Gold leaf and a secret bar: I was the first to stay in The Dorchester’s restored £15k suite

The room

To refer to this space as simply ‘a room’ is akin to calling the Taj Mahal a mausoleum or Bucking Palace, a home. The size is sweeping – 1,431 square feet – and its beauty, dazzling. The bedroom is a yellow silk-lined treasure chest, with oak-leaf borders on the walls, burgundy carpet, an ornate fireplace, mirrored wardrobes adorned with tapestries of playful monkeys, and a frilly dresser worthy of an old Hollywood movie star. The yellow bed is framed by the original floral silk wall coverings, exclusively reprinted for this project by Sekers, in collaboration with Sanderson Design Group, and topped by a bed canopy made from re-woven imperial yellow Ottoman silk. Lying in the plush bed, my eyes discover new curious details with every blink – the gilded cherubs on the wall sconces, dangling crystals above the bedside light, a vintage perfume atomiser on the dresser. Even the TV remote has been covered in gilded glass.

Outside the bedroom is a duck egg blue sitting room, where a fuchsia pink chaise lounge is perfectly framed by matching fuschia tasseled drapes. It’s a setting worthy of a Jane Austin novel, a royal portrait sitting, a movie star magazine cover, or in my case – a phone selfie.

There are a total of 16 wall mirrors within the suite, not including the bathroom which is completely covered in mirrored glass, with the ceiling lined with gilt scalloped shells.

The most surprising mirror is found behind a faux bookcase in the drawing room. Pull on one of the leather bound books, with names like Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens, to reveal a magnificent mirrored cocktail cabinet with Baccarat glassware. Another charming secret is in the drawing room – with a click of a remote, a painting by Messel above the fireplace rises up to reveal a Bang & Olufsen television.