San Domenico House

A VOLUPTUOUS CHELSEA HIDEAWAY tucked away near Sloane Square, San Domenico House is a striking blend of elegant red-brick London townhouse splashed with opulent Italian.

Huge, lavishly furnished bedrooms - some with soaring ceilings - blend space and intimacy with flair, inviting you to draw down the shutters and maybe trade that night out on the town for an indulgent night in. Expensive designer fabrics, original paintings, rag-rolled walls and antiques collected by the owners around the world add to the feeling of cosseted luxury. Each is individually themed, and upper rooms  look over a vista of Chelsea's rooftops and gables.

Beds – many four-postered or canopied – are heaped with silken cushions, flouncy curtains spill onto the carpets while marble and chrome bathrooms with huge mirrors are generously stocked with Molton Brown bottles. Needless to say you’ll find all the digital gadgetry there too.

Chelsea rooftop views

There’s meticulous attention to detail throughout, while the warm fireplaces, gilded mirrors, books and cosy lamps – plus the odd quirky ornament – lend an expensively at-home feel. Immaculately-clad Italian staff are friendly and attentive, and you can enjoy breakfast, afternoon tea or drinks from the sunny rooftop terrace, with its brilliant views over the Chelsea rooftops.

Explore the King's Road stores, have a room-service dinner in your luxuriant quarters or hit some of the bars and restaurants in the vicinity. Flamboyant touches of Latino chic  are a reminder that the owners – who also run San Domenico Palace and Masseria Cimino in Puglia – hail from Italy. A good enough reason to plot your next trip south, perhaps.

© Room for Romance