EVER want to be a member of a secret society? Share the ranks with the likes of Al Pacino, Ian Fleming and even Roger Moore.
Imagine being greeted by a doorman in a top hat. You step onto a red carpet and walk up to the gleaming foyer complete with gilded mirrors, marble staircases and 1930s artwork.
You are not just anywhere; you are in the St James’s Hotel and Club in Mayfair, London.
Tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac near Green Park and all the luscious shops (read that as “beyond my budget”) on Jermyn Street, this boutique hotel is an ideal location for a city break.
The St James’s Club was started in 1857 by a former Foreign Secretary, the Earl Granville.
The club expanded rapidly changing premises and gaining aristocratic and celebrity members.
In 1981 Peter de Savary, Sir Michael Caine and Sean Connery re-launched it in its current location in Park Place. In 2008 it reopened after an extensive redesign.
Millions of pounds were spent on this 19th-century townhouse. Silks, leathers and cashmere were hand chosen by Anne Maria Jagdfeld to line the walls. Each room boasts the latest technology from flat-screen televisions in every room of a suite (including the bathroom) to docking stations for guests’ iPods.
The extravagance culminates with the Rosenstein Art Collection, which hangs throughout the hotel.
It costs £400 a year to be a member plus a £250 joining fee.
This entitles you to discounted room rates and all the Access and VIP status the hotel can offer (prices for rooms start at about £215 per night).
If you are unsure about committing to membership, then just book a room for an opulent weekend that you won’t soon forget.
An intimate table for two is available for dinner in the wine cellar.
Head chef William Drabble turns nosh into a grand production with the likes of wild mushroom soup in a shot glass for an amuse bouche, or crêpinette of pigeon; dessert might be a trio of chocolate.
You might not be a secret agent, but you can be treated like one, sat at the bar while master mixologist Joel Lawrence creates the perfect cocktail to start or finish your evening.
Averaging £9 a drink you will need the 007 expense account0 to help pay the tab, but you can munch on some Michelin-starred popcorn given out free with the cocktails.
Yes it’s expensive, but that’s its appeal.
And let’s be honest, sometimes we all need to indulge.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article