Sick of the recession? Nostalgic for the Nineties and shiny hotels with champagne bars? Then get yourself to the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington where the blue and gold lobby with its glittery lights and assorted statuary will transport you back to the days of bling, but without a Park lane price tag.

Go soon though, because the hotel is under refurbishment and its decor's days are surely numbered - along with the giant Greek gods, murals and over-sized butterflies in its ground floor Park Restaurant.

Our spacious ninth floor Garden room had already had a makeover and was smart and inoffensive, done in corporate brown and cream lifted by a crimson Mulberry throw on the king-size bed, framed black and white prints of London and a smattering of velvet cushions.

The bathroom was great too, beautifully clean with a large walk-in shower and White Company toiletries. What really impressed however, was the view – from Kensington Gardens across Hyde Park and over to the City. It was a clear day and it was spectacular.

We then had lunch on the 10th floor in the Min Jiang Chinese restaurant, which must be one of London’s best kept culinary secrets – and has the same view. The service was five-star sharp and the food even better.

The highlights were the dim sum, the best egg fried rice I’ve ever eaten and a Beijing duck so superior that I still dream about it: first we were served slivers of crispy skin which we dipped in sugar, followed by the usual pancake and hoisin sauce combo – but with the choice of other vegetables and a garlic sauce. The duckfest continued with a second serving – and choosing minced duck with noodles from the list of options meant that we didn’t need to order a main course.

Breakfast in the Park Restaurant next morning was one of those buffets that just encourage you to make a complete porker of yourself, with eggs cooked to order, plus crisp waffles and chocolate sauce – these, predictably, my children loved.

We worked it all off by hacking round Kensington Gardens solving clues in the treasure hunt the hotel has devised to keep kids entertained this summer (the prize was a rather nice box of truffles), although I’d rather have spent the morning in its Soma spa, which is highly rated by fashionistas for its facials and detox treatments and offers yoga, Pilates, kickboxing and aerobics classes.

The Royal Garden has struggled over the years to find an identity among London’s five star hotels but it really scores because of its location at the end of Kensington High Street – it’s retail and museum heaven, with the Science Museum et al a short walk away – as well as friendly, unstuffy service. And should you want to relive the champagne days of the nineties here, note that a bottle of Canard Duchene is half price between 5 and 8pm from Monday to Saturday.

Tripadvisor.co.uk users give it a rating of four out of five, praising its location, service, food and spa. But some users who have been allocated unrefurbished rooms on lower floors over looking Kensington High Street have been disappointed by old-fashioned décor, poor insulation and traffic noise.

Need to know: 2-24 Kensington High Street Kensington, W8 4PT, 020 7937 8000, www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk

Bottom line: Standard rooms from £169. There’s a family package which includes two nights’ accommodation, full English breakfast, a treasure hunt in Kensington Garden, plus a Fat Tire bike tour around London for £450 in an Executive room.

This is available from August 17-31 and then every weekend from September to November 2009. It will also be available during half term – Oct 26-30. The same package for couples, without the treasure hunt, costs £350.

Access all areas: there are four accessible rooms with wide door openings, large bathrooms and walk in showers with seats

Best thing: dead heat between location, Min Jiang and the view

Worst thing: internet access costs £20 a day. Are they having a laugh?

Food: 9

Service: 9

Room: 8 (if you get a refurbished one)

Value: 8

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