In the mood for love...

It's hard to be romantic in the season to be jolly, what with drunken parties, negotiations over who will cook what for whose irritating relatives, and finding time and money to buy your other half's Christmas presents.

So dinner dancing at the Lanesborough struck me as a great idea. Something different, classy yet romantic, with a bit of exercise to lighten the effects of yet another big rich meal.

This month, the live band in the hotel's conservatory restaurant plays daily. The swingtime feel is particularly apt: apparently we'll all be going 1930s when next season's fashion collections appear, since everyone from Dolce & Gabbana to Alexander McQueen has got heavily into body-skimming full-length dresses ending in a froth of frills.

So, what better time could there be to practise being Ginger Rogers to the better half's Fred Astaire?

A fine romance

To be sure, the average 21stcentury bloke tends to get a little insecure at the prospect of whisking his beloved round a dance floor, but even my reluctant Fred admitted that dinner dancing under the stars was probably more romantic than a pint and a packet of crisps down the local.

Under the towering ferns of the Lanesborough's beautiful conservatory, couples (and anyone else for that matter) can dine sumptuously, drink lavishly, and waltz the night away to the three-piece jazz band.

Well, that's the theory. Certainly the food was wonderful, the lighting low, the wine excellent, and the service perfect. The only glitch, in fact, was the dancing. The Lanesborough's guests don't seem to have realised that it's party night every night anywhere else at this time of year.

The other diners were a mix of businessmen and couples, but none of them got up to dance (although one merry pair put in a couple of requests and then clapped enthusiastically when they were played).

The maitre d' assures me that at the weekend the dance floor heaves, and I believe him, since this is the kind of place where customers probably don't respond too well to change.

It was still one of the most romantic dining experiences I've had, so my advice is - go.

If you're shy, stick to the weekend; if not, go mid-week and set the ball rolling. And if you're really dedicated to stoking the fires of true love, get a room.

You'll have to give everyone tuppenny sweets for Christmas though. Doubles start at £452, junior suites at £687 - but it's worth it, if you have that sort of money.

The Lanesborough strikes a perfect balance between old-world charm and modern convenience, so the wooden furniture is supplemented by CD and DVD player, the marble bath doubles as a Jacuzzi, and, best of all, there's a butler service to remove all the boring shirt-pressing and shoeshining duties from your life.

And what could be more romantic than that?

The Lanesborough Hotel, 1 Lanesborough Place SW1. Tel: 020 7259 5599. Tube: Hyde Park Corner