The Cadogan Hotel on Sloane Street in Knightsbridge is a very storied place. Oscar Wilde was arrested here, as related by John Betjeman in his poem; Lillie Langtry entertained the King in the Cadogan’s rooms; and The Times columnist Daniel Finkelstein struggled with the air conditioning.

Staying in a Central London hotel is a mug’s game. It’s an incredibly expensive way of passing the time. But on the other hand, to live, as we do, on the outskirts of one of the greatest cities in the world and never spend a relaxed weekend in the centre of town would be more of a crime than anything Wilde ever did. And so my wife and I found ourselves at the Cadogan.

The hotel has recently been refurbished, and the refurbers have done a great job in both the public rooms and the bedrooms. Without destroying any of the building’s original features, they have made it seem both modern and warm.

There was nothing particularly exceptional about our room, but we found it perfectly comfortable, with a decent bed and a reasonable amount of space. It was annoying that I couldn’t get the air conditioning to work.

I had booked a table for dinner, but they had no record of my reservation. “Come down anyway, Sir, we’re empty,” they said. Not particularly inviting on a Saturday night, but not, it turned out, completely true, either. The restaurant was about half-full, quiet but not dead.

The food (we tried, among other things, duck breast with cocoa sauce and grilled sea bass with lemon marmalade fennel) was very good and nicely presented. Way above standard hotel dinner fare (and breakfast was superb). On the other hand we were a five-minute walk from Zafferano, and the bill to eat in that top-class restaurant would have been pretty similar.

If you paid Cadogan prices outside London, you would feel cross that it wasn’t the last word in luxury. But if you are on a London weekend jaunt, having an affair with the King or planning to get arrested, it’s a pretty good place.

Bottom line: Daniel Finkelstein and his wife paid £280 for a standard room.

Sampling the fare: £105 for two, for three courses with wine.

Need to know: The Cadogan (020-7235 7141, www.cadogan.com), 75 Sloane Street, London SW1.

Room: 6.5

Food: 7.5

Service: 7

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