I’m lucky enough to have been shown round many of London’s hotels. I’ve nosed round suites, inspected toiletries on offer and nodded approvingly at iPod facilities. But last night, the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel topped them all and let me stay overnight and experience the hotel first hand.

First off was the delicious food in the hotel’s restaurant. We were treated to a selection of tasty Portuguese tapas (the Pestana group is Portuguese) including lamb meatballs, tomato and mozzarella skewers, sweet potato and squid, and mussels. For a main course, I had chicken and chunky chips with a specially made piri-piri sauce that we all agreed should be bottled! And dessert didn’t disappoint: chocolate soufflé with fruit skewers (perfect for dipping into the melted chocolate centre.)

After marvelling at the view from Swissotel The Howard last week, I was also hugely impressed at the view of Battersea Power Station from the Pestana. You can also see the London Eye, Battersea Park and even into the trains running alongside (but the windows are triple-glazed, so you don’t hear them.)

Staying in the hotel made me appreciate London in a new way. It was an evening of pure relaxation, secure in the knowledge that my laundry, washing-up and household chores were miles away and there was happily nothing I could do about them!

The room has all the amenities you’d expect from a four-star hotel including an iPod dock, big bed, huge shower, safe, and tea and coffee making facilities. It also has an interesting design feature: a window between the bedroom and bathroom covered with a blind. The control for the blind is on the bedroom side, so you can peep into the bathroom if you’re curious as to what your partner/roommate/colleague is getting up to!

After a lovely breakfast, I headed to the office (covered in fluff from the brand-new towels), thinking I could get used to this executive lifestyle!

The Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel and Spa is open now