A luxury break at a hotel near Buckingham Palace

IT WAS built in the Edwardian era for debutantes attending their coming-out parties. It could hardly have been more conveniently situated, with the grounds of Buckingham Palace just across the road. Nowadays the Rubens is a four star hotel, ideally positioned for tourists wanting to visit the palace’s State Rooms during a break in London.

My wife and I arrived for a night’s stay at the hotel rather hot and flustered in the middle of the autumn heatwave, our smooth, air-conditioned journey down to the capital with East Coast having been followed by a sticky bus journey through London’s congested streets.

But the staff seemed determined to give the impression we were staying at the palace itself and we were soon chilling out to a complimentary glass of champagne in the lounge bar while our room was prepared, (having arrived before the standard check-in time.) And as we were ushered to our accommodation on the fourth floor, the Windsor Suite, I half expected to see a pack of yapping corgis come running down the corridor.

The suite featured a King Size bed, as wide as it was long, with an evening turndown service, a marble bathroom, air conditioning and a giant plasma TV screen. Our package included a fine carvery dinner as well as breakfast in the plush restaurant.

The hotel is closest to the Royal Mews, the stables where the horse-drawn carriages, used for Coronations, State Visits and the State Opening of Parliament, are based. But we decided to take this year’s last opportunity to visit the palace’s State Rooms, which are opened up to the public each summer and feature some spectacular chandeliers, fine English and French furniture and paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto.

Visitor numbers at the palace were sharply up over the summer following the royal wedding, with the biggest attraction being the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, along with the tiara and diamond earrings worn by the Duchess and the eight-tiered wedding cake. Next year’s major summer exhibition at the palace will feature an unprecedented display of The Queen’s diamond jewels.

During our tour, I was most impressed by the extensive gardens, a tranquil oasis of lawns, woodland and lake, separated from the roaring traffic of London by a high brick wall.

Following our visit, we decided to head down through St James’ Park and past Big Ben to Westminster Bridge, and then cross the Thames to stroll along the South Bank with its landmark buildings and attractions, such as the London Eye, Tate Modern and Globe Theatre.

After a night’s rest and a good English breakfast in the restaurant, we set off the next morning on a 20-minute walk in the sunshine across Green Park to Piccadilly, where the Royal Academy of Arts is situated.

We were going to see London’s biggest and best exhibition of the autumn,’ Degas and the Ballet: picturing movement.’ The exhibition in the Academy’s blissfully air-conditioned galleries features 85 paintings, drawings, pastels, prints, sculptures and photographs by Edgar Degas of ballet dancers, mainly exercising in the classroom and performing on the stage in Paris.

Our visit was a joy for someone like me who can never see enough Impressionist art. The exhibition has a particular focus on Degas’ pre-occupation with movement and on the rapid advances in photography and film-making in the second half of the 19th century.

As well as the works by Degas, which have come from private and public collections across Europe and America, there are photographs and early films by contemporaries such as the Lumiere brothers.

fact file

• Rubens Hotel, 39, Buckingham Palace Road, London. ‘Get more from your stay package’ (minimum two night stays, available until December 31) includes suite and full English breakfast and two course carvery dinner on one evening, bottle of champagne or romantic turndown; prices start from £134 per night (excl. VAT) based on two adults sharing a Classic Double room. For further information, call 0207 834 6600 or go to rubenshotel.com

• Buckingham Palace State Rooms. Open August 1 - September 30 2012, 09:30-18:30 Admission (includes audio guide) Adult £18, Over 60/ Student (with valid ID) £16.50, Under 17 £10.25 Under 5 Free. For more information, call 020 7766 7300 or visit royalcollection.org.uk

• Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement: Royal Academy of Arts, London until 11 December 2011. To book visit: royalacademy.org.uk or call 0844 209 0051. Admission £14 (full price).

We travelled by East Coast train to London. Standard advance returns from York to London, booked online at eastcoast.co.uk, start from £23. Times and fares also on 08457 225225 or from staffed stations and agents.