When a hotel rolls out the red carpet to the door of your suite, you realise that this is one of those exceptional establishments where you don’t have to be a VIP to receive the VIP treatment.

This is exactly what I experienced when I embarked on the luxurious ‘voyage’ of a lifetime – while never leaving dry land – at the magnificent Sea Containers Hotel overlooking the Thames on London’s South Bank.

From the moment I stepped into its spectacular foyer, which pays homage through its nautical design to the glamour and romance of the great transatlantic liners that once crossed the ocean to America, I couldn’t wait to set sail.

© James McDonald The Edwardian suite's chic sitting room

After being steered past the sweeping, wave-shaped copper installation that symbolises the hull of a

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