Capital of cosseting; Liz Hands travels to London for a child-friendly break.

IT'S as English as the afternoon tea served beside the fire in its lounge.

The Milestone Hotel in London's Kensington is pure luxury - concierges and doormen dressed in livery of green and gold, attentive butlers, sumptuous fabrics and service which is second to none.

And it manages to do all of that without a hint of stuffiness.

It means that while the phrases "five star hotel" and "child friendly" don't always go hand in hand, that couldn't be further from the truth at the Milestone.

A few days before we arrive, we receive a call from the Milestone, asking whether my other half and I would like a complimentary glass of Champagne when we get there - and, not to leave our five-year-old out, would she like a glass of orange juice? It's an attentive touch which makes us feel as if we're on holiday before we even get there.

When we do arrive, the rain in London is torrential. But not a drop touches our heads when the taxi pulls up to the hotel as the doormen rush out wielding umbrellas (Milestone green and gold, of course) and usher us through the polished brass and glass doors.

As soon as we enter the plush sanctuary of the Milestone, the staff can't make enough of our little girl.

We're allocated a butler - Terry - who Katie immediately hits it off with. And, she assures me, it's not just because he frequently offers her sweets from the jar at reception.

I can see why she's fallen for his charms - Terry is affable, like a kindly uncle he immediately puts us all at our ease and he certainly knows his stuff when it comes to the history of the Milestone.

He sweeps us efficiently through the corridors to our room, imparting knowledge on the way.

The original house on the hotel site was Kensington House, built around 1689 and occupied as a private dwelling.

Over the years, The Milestone has been home to Lady Susan Belasyse, mistress of King James II; and Count Peter Grigorevich, the Russian Ambassador to London. It has been an academy for young gentlemen, a Jesuit school and a lunatic asylum.

It was replaced by a second grand mansion before, in the 1880s, the two houses which make up the present day hotel were built.

In 1986, the Milestone was badly damaged in a fire, the blaze taking three hours to bring under control and the hotel deteriorated until, in 1998, it became part of the Red Carnation Hotel collection.

By the following year, it had been fully restored to its original architectural splendour with 45 bedrooms, 12 suites and six two-bedroom apartments.

Many of the rooms overlook Kensington Gardens, although it appears not all guests find this to their liking. Terry jokes (or at least

I think he's joking) that some of his clientele have complained about the trees' leaves blocking their views of the gardens during the summer.

Our suite - the Mistinguett - doesn't face the gardens but it does have its own private balcony, perfect for pre or post dinner drinks during the summer months, I imagine.

And, whatever it lacks in the views department, it more than makes up for in opulence - but what else would you expect from a room named after the 1920s queen of the Paris music hall? Unlike the rest of the rooms in The Milestone, which are much more traditional, the Mistinguett is bright red, bold and just the right side of brassy.

It features 16 original artworks, a bed so big I lost my other half in it for most of the night, chairs decked in red and silver fabrics which Katie immediately dubs "thrones" and all the mod cons too - MP3 docking stations and giant flatscreen TV.

But the best bit as far as Katie is concerned is the teddy bear left for her on her bed. He's wearing a little green and gold jumper spelling out his name - Miles Stone. And there's even a mini robe and slippers for her too.

After one of the most comfortable nights' sleep I've had in ages, we head down for breakfast in Cheneston's, named after the old way of spelling Kensington.

There's a help-yourself buffet of cereal, pastries, muffins, fruit, yoghurt and just about anything else you can think of along with a menu option.

I order pancakes with bacon and maple syrup while my other half goes for the eggs benedict and Katie contents herself with going back three times to the buffet for chocolate muffins.

We leave the staff to prepare Cheneston's for lunch and dinner - the green checked breakfast table cloths come off, the white linen and sparkling glasses come out - and we head off for a tour of the rest of the hotel.

The horseriding themed Stables bar is perfect for unwinding, or there's the Conservatory for cocktails, the Lounge for tea and scones by the fire and a heated resistance pool, a gym and a sauna.

But there are two things we have promised our five-year-old that we will do while in London and so we forgo the hotel's many charms and head out into the city to explore.

It's only in the past year or so that Katie has morphed into a real girly girl. Everything now has to be pink or purple and High School Musical is the order of the day. But, before that, dinosaurs were her favourite things in the world. I think she said "Diplodocus" before she said "Mummy", so it's a real treat to come face-to-face with one in the Natural History Museum - just a five-minute drive or 20-minute walk from the Milestone.

The museum, which has free entry, is absolutely crammed with exhibits. It would be impossible to see everything in one day and do it justice, so we concentrate on the dinosaur rooms, the highlight of which is a lifelike teenage Tyrannosaurus rex which stares inquisitively at visitors before letting out an all-too-realistic roar.

From there, we head into Kensington Gardens. It's a cold, crisp morning and the park is relatively quiet except for joggers and dog walkers.

But we're not here to take a casual stroll. We march with purpose up to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground.

Designed around a Peter Pan theme, its centrepiece is a huge wooden pirate ship which sits among crocodiles, the lost boys' camp, Indian teepees and treasure chests. There's an entry system with a buzzer so only parents and children can get into the park, which is absolutely immaculate, not even a hint of litter or graffiti.

After whiling away a couple of hours pretending to be Wendy, Peter Pan and Captain Hook, it's time to head back to the Milestone to pick up our luggage.

We're heading on to Heathrow for an overnight flight. But I definitely feel that my holiday has already started after such a relaxing night at the Milestone.

According to Terry, the hotel has a very high return rate among guests. And, it's easy to see why. The Milestone has an awards list as long as your arm: Travel and Leisure Magazine ranked it number one in the world for service last year. It also topped the 2007 Cond Nast Readers' Choice Award for British hotels It's all down to the hotel's philosophy of "no request too large, no detail too small".

So, with a final farewell to Terry, Katie heads off with one of those "small details" which has made our stay so special - Miles the bear.

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CAPTION(S):

GLAMOUROUS The Milestone Hotel in London's Kensington is pure luxury. HISTORIC The original house on the hotel site was Kensington House, built around 1689 and occupied as a private dwelling.