Of course it’s expensive, and an extravagance to boot, but isn’t that the point of the Christmas party season – glitter, sparkle and a fast-dwindling bank account? So for those of you who do embrace this festive sentiment, Esther Browning selflessly explores the delights of a once-in-a-lifetime girls’ night out in London...

As the Christmas lights are switched on across the country, and festive music sings loud from every radio, what could be a better for two girlie girl-friends than leaving behind their busy everyday lives, and heading to the bright lights of London for a couple of days of light-hearted pre-Christmas pampering and serious Christmas shopping.

It’s the time of year to hit the high street stores along Oxford Street, head over to Knightsbridge for Harrods and Harvey Nics, and become laden with ribbon-handled glossy bags like Julia Robert’s Pretty Woman (okay, the bags might not have anything in them, but God they look good on your arm).

And then, settle in for a long and leisurely catch-up over a couple of glasses of wine in a Soho bar or take in a dazzling show in London’s West End?

But before all that - where to stay?

Somewhere cheap’n’cheerful or somewhere swanky enough to scare the husband/boyfriend?

Now call me old-fashioned but we chose the second... Which is why we ended up at The Grosvenor.

Although most of its guests probably don’t arrive by bus, my friend and I did, stepping smartly from the Oxford Tube and taking a 200m stroll past Park Lane’s Lamborghini and Aston Martin showrooms into the lobby of Grosvenor House hotel for a night of unalloyed luxury.

This is Mayfair after all, where the fabulously rich and famous lay their heads for a London stay, overlooking Hyde Park, just a gemstone’s throw from Bond Street, and Marble Arch and where Christmas shopping down London’s Oxford’s Street is just a few moments away.

One of London’s most iconic hotels, this vast hotel was built in the 1920s and all 494 rooms are individually decorated. It’s smart yet feels intimate despite its size.

Indeed, one of its rooms, The Great Room, once housed an ice rink on which The Queen learnt to skate as a child.

Sadly, there’s no longer an ice rink but the hotel is still a wonderful place to go in the winter, even though you’ll probably need to save all year just for the pleasure.

On the other hand, where else can you bump into celebrities in a hotel lift on an hourly basis (on this occasion, we didn’t, but refrained from asking for a refund).

To top it off, Grosvenor House is this year offering the ultimate in pre-Christmas pampering: a Premium Park View Suite in which you can be pampered and preened with champagne and canapés, complete with real Christmas tree and festive decorations before enjoying a night on the town.

And didn’t we just - before retiring to our suite where a midnight feast of hot chocolate and biscuits awaited us.

Interestingly, the Grosvenor’s beds are available to purchase – though presumably you don’t carry them away with you then and there. But after the best night’s sleep in 80 years (that’s our combined age), we were mightily tempted, but then remembered we’d have to bring them home on the Oxford Tube!

So instead we’ll be dreaming, in more ordinary beds, about a return trip.

Christmas Party Prep Suites will be available from November 26 to December 21 at £1,857 for four people.

The package includes a blow dry or up do, manicure and make up, champagne and canapés,a Polaroid camera with film to use in the suite, return chauffeur (price based on West End distance and is therefore subject to party location) as well as midnight snacks.

For information about Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel call 0207 499 6363 or visit londongrosvenorhouse.co.uk

For more information on the Oxford Tube, go to oxfordtube.com