JANE MEMMLER follows in the footsteps of Grace Kelly and checks into Mayfair's Connaught hotel in London on a style icon weekend, as a new exhibition about the screen legend and princess prepares to open its doors

SERENE,  flawless, effortlessly chic with just the right amount of cool to be enigmatic, Grace Kelly epitomised Fifties' Hollywood glamour. It was a time when not only movie stars exuded a certain refined style but hotels and restaurants did too. Nowadays, sadly, it's rare to find anything that comes close to that level of sheer sophistication.

The Connaught hotel in Mayfair is one such exception and is about to celebrate the life of Grace Kelly, one of its most famous and glamorous guests, who treated it as her London base during her regular visits to the capital.

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Located in a quiet street in the heart of Mayfair, the hotel is paying homage to the screen legend with a series of Grace Kelly: Style Icon Weekend packages to coincide with a new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum that opens on April 17. As a lifelong Grace Kelly fan I couldn't resist the opportunity to experience, if only for one night, what life would have been like as a Fifties' movie star. My experience began at the Victorian wrought-iron entrance where the uniformed doorman, resplendent in top hat, relieved me of my one small piece of (embarrassingly scuffed) luggage, which I didn't see again until I arrived in my room.

Built in 1897, the Connaught has recently undergone a refurbishment and now has 120 stunning rooms.

The wood-panelled foyer's centrepiece is a heavy wooden staircase fit for any Hollywood siren, its steps covered in stripy, candy-coloured carpet. The curved banisters lead all the way to the sixth floor, which is crowned by a magnificent frosted glass dome.

American designer Ralph Lauren liked the hotel's staircase so much that he tried unsuccessfully to buy it, later recreating it in his flagship New York store.

General Manager Anthony Lee, who has worked at the hotel for 31 years, has distinct memories of Grace.

"I fondly remember escorting her to her favourite suite as she returned here, her London home, " he said.

"The family always took the two-bedroomed penthouse on the sixth floor. They loved the Connaught because of the comfort, discretion and the ability to cocoon themselves, which is difficult to do for those in the limelight."

You feel the homely atmosphere as soon as you enter. A good hotel is only as good as its staff and the Connaught epitomises this.

It's my first time at the hotel but I'm greeted by name as I check in and again by my butler Paul, who was waiting at the door to my room, the stunning Prince's Lodge on the fifth floor. All guests can enjoy the services of a butler and I took to this star treatment like a duck to water.

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The room, designed by Guy Oliver, in collaboration with the Prince of Wales's Afghanistan charity, the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, is exquisite. It boasts an enormous hand crafted Afghan four-poster bed and hand-carved solid oak cabinets, one of which housed a stunning, mirror-backed bar stocked with large bottles of spirits and an assortment of crystal glasses. Two vaulted window seats, with leaded glass inset with the Connaught crest, are framed by great swathes of silk curtains.

Adorning the walls are framed photographs of Afghanistan taken in the 1880s by British traveller and photographer John Burke.

The wet room adjoining the marble bathroom doubles as a steam room with a marble bench.

The suites range from the classic, with Georgian colours and gilded plasterwork, to more modern designs in the new wing, with contemporary artwork and heated toilet seats.
Champagne in hand, I watched the beginning of the Grace Kelly classic To Catch A Thief on the flat-screen TV, imagining my room was in the Carlton Cannes hotel with Cary Grant about to knock on the door.

Sadly, the only knock on my door was the nightly turndown service, charming though it was.
I descended the magnificent staircase for cocktails in the sensuous Connaught Bar with its platinum-papered walls and dark brown and green upholstery.

We all know how Grace loved a cocktail or two, particularly in the movie High Society in which she indulged in one too many during her engagement party.

Engaged in real life at the time to Prince Rainier of Monaco and wearing the ring he gave her during filming, she had every reason to celebrate. Three unique cocktails at the Connaught have been devised to celebrate pivotal moments in her life: Hollywood Star celebrates her life in film;
Beloved Princess was the vodka-based drink she sipped during her engagement announcement; and Royal Bride is a mix of cognac and champagne.

The bar was buzzing with people of all ages and refreshingly all wore elegant attire, complementing the sumptuous surroundings and subtle lighting.

I could have dined at the Michelin-starred Hélène Darroze restaurant on her seven-course tasting menu or calamari in black ink or roast lamb stuffed with wild mushrooms. The street-facing restaurant with its warm golden tones and quirky artwork features a grand chandelier of metal panels and artist Damien Hurst's butterfly paintings.

Instead I retreated upstairs back into my Grace Kelly world, ordering a delicious Caesar salad and champagne. Grace would have been proud. I'd even dressed for the occasion.

It's not easy retaining movie-star looks so the next morning I booked into Aman Resorts' first UK spa.
Its lattice-work screens, linen covered walls and soothing granite and white marble around a heated pool bring a touch of Asian chic to London. My facial was just what the director ordered and left me positively glowing; now that's what I call movie-star treatment.

GETTING THERE:
The Connaught (020 7107 8945/ www.the-connaught.co.uk) offers Grace Kelly Weekends (April 17 to September 26, 2010) from £375pp per night (two sharing), B&B.Price includes accommodation in a superior king room, two Grace Kelly cocktails, the official V&A exhibition book, two tickets to the exhibition, a box set of movies to enjoy during your stay and private visit to Balenciaga, which was a favourite boutique of Grace Kelly's on nearby Mount Street.