Where to Stay for the Serpentine Summer Party
Kensington, Knightsbridge, Mayfair: the three neighbourhoods that frame Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, compared for a late-June stay in London.
Last updated 5 October 2026 · 4 min read
For a stay around the Serpentine Summer Party, the addresses that matter frame Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. In Kensington, The Milestone, at 1 Kensington Court, faces the gardens, and the Royal Garden Hotel stands beside the park. In Knightsbridge, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, at 66 Knightsbridge, overlooks Hyde Park, and The Berkeley is on Wilton Place. In Mayfair, The Dorchester looks onto the park from Park Lane, and Claridge's and The Connaught sit at the heart of the neighbourhood. A private house with staff suits those who wish to receive guests. In late June, suites are booked early; every stay is quoted individually.
Three neighbourhoods around the gardens
Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park form a single great green space, crossed by the Serpentine lake. The gallery and its Pavilion stand on the Kensington Gardens side. Three neighbourhoods frame the whole: Kensington to the west, Knightsbridge to the south, Mayfair to the east, on the other side of Park Lane.
The choice depends less on distance — all remain close — than on how you wish to live the week. Kensington for the gardens on foot and residential calm; Knightsbridge for the park on one side and the shops on the other; Mayfair for the great tables and art galleries, at the cost of crossing the park to reach the Serpentine.
Kensington: facing the gardens
The Milestone occupies two houses from 1884 at 1 Kensington Court, joined together and turned into a hotel in 1922, Grade II listed. Facing Kensington Gardens, it keeps the scale of a house: sixty-two rooms, including twelve suites and six long-stay apartments. It belongs to the Red Carnation group.
The Royal Garden Hotel, on Kensington High Street, stands right beside Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace; rebuilt in 1965, it offers views over the park from its upper floors. This is the neighbourhood for those who wish to reach the Serpentine on foot, along the garden paths.
Knightsbridge: Hyde Park on one side
The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park occupies an Edwardian building from 1889 at 66 Knightsbridge, which became a hotel in 1902. Its north entrance, on the park side, is reserved for special occasions; its one hundred and forty-one rooms include forty suites, many of which overlook Hyde Park.
The Berkeley settled on Wilton Place, between Knightsbridge and Belgravia, in 1972; it belongs to the Maybourne group and was for many years the only London hotel with a rooftop pool. From Knightsbridge, the Serpentine can be reached on foot through the park or in a few minutes by car.
Mayfair: the grand houses, across the park
The Dorchester opened in 1931 on Park Lane, facing Hyde Park; it is part of the Dorchester Collection. Further into Mayfair, Claridge's has occupied the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street since 1898, and The Connaught a building from 1897 on Carlos Place; both belong to the Maybourne group.
Mayfair puts the galleries, the shops and the great tables within walking distance. For the Serpentine, you cross Hyde Park — a fine walk by day, a short drive in the evening.
| Address | Neighbourhood | For whom | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Milestone | Kensington, 1 Kensington Court | The gardens on foot, a house on a human scale | Only sixty-two rooms: book early |
| Royal Garden Hotel | Kensington High Street | The park as a neighbour, floors with a view | A larger hotel, rebuilt in 1965 |
| Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park | Knightsbridge, 66 Knightsbridge | Hyde Park on one side, the shops on the other | Park-side suites are requested early |
| The Berkeley | Knightsbridge, Wilton Place | Belgravia and Knightsbridge, rooftop pool | A little further from the park |
| The Dorchester | Mayfair, Park Lane | The park as a horizon, a grand house | Cross the park to reach the Serpentine |
| Claridge's, The Connaught | Mayfair | Galleries, shops and tables on foot | Further from the gardens: plan a car in the evening |
| Private house | Kensington, Knightsbridge, Belgravia | Groups, families, receptions | A minimum number of nights is often required |
A private house: receiving guests
For a group, a family or a stay where you entertain, a townhouse in Kensington, Knightsbridge or Belgravia, with staff, offers what a hotel does not: a drawing room for an after-party dinner, a room for fittings, the discretion of an address that is not public. A minimum number of nights is often required; we check every property before proposing it.
When to book, and how we proceed
In late June, London is in full season: exhibitions, racing, tennis and private evenings follow one another, and suites around Hyde Park go early. We advise securing the hotel as soon as your dates take shape, adjusting if needed once the Serpentine publishes the 2027 date. We book with hotels as any guest would: TGZ is affiliated with none of them.
The quote depends on the address, the suite category, the length of stay and the timing of the booking. It includes no access to the evening. For the rest of the stay — tables, private dinner, stylist, Pavilion visit — our Serpentine Summer Party VIP page composes the whole, and our guide How to Get to the Serpentine Summer Party prepares the journeys.
Frequently asked questions
Among the addresses we name, The Milestone and the Royal Garden Hotel, in Kensington, are the closest to Kensington Gardens, where the gallery stands. From Knightsbridge, you reach the Serpentine on foot through Hyde Park; from Mayfair, you cross the park.
Kensington if your stay centres on the gardens and calm; Knightsbridge for a balance between the park and the shops; Mayfair for the galleries and the great tables. We choose according to your programme, not a neighbourhood's reputation.
Yes, from Kensington and Knightsbridge, along the garden paths, by day. On Summer Party night, in evening attire, we arrange a car to the nearest gate and for the return.
As soon as your dates take shape. The 2027 date has not yet been published, but the evening has taken place in late June in recent years: we can commit to the hotel early and adjust afterwards, according to each house's terms.
Yes: a townhouse in Kensington, Knightsbridge or Belgravia, with staff, lends itself well to a group or a stay where you entertain. A minimum number of nights is often required; we check every property and its terms before proposing it to you, on a tailored quote.
No. No hotel or address gives access to the Summer Party, which is by invitation. Staying near the gardens makes the stay simpler — and the visit to the Pavilion, open to all, more pleasant.
Take it further
Let us choose your address in London
Tell us your intended dates, the number of guests and how you wish to live the week: we propose the right address — hotel or private house — then compose the rest of the stay, on a tailored quote and subject to availability.