The new Bulgari Hotel in London's Knightsbridge area is a polished, opulent affair. The lobby has glossy mahogany walls, granite floors and black leather counters surrounded by sharp grey-suited receptionists and handsome silver Bulgari products behind display cases.
My room has plenty of polished chrome and mahogany, and the bathroom is in white veined marble, with Frette towels and Bulgari toiletries. Luxurious stand-up Bulgari travel trunks house the mini-bars, and super-tall leaning mirrors grace every room.
There is a sculptural glass bowl filled with a pyramid of perfect-looking apricots, and there are even some printed business cards in the stationery folder that have my name and 'My residence in London' printed underneath. It's a thoughtful, if somewhat outlandish detail - I could never afford to make a Bulgari hotel my home in any city.
My room looks out to a traffic-choked, grey Knightsbridge. Luckily, when the triple-glazed windows are shut, it's as if the outside world no longer exists.
Time to go to the 2,000 square metre two-storey green-and-gold spa. Although underground, it is an airy and beautiful place, and I am instantly drawn to the glittering 25-metre pool (a rarity in London hotels) and the vitality pool, with its striking waterfall, multiple massage jets and gold-leaf, glass mosaic tiling.
After a 90-minute body radiance treatment - one of the hotel's signature packages, which uses ESPA products - I waft back to my room, but not before visiting a private suite with a steam shower, double hydro-massage tub and walls lined in green onyx. Back upstairs, I light one of the green tea candles provided, and lie on my supremely comfortable bed in a state of bliss.
