Hotel:

Address: Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1A 2JQ

Web site: www.maybourne.com

TraveLife ranking:

Rooms: 203

Room rates: $500+

Awards: The property has been given almost every hotel service award known to mankind.

Highlights: Claridge's is a property fit for a Queen. Just ask Michael Moore, a leprechaun of a man who has worked at regal Claridge's for over 30 years as a lift attendant.  "I have pushed these buttons for the Queen and commoners," says the man from Dublin who keeps secret the many dignitaries and celebrities who have ridden with him in the phone-booth sized "lift" that comes complete with a plush velvet seat. Claridge's, also known as the Palace of Mayfair, seems to get better with age. The Art Deco delight is the crown jewel of London hotels and was restored to its 19th century brilliance in a 1999 makeover by noted designer Thierry Despont.

History: Claridge’s was opened in 1812 by James Mivart, who acquired additional townhouses in the area to create one great hotel. Perhaps the greatest seal of approval for the hotel came when Queen Victoria arrived with Prince Albert to visit the Empress Eugènie of France, who had made Claridge’s her winter quarters in 1860. Many royal families who found themselves exiled from their own countries in World Wars 1 and II  made their way to Claridge’s. Notable among them was King Peter of Yugoslavia, exiled from his country in 1941 and his son, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia was born in Suite 212 in July 1945. Then Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill declared the suite Yugoslav territory, and legend has it that a shovel-full of Yugoslav earth was placed under the bed so that the heir to the throne could literally be born on Yugoslav soil.

Interior highlights: Everyone feels important when they step inside Claridge's marbled Main Hall entrance, highlighted by a sweeping staircase with a lavish wrought iron railing. While Claridge's is a fairly large hotel the small, dignified entrance makes it seem boutique-like. But that's about all that's small about Claridge's. The hallways, rooms, and especially the marbled bathrooms, are huge. A recent update included the addition of an amazing white crystal light sculpture that now hangs from the hotel’s legendary restaurant, the Foyer.

In the next room: The Foyer's milky walls are lined with historic black and white photographs of important visitors to Claridge’s - Jackie O, Yul Bryner, Audrey Hepburn, just to name a few. Those stars may be gone but the hotel still attracts an A-list of entertainers. But don’t ask the lift operator for their names – he’ll refuse to tell you.

The rooms: Claridge's public areas may be Art Deco but the rooms stay true to the hotel’s Victorian lineage - right down to the decorative moldings on the high ceilings. Claridge's rooms are filled with a combination of antique furniture, chic toiletries, large marble bathrooms and modern-day electronic gadgets like high-speed Internet service.

Amenities: With views of London, the Olympus Beauty and Fitness Suite has everything for pampering and grooming the body, to restore vigor, vitality and a sense of wellbeing. The Suite is tastefully decorated with distinctive glass columns, fine chrome fittings and beautiful hardwoods.

Restaurants: The Foyer is the place to be seen for lunch but you’d better make reservations well in advance. Lots of people want to be seen enjoying the room’s superbly prepared cuisine that always earns high marks for quality and service. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed in the hotel’s comfy Reading Room and a pre-dinner drink at Claridge's Bar and the enjoyment of a cigar in the Macanudo Fumoir afterwards are musts. Dinner at a magnificent restaurant called Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's is sought by most guests but the lineup is usually long so make sure you make reservations on arrival. Ramsay, Britain's only three-star Michelin chef, opened a second version of his famous restaurant at Claridge's and it has quickly become a "must" place to dine in the capital. For £700 (about $1,600) you can watch the room’s chefs perform their culinary magic from a ringside table in the kitchen. The table holds up to eight people and is usually booked a year in advance.

Shopping: You’re just steps away from the exclusive shops of London’s Mayfair.

Close by: All the great tourist attractions London has to offer and the city’s famed theatre district.

Tips: The late actor Spencer Tracy once remarked: "Not that I intend to die, but when I do, I don't want to go to heaven, I want to go to Claridge's." Enough said about this beauty.