From the outside, it looks like any other ordinary hotel room. But once the door is opened, I’m transported into a room that is a visual love letter to both Hollywood… and Bollywood.
Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich welcome me inside, their portraits lining the entrance hall.
All the walls are decorated with posters from classic cinema – The Godfather, Ben-Hur, Tight Spot – as well as glamorous posters of Hindi films.
There’s of course a red carpet, sequin-adorned scatter pillows everywhere you look, jewel-toned furnishings and a definitive ambience of opulence. This is clearly a hotel room for the most fortunate of guests.
I’m staying in the Cinema Suite at the Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences ahead of next week’s Oscars – and I’m told there is little place better for a movie buff to enjoy the awards season.
The suite is crafted by renowned Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee – known as the designer of Priyanka Chopra’s wedding dress from her 2018 ceremony in India – and when you walk around, it’s easy to see why.
It’s Oscars time! Erin stayed in the cinema suite at the Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences
Suite dreams: Portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich line the entrance hall
I am slightly unsure what to do with myself amid quite so much gold, glitter and extravagance.
And that’s even before I’m introduced to Maneesh, our butler – yes, you read that correctly.
Maneesh tells me and my best friend, who’s joined me, that he’ll be looking after us during our stay. He offers us drinks, snacks and more. He fast becomes our new best friend, the latest addition to our trio.
Popcorn for our movie? A couple of extra strawberries to nibble on, alongside glasses of prosecco he’s delivered without fuss? Some herbal teas, perhaps? Truly, nothing here is too much to ask.
Erin gives the Hollywood-style red carpet a whirl. Right, the chocolate piano, with macaroons on top
While Maneesh busies himself with our every whim, we explore the suite. A quick walk down our red carpet, with time for a couple of selfies.
A tour of the bedrooms – one each, both with en-suite bathrooms approximately the size of my living room at home and kitted out with Molton Brown toiletries and a Dyson Air Wrap each to use.
Many subtle glances are exchanged; we can’t quite believe our surroundings.
Back in the living room, we glance at the view of the hotel courtyard below filled with fairylights and uniform-clad waiters.
Then we find an intricate piano decoratively displayed on the table, with pink macaroons on top. I ask if I can try one.
‘You can eat the whole thing,’ Maneesh responds.
Confused, I look again. He’s right. It’s not just the macaroons that are edible – the entire piano ornament is made out of chocolate.
Lights, camera, action: The room features an 85-inch plasma display with a 3D home theatre system
Walk of fame: With rich tones, colours, posters in every corner and on every wall, it’s a thoroughly vibrant suite
Sleep like a king – or a movie star: The master bedroom’s four-poster bed provides a great night’s sleep
It’s a ‘snack’ perfect for Hollywood A-listers used to glitz and glamour, that much is for sure. I’ve never seen dessert as intricate as this.
The cinema room itself is the crown jewel of the positively palatial suite, with leather sofas that sink when you fall into them.
It features an 85-inch plasma display with a 3D home theatre system and Steinway Lyngdorf sound too no less.
As a veritable film fanatic myself, I can’t wait to get a classic on the screen. We’re handed a book with the list of DVDs on offer and we can also stream movies directly from sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
We argue for a while – I think the suite is far too glamorous to watch something along the lines of Bridget Jones, my best friend thinks watching the Twilight movies here borders on sacrilege.
We eventually agree on a compromise: one of the films on the Oscars shortlist (Bugonia) and one to appease the inner child in us, let loose in a hotel suite that is more than triple the size of our own apartment (Nanny McPhee).
Popping poppadom: Coconut and tomato chutneys, as well as various pickles, are to start
Pretty in pink: The rose and lychee cocktail features an ice ball and dried rose petals
We also enjoy an hour at the hotel’s J Wellness Circle, seeking refuge from the cold London air in the sauna, steam room and vitality pool, accompanied by cucumber and mint water.
After a cinematic and relaxing afternoon, we head to Quilon for dinner right next to the hotel, a Michelin-starred restaurant specialising in south Indian cuisine.
We are welcomed by manager Ashish, who asks: ‘What’s your favourite Indian food? Let me guess. Chicken tikka masala? Naan bread?’
We look down sheepishly. Guilty as charged.
TRAVEL FACTS
Doubles at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites start from £657 per night including breakfast.
The Cinema Suite at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences in London can be booked from £5,850 per night, taj51buckinghamgate.co.uk.
These popular dishes come from the north of the country, we’re told. Here, Ashish explains, the emphasis is on food from southwest coastal India, and it is spicier, and with more emphasis on seafood. We’re unlikely to try anything we’ve had before, Ashish says.
For starters, we taste a selection – for me, the highlight is the Goan lamb chop.
While we nibble on tiny poppadoms, dips and chutney, we also sip on our cocktails.
Mine, Last Sting, is a take on a spicy Margarita, with watermelon, Reposado and a spicy jalapeno finish. My friend tries the prettiest drink I’ve ever seen, Bless, a juniper, lychee and rose cocktail.
For mains, we both taste Quilon’s signature dish, the baked black cod with tamarind, jaggery and fenugreek. It’s so smooth, it falls off my fork. We find no need to communicate through words what we are thinking: this is, frankly, ridiculously good.
Ashish brings us other dishes to share, and we tuck in wholeheartedly: a fish curry simmered in coconut and chilli, some prawns, a chicken in a rich curry sauce, and asparagus, mange tout, tenderstem purple broccoli dusted with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli and grated coconut.
On our final morning, we enjoy breakfast at Kona, which has classics such as Eggs Royale as well as Indian options; we plump for paratha, spiced omelettes and chickpea dishes alongside oat milk lattes.
Then we dilly dally while packing our things, reluctant to say goodbye to this most majestic of hotel rooms.
I don’t think watching Bridget Jones on my sofa in my tiny apartment, with Tesco popcorn and a drink I’ve poured myself, will ever feel as good again.
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