Checking In: Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, London

This is Buckingham Palace, the globally famous official residence and headquarters of the UK's reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II. My hotel, instead, is a two-minute walk down the road…

There's a palatial feel inside the doorway of the hotel, too, the spacious lobby and piano bar decorated a warm orange and black, used for afternoon teas and jazz piano-soundtracked cocktails in the evening. But I'm still not at my home for the night. This is the St James Hotel, a 4-star hotel run by the Taj company, but I need to be at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, in the neighboring old Victorian townhouse, for the 5-star Suites and Residences. A member of staff shows me the way…

Taj 51 Library 24K Gold Afternoon Tea

I arrived with high expectations, having stayed with Taj before in their iconic Taj Palace in Delhi, one of the city's best hotels. Taj 51 Buckingham Gate is a different affair, built in townhouses used by London's upper classes during the time of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I.

At the lobby, I'm given a cold towel, refreshing after a walk through sunny London, and, while I fill in my registration form, my bags disappear, carried up to my suite. I ride the elevator up to the 6th floor, guided by a friendly chatty member of staff, and take an exploratory stroll; the Kings Junior Suite I'm staying in is big enough for a good walk around.

At one end of a long corridor is a large spacious lounge, a round green disc of a lampshade hanging over the table, with another glass coffee table at the heart of the room and two large grey sofas facing towards the 40-inch TV on the entertainment system, along with the iPod dock. (All that is dwarfed by the 85-inch plasma cinema screen and 3D home theatre system in the building's top suite, the Cinema Suite.)

Cinema Suite living room

Space is the big luxury here in an absolutely central area of London where property prices must be through the roof. From the sixth floor, I look out of the windows, with a view of the tower of Westminster Chapel just next door and down to the street below, where red open-top buses ferry tourists around on whistlestop tours along streets where Britain's iconic red phone boxes still stand.

Next to the lounge is a kitchen (the suites can also be used as longer term apartments), with a fridge, cooker and coffee machine. At the other end of the corridor is a big bedroom, the King Size bed decked out with supremely comfortable duvet and pillows; a fine night's sleep is had later. The walls are cream, one painted dark pink, and there are art prints hanging around the room. The view through the window, again, is dominated by the tower of Westminster Chapel. Further off, I see a Union Jack fluttering, which could well be the top of Buckingham Palace.

A walk-in wardrobe links on to the bedroom; beyond that, the bathroom is bright, white and modern, with large twin square white sinks framed by cool square and circle white lighting. There's a blocky rectangular bathtub, too. It's a cool room, though the shower unit should really come with an instruction manual for the overcomplicated system of dials.

Jaguar Suite

It's more modern than the bedroom and the lounge, which feel a little on the bland side. My experience of the Taj in India made me expect something more plush. The suites are big, comfortable and extremely spacious, great to relax and stretch out in, but in terms of décor they're neither stylishly modern or elegantly traditional, falling into a safe middle ground which doesn't make much of a statement, surprising given the hefty price tag. (I take a peek at the larger 2-bedroom Jaguar Suite, which has been decorated with more flair).

More than the look of the room, what really strikes me is the sound, or the lack of it. We're right in the heart of London, one of the world's busiest cities, but up here, behind the double-glazed windows, it's almost silent, with an absence of traffic noise; still and calm, the city feels miles away.



In the evening, we eat at Kona, the Taj's restaurant launched by Executive Chef David Tilly back in 2015. It's on the quiet side for a Saturday night in London; a bit of music might also help bring the place to life. The six-course taster menu, though, makes for an incredibly pleasant evening, kicking off with an amuse bouche of cheese-stuffed fried jalapenos, before the first course of flavorful lobster bisque with a spoonful of crabmeat, the bisque poured into the bowl from a teapot, which seems a pleasantly British way to deliver the course. I take the vegetarian option over Fois Gras, happy to have a runny egg yolk oozing over fresh stalks of asparagus. The best dish of the six is a fillet of Black Sea Bream, excellently cooked, with a crispy skin and soft flesh, served on a bed of ratatouille, along with a razor clam salsa. While my girlfriend happily tucks into baby chicken served with couscous, I work through a warming hearty risotto. Dessert is a rich deconstructed lemon meringue pie, followed by a plate of British cheeses. We accompany it all with a bottle of delicious, slightly oaky Chateau de Serame (2011), recommended by the waiter, and leave happy, full and a little tipsy.

We're back down in Kona in the morning for breakfast, sitting next to a window looking out onto the courtyard, from a room decorated with pictures of colorful peacock tails. Pots of tea are delivered, along with orange and watermelon juice, creamy Greek yogurt, fresh-baked breads and pastries. I tuck into an excellent cheese and mushroom omelette while my girlfriend puts away most of a Full English breakfast, including black pudding. There's a buffet, too, with nuts, salads, cheeses, salmon and ham. All of which sets us on our way…

Taj 51 Q Bar

With a map provided by the concierge, we walk out of the hotel gates, between two elephant sculptures, a reference to the company's Indian heritage, and spend an afternoon walking through the tree-lined paths of St James Park, past the grandeur of Westminster Abbey (resting place of the likes of Charles Darwin, as well as where the official funeral of Princess Diana was held), past the Houses of Parliament and along the Thames to the London Eye, doubling back along the Mall to Buckingham Palace. This might be the hotel's greatest selling point: the Taj has one got one hell of an address, with some of London's most famous, important and Royal buildings right on the doorstep.

Kings Junior Suites cost from £750 per night. The Jaguar Suite and The Cinema Suite are each £5100 per night. The Tasting Menu at Kona is £45 per person. For more, see https://taj51buckinghamgate.co.uk/ or call +44 20 7769 7766.