Entering the Sanderson impels a surreal feeling of futuristic throwback, regardless of your age:

Austin Powers meets Woody Allen in The Sleeper, while Carroll's Alice sips on a divine cocktail called 'Envy' in a flourishing, exquisitely landscaped, Secret Garden, where wafts of oriental flavours dive bomb the digestive juices, inducing a ravenous response. It's funky, foxy, futuristic, galactic and happy. The positive vibe is uplifting and I found the seduction of the senses a welcome distraction from the steaming metropolis in which it is bedded.

I arrived shortly after mid-afternoon when that slightly lethargic hour kicks in. I was whisked to my seriously cool wall-less room and then along the corridor for a couple of hours in 'heaven'. Agua, the in-house spa is referred to as an 'urban sanctuary' but I like to call it 'heaven'. It is swathed in metres of soaring, white, vales of curtain that gently billow as white clad therapists breeze between relaxation and treatment rooms. At the core of 'heaven' is a large silver urn, magically flowing a gentle stream of water from its misty interior. Bowls of large green apples sit alongside large white modern chaises with jugs of lemon water to be sipped gently while you 'recover' from your celestial indulgence.

Back to the sleep-chamber: it's cool and light, in palette and feel, inducing a dream like quality along with a desire to be a little hedonistic. Not many would 'try this at home': no walls, glass dividers with electric pink plastic curtains for 'extra privacy', free standing bath; wonderful modern silver-leafed sleigh bed, with a post modernist oil of a seemingly Victorian rural scene overhead, pillowed lavishly at either end (I suppose if you weren't getting on) and, necessary slatted blinds to continue the feeling of being transported to another cosmic centre. The mini bar, like the one at the Royalton, was fabulously stocked and the Agua products in the minimalist bathroom were blissfully bountiful.

The beginning of June felt fantastic. The Long Bar and the courtyard were buzzing for a Monday night and I assume by Wednesday you would be lucky to get a seat anywhere.

We indulged in a Malaysian feast and a long cocktail called 'Envy' at the zestful culinary arrival, Suka, created by Zak Pelaccio, a celebrated chef from New York. It offers a creative, exciting and esoteric mix of ingredients and ideas from Southeast Asia under the guiding culinary genius of France.

The Sanderson is a very bright, Phillipe Starck inspired star within the Morgan's Group's galaxy, and shines with an indisputable magnetism that has long outlived a gimmick or fad; in fact, like many wonders in the galaxy, its appeal appears to be timeless, and judging from my Monday night, it certainly hasn't lost its lustre along with its groovy gravitas.

Find out more and book direct with the hotel at www.luxuryexplorer.com