MATT BASSETT believes Christmas shopping is all about finding shops you can’t find anywhere else. And the simple truth is that when it comes to destination shopping, London is the Daddy...

JUST hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling too, come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you...’ Or.

‘Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go, let It Snow! let It Snow! let It Snow!’ Truth is, they’re great songs, full of joy and good cheer, but dammit, this time of year you can hear them chiming out from every shop and business.

Which is why I decided this year that if I was going to be forced to listen to them, at least I’d listen to them in style.

Which is why last week I did all my Christmas shopping in London.

Trust me, the West End and Covent Garden not only house some of the finest shops in the world, but also lend the shopping experience a genuinely festive frisson.

I’ve visited the so-called Aladdin’s Caves of Cribbs Causeway, Bristol and the malls in Reading, and no, I haven’t appreciated the fact I was shopping in a sealed lunchbox.

Spending a small fortune on family and friends can be depressing at the best of times, but to do it in a clinically sterile environment is hardly the answer.

Yes, London IS busy, but sometimes the adage is true – no pain, no gain.

And right now, the Big Smoke is positively a winter wonderland (albeit bereft of snow).

Personally speaking, I can’t think of anywhere better to throw oneself into the yuletide spirit of credit card Devil-may-care than Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Covent Garden.

Indeed, I got giddy using my pin number so often, and drunk on the ‘vibe’ of a world capital buzzing with credit card excess.

But be warned, while I was mindlessly window shopping, I also noticed a blue sky, bright sunshine and a refreshing chill heralding in the start of the Christmas shopping bonanza.

So for those of you who do enjoy the re-circulated air of the mall and its seasonal chorus of saxes crooning (Away In A Manger is so special when arranged to a dinner date schmooze...), you might want to take special care. Stick close to the air-conditioning units and shop online from the safety of the Underground.

But for anyone who likes bracing air, crowded pavements and that frolicking sort of ferocity that only Christmas can generate, why not make a weekend of it?

Yes, it can be expensive, but look hard enough and you’ll be rewarded.

And don’t make the mistake of thinking if you stay outside the centre it’ll work out cheaper because it doesn’t. Plus, if you have to travel for more than 30 minutes from the West End to get to your hotel, you might as well come home instead.

Assuming you do stay over however, all you then have to do – like I did – is shop ‘till you drop, knowing that a bed and decent glass of something special is but minutes away.

It really can make racking up a credit bill almost... spiritual.

But for you diehard cynics out there who want facts not Mills & Boon, consider this – London’s West End has more than 600 retailers,.

I mean, really, how can you resist?

WHERE MATT STAYED:

* South Place Hotel, 3 South Place London EC2M 2AF. Tel: 020 3503 0000. Fax: 020 3503 0777. Email: hello@southplacehotel.com
Location: A minute’s walk from both Moorgate underground and Liverpool Street station. And if you catch the Central Line from Liverpool Street, it’s just five stops from Tottenham Court Road and six stops from Oxford Circus.
First Impressions: Wow! And that’s it really. Smart, chic and incredibly friendly. Enough said.
* Room: His and her sinks, his and her showers (I kid you not), and touch sensitive controls either side of the bed for lights, window blinds, Warp Factor Five and so on. Comfortable without being clinical.
Bed: Probably one of the best night’s sleep I think I have ever had due to the king size bed and pillows that melted and moulded around my head.
Mini Bar: Yes, and nicely stocked too (though I couldn’t afford any of it).
Service: Amazing... Again, why say anything else?
* Food: I had a club sandwich and the chicken literally melted in the mouth. Ah, the memories...
Consensus: To put it simply, if you are wanting a night away, where you can feel you are the only people in the world, and where nothing you ask for is too much trouble, then the South Place Hotel is the place to stay. I would go back in a shot.
Prices: Currently the hotel is offering “City Sleepover” weekend packages from: £99 per person, per night, based on two people per room on a Friday or Saturday night. Prices include VAT. Minimum two rooms (four people) and maximum six rooms (12 people)
This also includes a complimentary welcome drink, popcorn and movies on demand in your bedroom.