INDULGENT DELIGHTS

Louis Roederer and Gillardeau oysters on the breakfast buffet. Croque Monsieur with black truffles on the all-day menu at Saison, a Mauro Colagreco restaurant. Where in the world?

OH-WOW 

Actually, this is the quintessential of English hotels, London’s unique Raffles OWO, a multi-labour of love conversion by the Hinduja family. The hexagonal structure was designed by William Young and Clyde Francis Young in 1906 to hold the War Office, now the Old War Office, known affectionately as The OWO. Those who worked in its labyrinth of offices included T.E. Lawrence and, during WWII, Churchill and spies galore. James Bond creator Ian Fleming never had a base at The OWO, but he visited often.

FRENCH FLAIR

Today, the building’s signature 55-step grand staircase has given up diplomacy for decoration – oolitic limestone with alabaster balustrade, a historic wall clock and an iDogi chandelier sparkling overhead. A suitable and much-used selfie venue, especially for hotel Managing Director Philippe Leboeuf. French flair.

SUITE DREAMS 

What is a revelation when actually staying in what is now a 120-room hotel is that this is more than jolly good. It’s an outstanding hotel. Choose to overnight in Churchill’s office, now the heavily-panelled Haldane Suite. But there are less overpowering choices.

RISE TO ROMANCE

Take #525, the three-floor Turret Suite. It’s great for lovers, girls alone - or fitness enthusiasts as it has 25 stairs from bottom to top. At its lowest level, wrapped in glorious mint-coloured wallpaper with birds and boughs, is the bedroom, with the sparkling white bathroom leading off it. Halfway up the stairs a mezzanine holds a powder room and an elegant eatertainment area.  

GLIMPSE INTO HISTORY

Up top is what is best described as an octagonal eyrie. From here, look out variously over or across Whitehall. Look far out at St James’s Park and its lake. Look around the eyrie. You might see a framed section of the original, 1906-vintage floor grill that, from 118 years ago, covered communication lines along the building’s 2.5 miles of corridor – today, the corridors are carpeted in a pattern chosen by chief designer Thierry Despont that has a red, white and black pattern emulating the grill. Welcome notes are hand-written on gold-printed stiff cards. 

BRAGGABLE BATHROOM

The bathroom has salts in a marble container, a wooden toothbrush, and eco paste, paper-packaged. It has a heated floor, toilet seat and towel rack – towels are, like the baby’s-bottom-soft robe and sumptuous bed linens, Rivolta Carmignani (baby’s bottom was the late Bob Mondavi’s favourite phrase when describing Opus One). There’s a black Dyson hairdryer and black curling tongs. There are books, hardbacks, on Dior, on The OWO and Raffles, and Ian Fleming, and more. 

FOOD WITH FLAIR

Try the Guards Bar, for an exclusive Louis XIII tasting. You have four Mauro Colagreco dining venues: two Milanaise, one French, and one Japanese. For comfort food with flair, seek out Saison. An all-day-long destination anchor, it’s a high-ceilinged conservatory that seemingly covers a small courtyard in the original 1906 building. One end wall is painted with an ecclesiastical arch and an arboreal scene. 

CANINE APPROVED 

Archie, the hotel’s English border terrier canine ambassador, loves Saison (he’s leashed and silent). Perhaps start with burrata, made in London using buffalo milk from an Italian-owned farm in southeast England, served with citrus coriander seeds, basil, and pistachio. Another favourite is croque monsieur made from Burford Cheese (a Jersey cow cheese from Somerset) with black truffle. Finish with the irresistible praline-lump chocolate mousse with hazelnut ice cream and praline.

MORNING MAGIC

In the morning, requested newspapers hang outside the door in grey stiff-card bags with pink ribbons that match the eyrie’s flowers. The 24/7 fruit-filled subterranean gym, overlooking a serious pool, is quite one of the best imaginable, with latest Technogym and Outrace. And then comes breakfast.