IT WASN’T exactly the yellow brick road. The 10 sets of traffic lights, three roundabouts and 12 spine-shattering speed humps saw to that.

The journey to our overnight hotel had more twists and turns than the tornado in The Wizard of Oz we were travelling to see. But, just as Dorothy discovers, it’s not the getting there but the experience which awaits which is all that matters.

Situated on the Thames at Battersea, Hotel Verta may not be three heel clicks away from The London Palladium, where Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest project is playing to great acclaim, but it does nonetheless leave you captivated.

From its subterranean two-level spa to the glorious views across the Thames, you’ll know this definitely isn’t Kansas. Many of the 70 bedrooms offer commanding views across the water – as does the restaurant and bar which is fast becoming the haunt of well-connected music and fashion industry aficionados.

And where it falls down on location, it more than makes up for it in luxury with decor as funky and fashionable as its clientele.

And if you can’t bear the thought of being swept around the streets to reach it, Hotel Verta has its own heliport to ensure you make a statement entrance. But don’t worry about being disturbed by the buzz of propellers the triple-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows ensure a sound night’s sleep.

Splendour comes as standard at the Verta, but if you need another excuse to stay, it’s just because, because, becOz!

Hotel Verta, Bridges Wharf,

Battersea, London SW11 3BE

www.hotelverta.com

Tel. 020 7801 3500

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