything · proper suites, not a box with a bed
• The Standard London King's Crossa view worth the first ten minutes · no dress code drama · staffed 24h, late check-in is normal
• Nobu Hotel Shoreditch Shoreditchdiscreet entrance, front desk asks nothing · hotel bar - she can arrive without crossing a lobby · no dress code drama
• The Zetter Townhouse Marylebonequiet enough to talk · discreet entrance, front desk asks nothing · hotel bar - she can arrive without crossing a lobby

Bars for the first drink

Forty minutes in a bar before anything else is not a formality - it is how two adults find out whether the evening is worth having. Pick somewhere you can hear each other.

• Dukes Bar St James'squiet enough to talk · serious cocktails, no queue at the bar · dress properly or you will feel it
• American Bar The Savoyhotel bar - she can arrive without crossing a lobby · serious cocktails, no queue at the bar · dress properly or you will feel it
• Nightjar Shoreditchopen late · serious cocktails, no queue at the bar · busy and loud after midnight
• Scarfes Bar Holbornhotel bar - she can arrive without crossing a lobby · quiet enough to talk · open late

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Melissa, 29Bya, 24Munik, 29Anitta, 28

The areas, honestly

Every city has a district everyone names and a district where things actually happen. In London they are not always the same place.

• Soho W1the nightlife spine of the city · busy and loud after midnight · tourist-priced, watch the bill
• Mayfair W1quiet enough to talk · dress properly or you will feel it · walkable to everything
• Bayswater and Paddington W2residential, private, nobody looks twice · walkable to everything
• Shoreditch E1the nightlife spine of the city · no dress code drama · open late

Three things that cost nothing

• Be where you said you would be, at the time you said it. Punctuality reads as respect, and it is the cheapest respect there is.
• Settle the practical part at the start, once, and never bring it up again.
• Book the room in your own name and go up first. Never ask her to check in for you.

Everyone listed on Red Light District London is an independent companion with a verified identity and a verified face. Where you take her is still your call - this page is only so you do not have to guess.