Not to be confused with the 4-star deluxe Park Plaza Riverbank London which adjoins it (it has the same main entrance so it's easy to do), the Plaza on the River is a five-star all suite affair.

Straight on through the door is the bar and restaurant separating the two, while on the right the Plaza on the River has its own glitzy and beautifully lit reception, complete with a concierge at your beck and call (shared between the 65 suites) and the offer of champagne upon arrival.

The business-like welcome was followed by an introduction to what was a large one-bedroom suite, complete with open plan kitchen and living room, sizeable bathroom and bedroom.

A wall separates the living area and bedroom, but both benefit from ceiling to floor windows and dramatic upper floor views - up the Thames unfortunately, those on the other side look downriver across to Westminster so request one of those (some have balconies as well).

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The kitchen is well equipped for business and long-stay residents, or those who want to save after shelling out on an expensive hotel.

A grey sofa and light wooden furniture - kitchen table, coffee table and desk in the living room - and reasonable lighting are decent enough, though the design is pretty bland and aimed at business travellers.

Into the bedroom and the trademark Park Plaza hotels clean line design persists, with different colours and headboard providing just a little variety for those who stay in the chain's hotels regularly. The bathroom has a nice bath and shower and top end toiletries, as you'd expect.

There are widescreen TVs in both rooms, along with DVD plaver and free broadband internet access, if the views aren't enough entertainment.

We headed to the bar for a pre-dinner drink and loved the welcome cocktail, a strawberry and passion fruit champagne daquiri, complemented perfectly by mellow lighting and the even mellower Pink Floyd soundtrack.

Ushered in to the in-house Chino Latino Restaurant, we soon discover that the name is misleading - the menu is modern pan-Asian - predominantly Japanese but with a good helping of Thai and other influences.

We tried a few smaller dishes and a couple of mains, chosen with the help of a smart, knowledgable and friendly waiter. A few smaller tapas-like dishes can soon mount up at £4-10, but all were excellent - standouts were perfectly textured grilled scallops with yuzu aioli and wasabi peas, spicy fried squid with cream chilli sauce and prawn spring rolls.

The main courses were also pricey, but our baby chicken with five spice and umeboshi plum (£16) and wasabi lamb cutlets with grilled asparagus (£21) were great. Mains range from £13 - £35, and the sushi is not cheap either, but everything we tried was superb, so well worth splashing out on - the restaurant lifts Plaza on the River above your bog standard 5-star chain hotel.

How much? The cost for a suite is supposed to be from £119, though numerous online searches came in at £250 minimum, closer to £300 for a one-bedroom suite, so I'm going to mark the value based on the £250-300 bracket.

Best things: restaurant and views

Worst thing: bland furniture and decor

Online: Tripadvisor's users rate it at 4.5/5, with positive comments about service, the restaurant, views and modern suites

Need to know: Plaza on the River - Club and Residence,18 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TJ. www.plazaontheriver.co.uk; Tel: 020 7769 2525.

Food: 9 out of 10

Service: 9 out of 10

Room: 7 out of 10

Value: 7 out of 10

Overall: 8 out of 10

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