I felt rather decadent as I stepped through the doors of The Westbury - I live in London, so staying in a hotel in my home city seems a little naughty. I found myself giggling like a child caught dipping into the biscuit tin.

After checking-in, my friend Anthony and I started giggling again when we realised our room on the fifth floor had a perfect view of New Bond Street. Location wise, The Westbury is a fashionistas delight, being just minutes from the most desirable designer labels. With it’s recent £25 million refurbishment the hotel is upping the hip factor, and hoping to attract more of the type of guests that spend their disposable cash on Vogue recommendations.

The room had the right smattering of magazine décor, steel-grey velvet sofa with contrasting cushions, Art Deco cabinets and a bathroom filled with Hermes products. I tipped the contents of a miniature bottle of bubble bath into the water and sank into the type of bath usually featured in rom-com movies. Following a good soak, I was slightly perturbed to find the hairdryer was of the 1970s variety, clamped to the wall with a hose-like attachment that spitted hot air.

I gave up with the hairdryer and scooped my hair into a loose bun so Anthony and I could make our 7.30pm dinner reservation at the hotel’s Artisan restaurant.

If you like fine dining and all the fuss and food accessories this involves, you will adore this restaurant. There’s a canapé placed in front of you between every course.

For starters, I had roasted Dorset diver scallops. They were perfect, juicy and flavoursome. Anthony had smoked Scottish salmon, which came with a ginger cheesecake. Now, to me, that seemed an odd combination but it worked surprisingly well.

However, neither of us liked our main dishes, which both seemed to have one too many ingredients. The roast breast of grouse was tempting with its garnish of black cabbage and girolles, but then lost me with the addition of liquorice juice.

We both went for another starter, which was the restaurant’s version of ham, egg and chips, with Jabugo ham, a poached duck egg and thin slivers of parsnip chips. It was a tasty combination, and more than made-up for the disappointing desserts. Dinner costs around £45 for three courses, excluding wine and service charge.

When it comes to service, one cannot fault the restaurant staff, who were attentive and friendly. The sommelier in particular was excellent, whether kindly indulging Anthony and I with our amateur wine tasting or patiently explaining the wine list to the table of Japanese girls who were clearly more interested in discussing their purchases with one another than booze.

Many of the reviews on TripAdvisor praise the hotel's high levels of service, one reviewer giving the example of how when staff were informed her husband was gluten intolerant, they ordered in gluten-free bread for his breakfast at no extra cost. The majority of the reviews are positive, especially about the location.

This really is the big selling point of the hotel, that you can book a reasonably priced-room in such a fantastic location not only in terms of shopping but also in terms of access to restaurants, bars and theatre. With so many attractions on its doorstep, the room is really just a place, albeit a very nice one, to sleep.

I would say the most important feature is the bed, because after a hard day of purchasing and an evening of carousing you want good quality sleep. Thankfully, the bed was delicious, lovely soft sheets, a firm mattress and despite facing a busy road in London, once the curtains were drawn you could have been in the countryside.

Bottom line: Standard room (superior Queen bed) starts from £149

Best thing: The location.

Worst thing: The hairdryer, no good for styling hair or drying long locks.

Access all areas: There are lifts to all floors and the restaurant and bar are ground floor and accessible to wheelchairs.

Need to know: The Westbury Hotel, Bond Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 2YF, 020 7629 7755; enquiries@westburymayfair.com; www.westburymayfair.com

Food: 7 out of 10

Service: 9 out of 10

Room: 8 out of 10

Value: 9 out of 10

Times recommends

• The smart guide to travel blogging
• 30 top takes on New York
• Europe's 20 best Christmas markets 2009