My Ace Night in the Ditch - Ace London, Shoreditch

I consider myself to be relatively on trend. A busy life of travel might keep me out of the heart of the barfly scene, where all the real social moving and shaking goes on, but I'm urban modern at heart and have yet to put my Vogue into the drawer or hang up my party heels.

Every now and again, you get a double dose of cool that makes you realise how far behind you might have dropped but that simultaneously fast tracks you back 'du jour'. Mine happened this week in London. 

My first venture, long overdue, to the rapidly  up and coming hotspot of Shoreditch. My second quick hit happened as soon as I stepped inside the coolest spot in the Ditch of all, The Ace Hotel. 

Where do I start? The door men are adorable. Top hats are replaced by woolly beanies and bow ties and crisp shirts are swapped for grey sweaters and skinny jeans. 

Bicycles hang from the ceiling at reception, lobby seating is communal and set up for wireless living, Mac Book, of course. Music booms loud, lip reading is needed to get you through check in, and reception doubles as a very cool store where you can take your pick from all the very cool things you will find in the hotel and recreate the experience at home.

You escape the noise upstairs. Elevators lead to a warehouse feel of corridors and stairwells. Rooms are crisp and clean loft-style escapes. Hues of blue, on grey and concrete, surrounded with a cornucopia of retro wonders from LP records, tin mugs, radios and record players. A feel of Scandinavia design, in a Manhattan apartment. It's outstanding.

What do you get for your stay and your money? Space, for one, a plus for London at the best of times, optimised with low level beds and high ceilings. Great booze - forget mini sized mini bars, this is stocked to the straps with old school chocolate and gourmet treats and quarter bottle sized spirits. Superb showering, with jumbo sized products from the uber cool ruby .... ( soon to be in my own wet room, I loved these so much).

Downstairs you get ridiculously great cocktails in a super vibe bar. And lots of lounging. Time will fly, it's so laid back. And the people watching? One of the best.

Shuffle through to Hoi polloi (or enter through the flower shop from outside) and you get an outstanding dining experience that should be enjoyed even if you're not a resident. Dress down, in the up way. It's not formal, but it's very trendy, and the only thing more on point than the fashionista diners is the great food.

They say Shorditch is the Chelsea of the East. There's enough well styled, well famed restaurants and eateries to challenge them, maybe too many hipster cafés to meet the designer grades of Sloane, but they are marvellous nonetheless. I have no idea why I harboured a hesitancy to explore here sooner, but I'm an instant convert and will definitely be back to check off the many places that are quickly joining my must do-go-eat-drink list.

'Til next time, Pandora