Apartment / hotel in S. Kensington or Notting Hill area London?
 

We will be traveling with our 4 month old daughter in March and I'd like to find an "aparthotel" type accomodation. I like the idea of having an apartment since we almost never book hotels in Europe, mostly apartments, even a limited kitchenette, but I also want a front desk if we need any help.

I found 2 apartment/hotels that look interesting. Base2stay in Earls Court has great reviews on TA but some on here said Earls Court was too far from the action. It looks nice albeit a little pricey if it's truly out of the center. But then I'm not familiar with London so I don't know how out of the center Earls Court really is. In 2006 we stayed right near Kensington Palace and I felt that was a fine area, not quite in the thick of it but not too far either. http://www.base2stay.com/our_hotel/h...ensington.html

The other is Citadines in South Kensington. I like that area but it doesn't have great reviews. Sadly I really like this area and it seems to have decent sized rooms at an ok price. http://www.citadines.com/en/uk/londo...ensington.html

I'd also be open to a hotel that had a full English breakfast included if it had really good sized rooms and decent wi-fi (we need to work), but I have no idea where to start, there are so many hotels that it just overwhelms me and I quit looking! So if someone has a fantastic recommendation, the most important is that it be clean and spacious and not in a super touristy area.

Thanks!

not knowing the rates -- I'd much prefer the Holborn/Covent Garden or Trafalgar Square Citadines. But if the two you mentioned are your only choices -- I'd take the Citadines location well before base2stay. The Citadines website does say it has been recently renovated so that might have a bearing on the reviews.

There are a couple of Fodorites who really praise base2stay and it probably is just fine. But me personally, I will not stay in Earls Court.

JanisJ thank you, can you please tell me why everyone is down on Earls Court? Is it a bad area? I was thinking also of going back to the Westland Hotel, it wasn't horrible and the rooms were big and they offered a nice big greasy breakfast. http://www.westlandhotel.co.uk

EC isn't 'bad' and is much better than it was 20 - 30 years ago when it was just an area of low quality B&B hotels and bed sits full of young Aussies.

But it just isn't as nice nor as central as some other areas.

The main problem w/ the Westland is there is no easy/cheap way to get there from LHR. But if you spring for a car service like justairports.com it would be door-to-door w/ no schlepping at all. But I would rather be a bit more central if I was traveling w/ an infant so popping back 'home' during the day would be easier.

I didn't think about the ease of getting there from the airport. In your opinion, which area would be the most central yet still quiet and safe?

There is really no unsafe area - not where one is likely to stay at any rate. What is your budget?

YOu might look ar Harrington Garden Apts on Harrington Rd. Excellent location. Check on Kayak for really good prices. There is also a Base2Stay near the Gloucester Road Tube station.

Earls Court has become a very pricey area to live in London and it's really convenient to get around from there. There are also loads of charming places to eat and walk around on Old Brompton Road and on and around Gloucester Road. You're an easy walk to Hyde Park, High Street Ken, and you could even walk up to Notting Hill if you're feeling ambitious. You're not far from Kings Road and Sloane Square in Chelsea. You have access to the Picadilly and District lines which will take you all around London. I love the area and wouldn't hesitate to stay there. It's not hte most aesthetically appealing view directly outside Earls Court station, but big deal?

I'd like to stay under $250 a night, not sure what that equates to in GBP.

At the existing conversion rate it's about £160

I don't consider Earl's Court and South Kensington to be same. Gloucester Rd is South Kensington , not Earls' court

Earls Ct is definitely distinct from South Ken, but they are very, very close.

Ok, this apartment is right near paddington station, is this a bad neighborhood? The apartment seems really great size and price wise. But I can't imagine that next to a train station would be a great neighborhood.

MAP:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x...earchp=ids.srf

APARTMENT:
http://rentals.chslondon.com/glt/glt.htm

The good news - it looks like a nice flat for the price.

The (slightly) bad news - Paddington is even a bit less central/convenient than Earls Court.

It isn't on a tube line from LHR and the 2 trains between LHR/Paddington are either expensive or VERY expensive. You won't be walking distance to anything except Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens.

It is another area I personally wouldn't choose w/ an infant since there will be multiple tube line transfers to get most places.

I said before try Harrington Garden apts

http://www.refreshaccommodation.com/...n-gardens.aspx

the same price for a 1 bedroom and even less for a studio. And a very excellent location between Gloucester rd and S. Ken tube stations, with access to LHR, lots of shops, services and also good bus transport!

avalon's suggestion is much better located than Paddington or Earls Court.

Thank you for the info on Harrington Gardens. My concern about this place is that the description says they have 41 apartments, so I am assuming that the photos could possibly not be of the actual apartment we would get. This is a little scary to me since I really like to see exactly what we are getting. How does one get to LHR from here? We've always taken the Heathrow Express to and from Paddington so I'm unfamiliar!

The photos of the 1 bedroom and the "deluxe" 1 bedroom are the same photos???

The HEX makes no sense unless one is staying right AT Paddington. And even then a car service is easier since there is no schlepping of luggage. For a couple the HEX costs £33 one way. And if one is staying anywhere else you have to take an expensive cab ride after you get off the train.

For Harrington Gdns -- either take the tube or a car service. Car service will cost about the same as the HEX, and drop you right at the front door.

1 Harrington Gardens is a bldg of serviced accommodations -- not individually owned flats. So there may be some slight difference in decor -- but they are basically all the same except for size etc.

Oh, ok that makes sense knowing that it's an entire building of flats. I've sent an email to the company with a few questions, I think this looks like a good fit for us. Can either of you tell me what the area is like? Is it more residential or kind of in the thick of the city? I looked at the Google street view but I'm afraid it's difficult for me to tell not being too familiar with London. I wonder if the Harringotn Gardens would be lacking in character since they are corporate rentals. I really like some of the homey apartments we've rented across Europe with the funky decor. But if the neighborhood and the price is right, I'll learn to deal!! Thanks for helping me out on this!

Also this company requires FULL payment upon booking, which I've never heard of before, so I'd like to know if anyone has dealt with this company and what their reputation is like? Avalon???

if you're going in March I would spend a bit of time familiarizing yourself w/ sections of London before you pin down an apt.

Most apts will quote in pounds, not dollars, so you might want to learn the approx conversion.

And if you want an apartment building with a front desk that will limit you to many fewer places than a straight up apartment. But I see one of the places you looked at has no front desk so as usual I don't think you really know what you want.

Our plans have been changing along the way, thankfully due to the excellent advice given here!

I'm actually really liking this apartment from the same company. It's in Kensington as opposed to south Kensington, is this again putting me in an inconvenient location? The tube stop is not as close as the other apartment, but I really like the look of this one with the bright light and windows. We've rented so many European apartments that turned out to be tragically dark and I'm a natural light junkie. Also with an infant I'll likely be spending more time in the apartment than on other trips so I'd really like it to be nice. It's 141gbp per night, so it's in our budget. Still concerned about paying it all up front, but if I can find out more about the company I might feel more comfortable doing that.

Apartment:
http://www.refreshaccommodation.com/...worldwide.aspx

Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=f...ed=0CBsQ8gEwAA

I use to live on Harrington Road right near Queensgate. It's a great area. You can literally walk everywhere - park, museums, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill. I like this area much more than High Street Kensignton and the transport options are much better.

High Street Kensington has shops along it but it is not as well located for services and cafes and shops as Harrington Rd.

I have always had to pay the rents in full before departure for apts. and even some hotels . Don't know about that specific company.

You can't walk to many places other than the park and Kensington Palace from High St. Ken, unless you are into long not terribly interesting areas.

It always gives me a laugh when they say you can walk to the V&A and Harrods from Earl's Court. Sure you can if you are into cross country hiking and have a lot of time to waste

For sightseeing and transport, most of Kensington is not as convenient as South Kensington.

Kensington is definitely a nice area -- but S. Kens has better tube connections and you can get many more places w/o having to transfer.

Re having to pay up front -- Most agencies require a substantial deposit at time of booking and the balance paid 6 - 8 weeks before arrival. So not too much difference between paying it all at once or in two payments before you get to London.

There are some agencies/owners who take a deposit and then let you pay the rest on arrival. But they are in the minority.

Thank you. Most of our apartments that we've rented in other countries have been 25% down and cash upon arrival, that's why it surprised me. However, I was happy to see that although they want full payment up front, they seem to have a very generous cancellation policy so that's quite comforting. I'd like to take the Harrington Gardens apartment, just waiting for them to get back to me regarding a few questions. They seem to be responsive which is nice. Thank you for the transportation advice, that's the trickiest part of planning and unless you are a local or really know the city it's tough to pick apart what's best as far as location goes, so I really appreciate the advice!

I found these serviced apartments on the same street, they are little cheaper and 800+ square feet. 152 gbp a night, the other one is 141, so not bad for all the extra space. Just trying to nail down the dates now. http://www.avniapartments.co.uk/

Sorry I meant they are a little more expensive.

Does the Gloucester tube also have an access route to the airport as the Kensington tube does? These apartments are at Harrington and Gloucester.

The Gloucester Tube station is on the Piccadilly Line which takes you directly to Heathrow Airport.

Thank you Scotia!

Sheeeeeesh after weeks of debate we changed our minds and booked the Harrington Court apartments instead of Avni Harrington Gardens even though Avni was the same price and had more square footage and was more luxurious looking, at least from the photos, which can be deceiving anyway. They are both on the same street about 5-10 min walk apart. I didn't choose Avni mainly because they were unresponsive with email and the proximity to the Grosvenor Casino across the street.

Posting this info for anyone else who's considering the Harrington Court Serviced Apartments ...

www.harrington-court.co.uk

I chose Harrington Court because, although they had some dings on tripadvisor.com, the manager responded to every single review with comments on how they appreciated even the bad reviews and that they were going to improve. Although there were many good reviews, they had some pretty tough hits on some of the reviews, and I really liked that the manager faced them head on and apologized. That's just good business and I appreciate that.

When I emailed them, they responded within 12-24 hours whereas Avni Apartments never responded. For the most natural light and for noise issues, they recommended the "contemporary one bedroom" apartments that face the street. The manager said there is a night club that's open a couple nights a week on the ground floor, he said that it rarely causes a problem but if we were concerned to book a flat on the upper floors which were quieter, those are the flats that the regulars always request. The smaller one bedroom apartments are about 470 square feet and we paid about $260 a night for mid March which I believe is the beginning of high season. I received a £28 discount for booking online and a 10% discount for staying more than 4 nights. I will post photos and a review on trip advisor when I return. Overall this place has lots of positive reviews on other sites as well. So I am anxious to check it out and post my own review. We will return April 1 so I'll try to get it up as quickly as possible, if not when we're still there.

Looked at Google street view and it seems that there are lots of little eateries and such all around the apartments as well as a Tesco Express and tube station within a few minutes walk.

Thank you for everyones advice, I'll let you know how it turns out!

GiuliaPiraino: Looking forward to your review of the apartment.

The Harrington Court apartments turned out to be FANTASTIC. Thank you for everyone's help in choosing this area, you were all right, it's super convenient to the tube station, practically drops us at our front door and the neighborhood is really nice and vibrant! The apartment was beautiful, I couldn't believe how much natural light it had, it was so lovely, and it had 2 balconies! Great amenities, great price, nice helpful staff and an unbeatable location. Also, lots of delicious affordable food options all around which was so nice at the end of a long day. I highly recommend Harrington Court apartments. Feel free to contact me for more specifics!

I am trying to decide whether to stay at Harrington Court Apartments or Avni Luxury Serviced Apartments. Harrington is a bit less expensive, but Avni has some better reviews. Anyone stayed in either recently? I love this area, and am planning a trip with three other adults for January 2012.

I'm also looking into 2 Bedroom/2 Bathroom flats in the area, if anyone has any suggestions. I'm a bit hesitant to go with HomeAway (or VRBO), since you have to pay up front and you never know what you're going to get.

I was glad to hear that GiuliaPiraino (comments above) had a good experience at Harrington. I'm worried about the noise and condition of apartment. I actually did get a response from Avni, but not as quickly as Harrington.

Thanks for any help...

Check Cheval Residences for their many serviced apartments.

http://www.chevalresidences.com/



Joan

I don't know if this will help BCT, but here is a thread about upscale London apartments that I began for my sister:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-4-6-weeks.cfm

BCT: Welcome to Fodors. A suggestion - this thread is nearly 2 years old. It might be better if you started a new thread of your own. Sometimes folks will notice the thread is old and not respond, but even more often folks will not notice the dates and end up responding to the OP and miss your

ekskrunchy has linked a good thread to get you started. There are also many other threads about flats in London.

What is your actual budget?