Hotel: The Berkeley

Address: Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RL

Website: maybourne.com

TraveLife Ranking: Four Plus Star

Rooms: 103 rooms, 55 suites.

Room rates: $450+

Highlights: The Berkeley is one of those stately hotels that just get better with age. Overlooking Hyde Park, the hotel’s exterior elegance blends beautifully with the super-expensive townhouses across the street where movie stars and the titans of industry reside. The entrance is a bit on the small side but that just adds to the character of this charming hotel that looks and feels more like a country home. The service is second to none and don’t be surprised if the doorman remembers your name from your last visit. The Berkeley also features one of only two rooftop pools in London. The hotel may look stuffy at first sight but its warm interior quickly makes it feel like a home away from home.

History: Though the building that it currently occupies was only built in the 1970's, the Berkeley has existed in some form since the 18th century.

Interior highlights: Walking into the Berkeley is like walking into an old stately British home. The lobby is decked out in antique quality furniture and looks better than ever since undergoing a facelift a few years back. The marbled entrance offers visitors a warm welcome as does the well groomed staff.

In the next room: Hollywood heartthrob Gwyneth Paltrow lives in one of the townhouses opposite the Berkeley and she is often seen sipping afternoon tea in the hotel with her starlet friends, who like making the Berkeley their home when they come for a visit. The rooftop pool is a favorite with Madonna and Lawrence of Arabia director David Lean once lived here.

The rooms: The rooms are well sized and impeccably furnished in a grand country-house manner. Two of the top conservatory suites have their own saunas. Each room is individually furnished in both classical and contemporary styles and feature balconies or terraces. All have mini bars, satellite television and pay movies, music and radio on demand and beds dressed with Irish linen, feather pillows and duvets. The Italian marble bathrooms feature Floris toiletries and monogrammed bathrobes, slippers and towels.

Amenities: For guests wishing to relax, the Berkeley health club and spa has stunning views of Hyde Park and offers all the latest beauty treatments as well as gym, personal trainers and rooftop swimming pool with a retractable roof. It's unusual for a hotel like the Berkeley to opt for cutting edge treatments, but in the world of London spas, it's been a pioneer, introducing Balinese treatments and LaStone massages using oil and hot slabs of basalt. It’s also one of the only spas in the world offering Christian Dior products.

Restaurants: The hotel’s Petrus restaurant, a Michelin star winner, serves up modern British gastronomic creations in an opulent setting decorated in rich colors and fabrics. Famous British Chef Gordon Ramsay, the country’s only three-star Michelin chef, runs the less formal New York-style Boxwood Café which is decorated in shades of bittersweet brown and serves fine seasonal dishes. In the inviting Caramel Room, with its low lighting, chocolate colored walls and leather studded chairs, guests can enjoy afternoon tea or specialty champagne, while the famous Blue Bar is painted entirely in lutyens blue and has Chinese red silk light boxes, 18th century wood carvings and a dark mahogany cocktail bar.

Shopping: The Berkeley is within walking distance of Harrods, Bond Street and Sloane Street, three of London’s best shopping areas.

Close By Buckingham Palace is just a mile away and the rest of London’s major tourist attractions are easily accessible by public transport - Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge tube stations are just a few yards from the hotel entrance.

Tips: Eating at the Berkeley is a real treat but the hotel is also located near TraveLife’s favorite Indian restaurant in London, Amaya, located a short walk from the Berkeley in Halkin Arcade off Motcomb St. Call 020 7823 1166 for reservations. The Berkeley is one of the more reasonably priced of London’s star hotels and its Knightsbridge location is a perfect spot to base yourself if you want to be close to all the tourist action.