Taj meets Raj in the historic heart of London

TUCKED away in London's Westminster, 51 Buckingham Gate is a member of the India-headquartered Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces group.

The entrance at the 51 Buckingham Gate, Westminster, London.

DISCREETLY tucked away in southwest London's Westminster but within cooee of all the royal power buildings and a stroll from Green and St James's parks, 51 Buckingham Gate is a member of the India-headquartered Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces group and carries Suites and Residences as its brand.

Next door is the Taj-managed Crown Plaza London-St James, which I discover is a better-known reference for cab drivers, although Buckingham Gate would have been well-known in the early days of the 20th century as it housed the War Office.

The 51 complex consists of three tall Victorian heritage buildings - Kings, Falconers and Ministers - all in red brick outlined with creamy Portland stone and featuring aquamarine tiling, curved around a courtyard fountain reputedly presented by Queen Victoria to the complex's creator, Major Charles Pawley, a Royal Engineer.

The palpable feel is of putting up at one's own London digs, if only such a residential option were remotely affordable. This is a hotel with a spacious difference: each of the 83 guestrooms is an apartment of one to five bedrooms in various categories and design themes, all with smartly equipped kitchens, washing machine-dryer combo and bags of extras.

There are funky colours, soft beds, Hollywood-luxe bathrooms with Molton Brown toiletries and a telly set by the tub, all creating a high hibernation factor. These serviced abodes are claimed to be London's largest, perfect for families, and children are warmly welcomed at these posh homes away from home. There are packages in conjunction with London's famous Hamleys toy store that, by special arrangement, can include after-hours visits and even a sleepover among the doll's houses and teddy bears.

There are also Earth Rooms, which need to be requested in advance, that have more energy-efficient lighting, fixed air-conditioning settings, snack corner instead of a refrigerated minibar and potted plants rather than cut flowers.

The Spa at 51, in a separate building across the courtyard, features an a la carte approach using Anne Semonin of Paris products; you have a consultation with the therapist who designs, say, a facial to suit your skin type or a made-to-measure massage. In my case, it's the lovely Floriana who brandishes warm towels scented with ginger and lime and includes a heavenly scalp and neck massage with the spa's nourishing signature facial.

But aside from beautiful design, 24-hour services, butlering of all description and Floriana's healing hands, the secret weapon of this hotel - and one equally available to non-guests - is its Michelin-starred Quilon Restaurant where chef Sriram Aylur serves up the best southwest Indian coastal cuisine this side of Kerala or Goa.

With a street frontage at neighbouring 41 Buckingham Gate, and seating for about 80, Quilon puts paid to the notion that hotel dining is dull. There's curry leaf and lentil-crusted fish with ginger and mango chutney, slow-cooked lamb with freshly ground pistachios, chillies and spices, and a menu of vegetarian specialties that includes a hot and sweet mango curry and thinly sliced okra, batter-fried and tossed in onion, tomato and crushed pepper.

Or there may be none of the above, as Aylur's menu changes with the seasons, the available seafood, the supply of pineapples and pomegranates. But do order, any time, a tamarind margarita and a Kerala-style lacy rice appam pancake on the side with the mains.

Quilon opened in September 1999 and has picked up more Best Indian Restaurant awards than is decent. Tip: The three-course set lunch at £22 ($35.60) is a bit of a London bargain. Taj also runs the Bombay Brasserie in Courtfield Road, relaunched last year with an open kitchen, chic interiors by global design gurus Chhada Siembieda & Associates and a menu featuring new-wave Indian fare of the likes of lamb kebabs on sugarcane candy. Bring it on.

Susan Kurosawa was a guest of Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces.

Checklist
51 Buckingham Gate Suites Taj Suites and Residences, 51 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF. Phone + 44 20 7769 7766; www.51-buckinghamgate.com; www.quilon.co.uk; www.bombaybrasserielondon.com.

Tariff: Consider a tailored Harrods package for pound stg. 330 for two that includes a one-night stay, full breakfast, use of gym and wellness facilities, cocktails and canapes in 51's cosy library, return chauffeur-driven Jaguar to Harrods, enrolment in the top tier of the Harrods rewards program and pound stg. 100 gift card (after spending pound stg. 250 in the store). Average room rate from about $637 at hotels.com.

Getting there: Very close to St James's Park tube or Victoria Station (express connections from Gatwick); taxi from Heathrow takes about 45 minutes, traffic willing.

Checking in: Long-term guests, families and corporates, couples on weekends.

Wheelchair access: One adapted apartment.

Bedtime reading: With such close proximity to Buckingham Palace and royal goings-on, one simply must read Sue Townsend's hysterical spoof Queen Camilla.

Stepping out: Buckingham Palace, Wellington Barracks (with its fascinating Guards Museum), three parks in the vicinity; the hotel operates a "retail shuttle" to Harrods and Selfridges. In summer, there are guided tours, which must be pre-booked, of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace; check the special 2010 exhibition, The Queen's Year. More: www.royalcollection.org.uk.

Brickbats: Lifts are very small and clunk to a stop so perhaps request a room away from the lift lobby on each floor as there could be noise; the hotel is secreted among other buildings and has no wide views.

Bouquets: Lovely courtyard dining in summer with barbecued dishes and specialties from Quilon; spa opens to 9.15pm weeknights so you can book in for a late treatment after a day on the hop.