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London, 007 Style

Bond has firmly swashbuckled into the 21st century in the form of hunky Daniel Craig, who is bursting onto screens in the brand-new Quantum of Solace. Although he's better known as a global jet-setter, James’s hometown of London holds many of the keys to his persona -- it's where he dressed, ate, slept, and had his hair done. Here’s your chance to swagger in his footsteps and imagine your travels are on Her Majesty’s Secret Service expense account.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted November 13, 2008
London, 007 Style
Duke's Hotel

Bond has firmly swashbuckled into the 21st century in the form of hunky Daniel Craig (the best-built Bond to date, it must be said), who is bursting onto screens in the brand-new Quantum of Solace this Friday. The randy and decidedly metrosexual 007 (who loves labels and looking like he just strolled off a catwalk) has long been an inspiration for gay men the world over. Although he's better known as a global jet-setter, James’s hometown of London holds many of the keys to his persona -- it's where he dressed, ate, slept, and had his hair done. Here’s your chance to swagger in his footsteps and imagine your travels are on Her Majesty’s Secret Service expense account …

Checking In

One of the best hotels in London and one that happens to have a strong Bond tie-in is Duke’s (St. James’s Place, +44-20-7491-4840, www.dukeshotel.com), a five-star boutique hotel that has a long history of putting up noble visitors to Buckingham Palace nearby. With 90 rooms and an Old World English feel, it’s tucked away on a quiet alleyway in the exclusive Mayfair district. Bond creator Ian Fleming, a frequent visitor to Duke’s (he was a member of the gentlemen’s Carlton Club nearby), is said to have invented his shaken, not stirred vodka martini in the hotel’s exclusive bar (dress code required, of course).

Nowadays Daniel Craig would probably be checking into the sleek and hip Mayfair Hotel (Stratton Street, +44-20-7629-7777, www.radissonedwardian.com/londonuk_mayfair). This ultrasophisticated property is decorated with Buddha motifs, and its luxury spa is a rare treat in London. The shiny, seen-and-be-seen windowed bar is unbelievable, with gourmet food and specialty drink parings. Cher even stayed here for a couple weeks -- how’s that for a gay stamp of approval?

This lavish Ritz (150 Piccadilly, +44-20-7493-8181, www.theritzhotel.co.uk) is the quintessential Bondian hotel. Bond set up temporary residence here in the novels Diamonds Are Forever and The Man With the Golden Gun, and he preferred the suites overlooking Green Park. Ian Fleming frequently dined at the hotel’s posh restaurant, one of his favorites. The Ritz has undergone nearly $93 million in renovations, restoring the architecture and even the fabrics to their original luxurious Louis XVI style. Make like James and enjoy the Champagne Afternoon Tea service at 7:30 nightly (formal jacket and tie required).

Seeing the Sites

The Imperial War Museum (Lambeth Road, +44-20-7416-5000, www.iwm.org.uk) is an ubermasculine venue with guns, planes, and tanks, but don your tux for a stroll through the current “For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond” exhibit, chronicling the birth of 007, Fleming’s war years, and cool items like paperback covers and official movie props, including an underwater mobile from Thunderball and Halle Berry’s tangerine bikini from Die Another Day.

Bond (in the form of Pierce Brosnan) engages in a no-holds-barred fencing match in Die Another Day, nearly destroying the club Blades in the process. (You probably remember the scene mostly for the wooden cameo appearance by a leather-clad Madonna.) It was actually shot at a historic gentlemen’s club, the sumptuous Reform Club (104 Pall Mall, +44-20-7930-9374, www.reformclub.com), founded in 1836. You needn’t even know a member to gaze on the grand interiors -- the club offers free tour appointments to visitors on weekday mornings.

Where else would 007 attend an auction but New Bond Street? That’s the address of Sotheby’s Auction House (34-35 New Bond St., +44-20-7293-5000, www.sothebys.com), where Bond scrutinizes suspicious bidding over a Fabergé egg by Russian spies in the short story The Property of a Lady -- a scene re-created for the film Octopussy with Roger Moore.

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