Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, Suites and Residences London

If there’s something joltingly post-colonial about the idea of a Taj hotel in London, rest assured there’s nothing at all jolting about the reality — it’s hard to imagine anything more reassuringly comforting than 51 Buckingham Gate, Taj Suites and Residences. The “Buckingham” in its name is no accident, after all, and in this corner of Westminster one does not go out of one’s way to scandalize the establishment, whether in terms of design or anything else.

Subcontinental kitsch is kept firmly in check; the Indian influences, though pervasive, are subtle, and the look is less palace hotel and more contemporary luxury apartment. The spaces are residential as well — few London hotels can match them on square footage. And while the physical comforts are of the highest grade, this hotel, like any Taj, can be counted on for service that’s above and beyond the norm.

Three suites in particular deserve special mention, even if they’re not exactly for everyday use — the Jaguar Suite bears the fingerprints of the automaker’s design director, and it’s full of references to a century of sportscars. The Prime Minister’s Suite is a split-level five-bedroom affair complete with a drawing room and a dining space, and the Presidential Floor goes four better: nine bedrooms, several living and dining rooms, a kitchen and a private chef.

And while the old joke about heaven calls for an Italian lover, a French chef and so on, there’s something to be said for 51 Buckingham Gate’s version of a multicultural paradise: in this case a French spa by Anne Sémonin and an Indian chef, Sriram Aylur, serving upscale Keralan cuisine in the Michelin-starred Quilon.