The Pine Bar at the Millenium

The chink of Champagne flutes & the soft hum of grown-up conversation provide the soundtrack at these twin hotel bars; one attached to Italian restaurant, Avista, the other (Pine), a discreet, wood-panelled, toffee-toned late lounge. To sip, try an Avista exquisite (vodka, raspberry purée, Champagne & crème framboise), pineapple mojito, apple martini or a ‘strange place’ – the latter is a Tequila-based concoction, not a description of either room. The Millennium may not match venues like The Dorchester for drama, or draw the cool crowd that congregates at Claridge’s, but sometimes all that’s required is an unassuming bolthole in which to kick back, admire some abstract paintings, order afternoon tea or snuggle up with a ‘billionaire’ – that’s a cocktail, not a Russian oligarch.