London

Café at Foyles
The most easygoing and relaxing place you’ll find on Charing Cross Road, this unpretentious joint (on the first floor next to Ray’s Jazz) serves up all the expected café grub: sarnies, salads, flapjacks, fantastic coffee. And it’s a more cerebral alternative to Starbucks and the like.
Café at Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 (7440 3207/www.foyles.co.uk). Leicester Sq tube. 9.30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-6pm Sun.

Porchester Spa
Getting off the sofa is hard. Getting out of a bath? Impossible, particularly if you’re sitting in these traditional Turkish baths, which boast two Russian steam rooms, three Turkish hot rooms, a log sauna, an ice-cold plunge pool, plus a range of hamam treatments and massages.
Porchester Spa, The Porchester Centre, Queensway, W1 (7792 3980). Bayswater tube. Women only 10am-8pm Tue, Thur, Fri, Sun 10am-4pm; men only 10am-10pm Wed, Sat ; mixed couples 4-10pm Sun. Feature continues

Bourne & Hollingsworth
Decked out just like your great aunt’s front room circa 1930, this tiny bar is hidden under a newsagent at the bottom of Charlotte Street. The cocktails are superb, and they somehow find room to fit live music into the space. Prohibition-era themed parties and radio script recitals provide regular entertainment.
Bourne & Hollingsworth, 28 Rathbone Place, W1 (7636 8228/www.bourneandhollingsworth.com). Goodge St/Tottenham Ct Rd tube. Opening times vary.

Candid Arts Café and Courtyard
Beaten-up sofas, drapes on the walls and battered wooden furniture… you’d have to work hard to find somewhere as comfy as this Angel stalwart. There’s a gallery next door if you fancy a touch of culture, and a courtyard if by some miracle it’s warm enough to sit out.
Candid Arts Café and Courtyard, 3 Torrens St, EC1 (7837 4237/www.candidarts.com). Angel tube. Noon-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun.

Nikita’s Russian Restaurant
This small, decadent restaurant has two private dining booths, each seating six, full of cushions, mirrors and a heavy curtain to pull closed for privacy. Two private dining rooms each seat 15.
Nikita’s, 65 Ifield Rd, SW10 (7352 6326/www.nikitasrestaurant.com). Fulham Broadway tube. Open Mon-Thur 6.30pm-11.30pm; Fri, Sat 6.30pm-1am.

BFI Southbank
While The Electric and The Everyman have some two-seater sofas, at £30 they’re hardly suitable for January purses. Try the BFI Southbank. Seats are just as snug and you can take drinks into the cinema.
BFI Southbank, Belvedere Rd, SE1 (0870 787 2525/www.bfi.org.uk). Waterloo tube/rail.

The Pig’s Ear
This upmarket Chelsea gastropub does indeed serve deep-fried pigs’ ears, though you could always go for the slightly less squeamish Pig’s Ear ale instead. There’s also a swish dining room where you can enjoy more adventurous grub (salad of duck hearts, anyone?), or simply find a seat near the fire and settle down with a bottle of fine French wine.
The Pig’s Ear, 35 Old Church St, SW3 (7352 2908/www.turningearth.co.uk). Sloane Sq tube. Pub open Mon-Sat noon-11pm; Sun noon-10.30pm; Restaurant open Mon-Sat noon-3.30pm, 7-10.30pm; Sunday noon-4.30pm.

Arch One
Polished wood tables and leather banquettes, all tucked into the curve of an old railway arch, handily located for Waterloo commuters. For true cosiness head for the tables at the back. Cocktails are the order of the day, particularly the various takes on the martini.
Arch One, 1 Mepham St, SE1 (7401 2329/www.arch-1.com). Waterloo tube/rail. Mon-Wed 6-10am, noon-midnight; Thur-Sat 24 hours.

The King’s Head
When it’s cold outside, this Islington theatre lights its fire – you often can’t see inside from the street because the windows have steamed up. At the bar you’ll find thespian types sipping pints of Adnams, in keeping with the fact that there’s a theatre at the back.
The King’s Head, 115 Upper St, N1 (pub 2226 4443; theatre 7226 1916/www.kingsheadtheatre.org). Angel tube. Pub Mon-Thur, Sun 11am-1am; Fri, Sat 11am-2am.

The Brickhouse
It doesn’t get much more comfy than laying in bed, and the top floor of this new three-floored restaurant-cum-cabaret club has four double beds on which to recline. There’s cabaret most nights from 9pm.
The Brickhouse, 152c Brick Lane, E1 (7247 0005/www.thebrickhouse.co.uk). Liverpool St tube/rail. Bar Tue-Sat noon-2am, noon-midnight; Restaurant Tue-Fri noon-3pm, 6-10.30pm; Sat 6-10.30pm.