STOMPING from a drizzly London afternoon into the amber-coloured atrium of the Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel, I had the distinct sensation of being a bit of a fraud.

We were for a taste of rock'n'roll royalty through the Exhibitionism VIP Experience, which features a night in the opulent Knightsbridge hotel followed by a riotous Rolling Stones exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery down the road.

But if you're thinking - as I did - that the sweaty guts-and-glory Britishness of the Stones would clash with the palatial calm of the Jumeirah, you couldn't be more wrong.

On arrival we were were ushered past display cabinets holding designer shoes, past the Chinoiserie, festooned with fairy lights and filled with hushed conversation and steaming herbal teas, past several people clearly visiting Harrods to actually buy things, and finally installed ourselves in the Garden Suite.

The room itself was a tasteful affair, all shades of grey and taupe, with a splendid view of Cadogan Place Gardens and the obligatory bed to lose a spine in.

It was heinously comfortable and well worthy of the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band.

Unlike Jagger and co, however, my sister and I opted not to destroy it. Had we done so I have no doubt reception staff would have taken the news graciously.

Just a glass plate of hot pink and yellow macarons - decorated with rock guitars and the infamous tongue and lips of the Rolling Stones - gave any hint of what was to come.

Dawn came, and with it a dip in the crystalline second-floor pool at The Peak Health Club & Spa, surrounded by potted ferns and a view of the early morning skyline.

Now knowing what I do about the breakfast, it probably saved my life. From buffet tables heaving with cereals, cheeses and chia seed puddings to the full English with perfect, crumbly black pudding and shatterable bacon, it was rapidly apparent that the Jumeirah considers the first meal serious business.

With somewhat glazed expressions we listened as the brilliant Polish waiter regaled us with the story of when he was propositioned by Rolling Stones backing singer Lisa Fischer at a Warsaw hotel, and promptly fled the band's table. It was a startling coincidence just before the next leg of the trip.

At the private launch of Exhibitionism in April this year, Mick Jagger made a curious observation: "If you don't like the Rolling Stones, don't bother coming."

Not so. For a casual onlooker from Generation Y with only a passing knowledge of the Stones the trip was a solid grounding, and a sensory assault.

Passing through a room bathed in red light, we were bombarded with statistics on concerts, attendees and countries visited over the years, followed by a startling three-minute video offering a 'potted history' of the Stones, with newspaper articles, tour photographs and even the odd courts sketch.

Visitors were then transported, poignantly, to a reconstruction of the 'pigsty' shared by Mick Jagger and Brian Jones at 102 Edith Grove, Chelsea where it all began in 1962.

Cracked floors and mould, old Brillo boxes and cans of pie filling pick out the humble beginnings of the longest-running rock brand on Earth.

The first hints of what will become a vast collection of memorabilia appear, with Philip Townsend's 1963 photos of the band stood awkwardly in front of telephone boxes, a copy if the first contract signed by Brian Jones and Eric Easton and then - magnificently and quite out of nowhere - Charlie Watts's 1968 drum kit, resplendent in blue pearl.

Pages of Mick Jagger's diaries are on display throughout and from a screen on the wall Keith Richards cackles in a recent video, still incredulous at what the band went on to achieve. Guitars including Brian Jones's 1963 Harmony Stratotone and Jagger's 1963 Gibson Hummingbird are touchably close.

Another reconstruction depicts Olympic Studios in south-west London during the recording of Sympathy for the Devil.

Further along an illuminating set of rooms explain the head-scratching behind band's more notorious stage designs, including the giant inflatable Honky Tonk Woman and the Lotus design used in Madison Square Garden, and of course the development of that famous logo. A feast for the eyes unfolds in the 'Style' section - first deployed during the Saatchi's Bowie exhibition in 2013 - with Jagger's Britannia flag cape, alarming jumpsuits and the obligatory selection of Keith Richards's hats on display.

The remaining rooms, including the 'Rare' section, are probably best kept a surprise. Suffice to say there are 3D glasses involved.

On the whole Exhibitionism proved a treasure-trove, albeit with a marked focus on the band's highs - and large-scale avoidance of controversies - at play. Coupled with the VIP treatment at the Jumeirah it makes for a heady 48 hours, for both avid fans of the Stones and those with a simple taste for decadence.