Choosing accommodations is one of the most important things when travelling -- it is often the most…read moreexpensive part of a trip, and choosing the wrong one can ruin your vacation. In addition to price, location is important, but it can be a challenge if you don't know the city. When looking for a hotel for our five night stay, there were many affordable options in good areas of London, but in the end we chose 69 The Grove, a lovely B&B in the Vauxhall area of London, and it was a GREAT decision. 69 The Grove is so-called because the address is 69 Vauxhall Grove. It is in the Vauxhall area, which is just south of the Thames. While a bit further away from all the main attractions in London, it was just a five minute walk to Vauxhall Station, on the Victoria Line, and took just 20 to 30 minutes to get to wherever we needed to go. It was a perfect balance of being in a quiet residential area and having quick and easy access to the busier parts of the city. It was also within walking distance of many restaurants, parks, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, Lambeth Bridge, and other attractions. I absolutely loved the area. The price of our five night stay was $1,205.35 CAD (including all taxes), and a full English breakfast is included each morning, Monday to Saturday -- an excellent value. While the room was small, it had everything we needed -- a private bathroom, comfy bed, a mini fridge and kettle, and it was clean and quiet. If my budget allows, I want to make another trip to London, and I hope 69 The Grove is still in operation. It was such a pleasant place to stay, and I would not hesitate to go back. I highly recommend 69 The Grove. [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; London, England; Hotels]

Good location. Extremely dirty room and bathroom. My bed…read moresmelled like piss and there was no AC, I opened the windows during the day to let the room air out (I'm quite temperature sensitive) and when I came back the windows were closed as he made up my room. The bathroom was atrocious. A 3 foot by 8 foot shoe box which was extremely disgustingly dirty. The shower door was broken and the fan was so dirty it made me gag. Was woken up at 6:30 every morning by loud noises as the walls are thin. Additionally the owner was extremely weird and overtly friendly. He offered me a visa to live in England within 3 minutes of meeting him. Saying he has a job for me. He forced me into a conversation about American politics and gun control. When I mentioned I was going to a restaurant with friends when he asked me what my plans are in London, he said he might go to the same restaurant on the same day (effectively inviting himself to come with me). The stairs up to the third floor were filled with whatever he was hoarding, making extremely unsafe in the event of a fire. He left the front door unlocked at most times and as a result I never felt safe inside the building. Additionally the English breakfast was bad. Overcooked rashers and frozen hard sausage links. The mushrooms were bland, the tomatoes were not ripe and very hard and the eggs were swimming in butter and also very bland. He did not season anything. The bread he gave me was under toasted and bad. He made sure that I ate some fruit like he was my parent, calling me "My boy". His "helper/server" during the one breakfast I went to had 0 clue how to operate as a server and it seemed like they were in a weird relationship. Overall extremely creepy and weird vibes. If the issue was just a misleading room description and dirty bathroom I would have been able to stay for my entire reservation, but the vibes I got from the whole operation were very bad. I left after 3 of 7 days and never looked back, trying to not let it ruin my trip to England.

Super great spot! Just a small walk from Victoria Station and very good price for London! Keep in…read moremind that the rooms are VERY small before booking!

We found out about Cherry Court Hotel from a Rick Steves book. We had never visited London before…read more In my research, I realized Cherry Court had a fantastic price and the location near Victoria Station made it handy. The booking process was more involved than doing a usual online booking but not difficult: I emailed the owner to request certain days (about 6 months ahead of time) and had a reply in about 10 minutes saying the days were available and we needed to call to supply a credit card to pay for our first night. We did that promptly and had a choice of first or second floor. We went with 2nd, after asking which was quieter. I didn't hear from them again in advance of our dates but everything was ready when we arrived. A quick walk up the steep, narrow stairs, and we were in our cozy room. As tight as space was, it worked out well. The bathroom is itty bitty but the shower and toilet worked great and fresh towels were supplied each day; soap was supplied, but not shampoo or conditioner. The bed takes up much of the room. The mattress is good and I liked my memory foam pillow. I asked for a hair dryer at the front desk and it worked great. There are lots of plugs, UK three-prong and USB, on two sides of the room. They supply a nice fruit basket for breakfast each day; ours had 2 bananas, 2 small apples, 2 clementines, a Nature Valley granola bar, a pack of digestive biscuits or ginger biscuits, and 2 Capri Suns. There is also a carafe of water, drinking glasses, a hot water kettle and instant coffee, and a telephone. Also, downstairs by the office they have hot and cold water on tap. Noise wasn't a problem either from the street or other rooms. Heavy rain woke me up often one night, but that's not an issue on them. The room doesn't supply much social or work space; there was a table along a stairway landing if needed. However, that was a minor issue for us, as we planned to be out adventuring all the day long. If you want a room to allow you to hang out or have guests, you had best look elsewhere. As promised, the place was very convenient to Victoria Station. That was fantastic! There's even a decently sized Sainsbury's grocery store with long hours right at the most convenient station entrance. That makes it an easy stop to get toiletries or food. I would stay at Cherry Court Hotel again. Quarters may be tight, but that's the norm for London, and the people here are nice and there are positives galore. Rick Steves was right to recommend this place.

Arran House Hotel has a strange balance of providing just enough so you're not entirely…read moreuncomfortable, but so little that there's really nothing to rave about. 3.5 stars for achieving this level of mediocrity. As with most places in London, the hotel is old. The location was great, just a short walk to the Underground, the rooms are fairly clean and a basic English breakfast was included in the cost (beans, sausage, toast, tea). There was a shared shower and toilet on each floor and the water was not always hot. Unlike the States, most of the world seems to have much lower water pressure and less consistent hot water (a shame, but I suppose it's less wasteful). Helpful tip: You need to bring your own shampoo, conditioner and soap. The staff was satisfactory. They provided basic services and did their jobs, but did not go out of their way to be friendly or helpful. This was not a big deal to me because I rarely stayed at the hotel. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for and it would be unrealistic of me to expect any more from this hotel given the cost per night. London is an expensive city, so Arran House Hotel is a good option for the budget traveler seeking a good location and a place to sleep.

To start, the guy "managing" the front desk was very unprofessional. I asked nicely if he could…read moremake accommodations for my stay and he told me there were absolutely no rooms available in the 3-4 hotels the company owned. I asked if there was anything i could do and he told me i could cancel the stay but that i would be charged for the first night AND i had to write/send a letter to management with my complaints if i wanted even a partial refund. He said that my room was perfectly fine (hadn't even seen the room had just stepped into establishment) and that because there is no legitimate reason i should be cancelling therefore he would not be providing even a partial refund. Per their policy online, it states that it's "partially refundable. if cancelled after reservation, the cancellation fee will be the cost of the first night. if you don't show up the no show fee will be the same as cancellation fee". No where in the policy is it stated that we had to provide a letter with our complaints and send it to management in order to get even a partial refund for not even staying whatsoever. When i asked to speak to the manager the guy kept saying he was the only one managing the 3-4 hotels nearby and that he was "the manager". I even asked for the managements number and he gave an excuse that one of the bosses wasn't working today so i asked for a different one to which he said he couldn't provide me any of his info. Overall i was understanding that accommodations could not be made however the way the guy spoke to me was disrespectful and appeared untruthful.

What an amazing hotel and service! We arrived and immediately checked in, and got a complimentary…read moreupgrade. The room ended up not having AC but they were very accommodating, offering to switch us and gave us fans when we decided to keep the room. They also ended up giving us restaurant credit to use due to the issues with AC. Tom the concierge was very helpful and kind, helping us with taxis and recommendations. Overall it was a gorgeous boutique hotel with amazing staff and service.

Lovely boutique hotel in London, lovely part of South Kensington…read more Very convenient to the tube and bus. Old building that has been renovated to include central air conditioning but still has the charm of a 1800's hotel complete with an actual key for the door. Service was fantastic. Continental breakfast provided at the on site restaurant. Concierge and front desk staff were very helpful. The cutest part was the Honesty bar, have a cocktail that you make yourself and write down what you drank....first time I have ever seen that. Air conditioning was fine for this time of year, in the summer the rooms will be on the warm side. The hotel has the in house restaurant and offers afternoon tea. I would not hesitate to stay with them again.

Black mold everywhere! Absolute worst hotel we have ever stayed in. A danger to your health staying…read morehere! When checking in, we were told we were upgraded. What a joke! I noticed reviews here saying to avoid the basement so when I heard Room 602, I thought "oh good, the 6th floor". Wrong! Rooms starting with "6" are all in the basement. Immediately upon entering the room, the most damp, rotten, and moist smell. Being in the basement, you can't open the single small window. We thought it was coming from the AC so we turned it off and heading out to sight see on our last day in the city. When we came back at around 10pm, the smell was even worse. We narrowed down the smell to originating from the bathroom. I thought it was coming from the drain but soon realized there was black mold growing on the tile grout, the wood on the door, and even the shelves on the wall. How can room service or management not see this? The bathroom fan was broken and probably has not been working in months, which is why so much mold has grown from the shower moisture. These rooms are never properly cleaned and it's shameful they've been neglected this long. It honestly smelled like a house which has been flooded with sewer water. The moldy smell gave us headaches and coughs. Now past 10PM, it wasn't worth us arguing to get another room so we decided we'd just check out at 5AM and just head to the airport early. The room itself was not great either. The bed was rock hard and the security safe did not work. Carpets were stained and artwork/mirrors had layers of dust on them. When checking out, we told the guy at the front desk how atrocious and unsafe the room was with the black mold and smell. He just said he would let management know. That's it! There wasn't a sincere apology or even an offer for partial reimbursement. I doubt him or management will do anything as there are many review with similar experiences here that I wish I had seen prior. He informed us our receipt would be emailed and didn't even say have a good day or anything. Sad! It's now, 2 days since checking out and I noticed 2 charges on my credit card statement from Hotel Indigo as if I stayed 2 nights there. I had to contact them to send my receipt again and finally received it. Now I'm waiting to get this second charge removed and getting over a cough from staying in the room. Do yourself a favor and do not stay here! For over $300 a night, there are many better options in London. Your health matters and this place should be shut down. Do not fall for the "you've been upgraded" junk. I look forward to hearing their canned response to my review here.

Stayed from 13-16 June. Location was good, close to the…read moreTube Station. Room, amenities and cleanliness was good. Excellent Breakfast and staff experience. Big negative and one star review for lack of Air Conditioning. My room was 25°C the entire stay. Outside was identical temperature, so zero reprieve from the heat. They said my room faces the sun, and air is controlled centrally, so nothing they could do. I opened the windows in the evening, however, the cars racing down the High Street, made sleeping impossible until after 0130 in the morning. I averaged about four hours sleep per night, absolutely ruined my trip. Would not recommend this property.

What a special hotel! Walking down the staircase every day is an experience because it's so…read morebeautiful. There are so many spots to sit and enjoy the spaces around the lobby too. Each morning there was a small set up with fruit, tea and coffee, and we enjoyed having access to sparkling water daily. They also sent us such a sweet gift of sparkling non alcoholic wine for our anniversary and my birthday. You really can't beat the facade of this place either. It's also a great location right by the Russel Square tube and my favorite bakery, Fortitude! It was easily walkable from SoHo, Covent Garden, and multiple great coffee shops as well. We already want to go back for Christmas!

This hotel had friendly staff, unique historic charm, and the location was amazing. Right next to…read moreparks, and underground station, and what I can only describe as an open mixed use lot with lots of great dining- all short walking distance. The area felt clean and safe. The hotel rooms presented well and were clean. One of our rooms had a musty smell. The down stairs lobby, bar (great drink menu and vibe) and restaurant were fantastic. The hotel has multiple elevator shafts- there is little waiting when you're trying to go up or go down. Breakfast here was satisfying (American family) I would stay here again.

For about a decade my wife and I have enjoyed extremely happy stays at this intimate, lovely hotel,…read morelocated in beautiful Kensington. The location is quiet, and in our experience so are the Rockwell's guests. The staff is first-rate. On our latest stay, Gabriella and Annett at the front desk were quick to assist whenever we needed help. Breakfast buffets were supervised by the always-friendly Sorinap. Earl's Court tube station is just a 7-minute walk away, and even closer is The King's Head, a terrific pub with good dining upstairs. Drinks and a very satisfying dinner menu are also offered at the Rockwell. We can't wait until our next visit here.

For the dining room only... friend got sick on food. Service slow as anything as well.read more

Lovely. Simply lovely. I have a "thing" for boutique hotels and this is one of the best. The…read moreKnightsbridge Hotel is a beautiful Georgian townhouse located just steps away from Harrod's in one of the pricier parts of London. While the outside conforms to its neighborhood of row houses- the inside is a bit eclectic and stylish with an African themed sitting room (complete with a cow hide settee) while the library with its unmatched honor bar is more contemporary in nature- perfect for curling up with a book and a glass of wine. Reasonably priced for the area (low end rooms start at around $300 (USD) per night but are very comfortably decorated. The basics include a mini bar, comfy queen sized bed with fabulous linens, and a marble and oak bathroom with high end fixtures. And of course fabulous toiletries that smell so good you'll want to stay in the shower forever! I happen to love all the little touches that make it feel special. Towel warming bars in the bathroom (ooh- I love warm towels!), manager delivered bath oils to welcome you and an herbal pillow spritz spray that sends you off to slumber land quicker than ever. My particular room had a view of Harrods which, lit, at night, creates quite a picture of elegance and grandeur. The staff is willing to accommodate your slightest whim (including bringing you something from the honor bar if you can't seem to make the trip downstairs) and are quick with pub and restaurant suggestions in the neighborhood. There are only 44 rooms in this hotel so it is like coming home each night where the staff know you and hand you your key after opening the front door for you with a personal greeting. Boutique hotels are not for everyone as they don't have fancy bars, pools, restaurants or work out rooms. But if you want to feel as if you are a part of the neighborhood- or just want a quiet get away after a long day of work stay at the Knightsbridge. You'll forget the troubles of your day the second you slide between those silky sheets and inhale the scent of lavender that is on your pillows. Sweet Dreams!

Knightsbridge is constantly busy but for some reason, this hotel exudes an air of calm and…read moretranquility. After I'd fought my way past the crowds outside Harrods, I was feeling rather stressed so it was nice to turn into Beaufort gardens - a quiet tree lined street off Brompton Road. It was even nicer to walk into the hotel, which is cosy in a contemporary way and with warm and welcoming reception staff. It's one of the Firmdale hotels (like the soho hotel, ham yard hotel and Haymarket hotel) and the talented hand of interior designer Kit Kemp is everywhere. I wish my house was like this! The guests of the hotel's 44 rooms have two rooms to hang out in - the drawing room, which is like a living room, and the library which contains an honesty bar and is a place to take meals. My date and I went for afternoon tea and loved the homely vibes. The jam was home-made (strawberry and raspberry), the scones were warm and the cakes were hearty and decent - Victoria sponge, cupcakes and custard tarts - rather than fancy small things that look better than they taste. These cakes both looked and tasted good that day and the next day as they let us take a doggy bag away containing what we couldn't eat. I don't know why anyone would take tea in Harrods, when this is around the corner and at least £10 cheaper. Also, they specialise in tea for kids with hot chocolate instead of tea and sandwiches tailored to younger tastebuds. Granny would love it, kids would love it and I loved it!