Dave

Has anyone ever stayed at the Royal National Hotel in Bloomsbury/London? <BR> <BR>Any information/other suggestions would be great. <BR> <BR>Thanks

karen

Hi Dave, <BR> <BR>I was there about 10 years ago, and wasn't too impressed. I think that the Kennsington area of London is nicer. <BR> <BR>The hotel caters to a lot of tour groups. The rooms aren't anything special. It's ok, just not that great. For the same price, you could probably get a place that might be a little smaller, but in a more fun area. <BR> <BR>Check out the "rants and raves" section on this forum, to maybe get some other suggestions about where you may want to stay. <BR> <BR>Another place I stayed is the York hotel, near Kennsington. The rooms were very small, but the staff was nice, and I liked the area. <BR> <BR>

Linda

I posted a LONG reply to this thread, but it got lost. Stupid me, I didn't copy it to clipboard before I posted. UGH-H-H! Well, I'll try again. <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Royal National last November. It was part of a good Virgin air/hotel deal--financially one of the best I've made in a long time. The hotel was OK, but basic. It was close to the British Museum, which is why we chose it, and only about one block from a tube stop and close to two others. <BR> <BR>The rooms were clean, warm and dry. The staff was helpful. Do you hear any superlatives here? There weren't any. It was an OK place to sleep, but "I wouldn't want to live there". The staff was not friendly, but certainly wasn't rude. Yes, we were warm; in fact, too warm. We had to open the window at night just to be able to sleep, but then the traffic noise almost kept us awake. Luckily we aren't light sleepers. (This could be overcome by asking for a courtyard-side room.) The included breakfast was continental (roll, butter, marmelade, juice, coffee, tea), though you could purchase a mediocre full English breakfast if you wished. (How anybody can actually make a mediocre full English breakfast, I don't know, but they managed. I love English breakfasts, even if they are a heart attack on a plate, but stuck with the continental after the first day.) The room is low on amenities, but for us the location was very good. As I said, close to tube stops, and taxis pull right into the courtyard, so it was always easy to find one. The bathrooms are also clean and adequate, with both showers and bath tubs. <BR> <BR>Would I stay there again? Maybe, if the price were fantastic. I personally feel I could find a more charming hotel in that price range. We are planning another trip to London and do not plan on staying there, but may--who knows?!? <BR> <BR>If you do decide to stay there, I highly recommend a Chinese restaurant about 2 blocks away, Poons. Slightly on the pricey side, it was FANTASTIC. We loved it and plan on returning there whereever we stay. Also, the pub in the hotel had decent fish and chips--not the best in London but good, especially if you don't want to go hunting for a decent meal. Lastly, down the block and across the street was a small grocery store. We used it a couple of times to purchase snacks and cheese, fruit, and wine for after-theater dinner in our room. There's no refrigerator, but we stayed there in November, so the wine and cheese did fairly well on the window sill. (The things we do when we're traveling!) <BR> <BR>Whereever you decide to stay, enjoy one of my favorite cities in the world.

KenCT

Don't know anything about the Hotel National in particular, but I wanted to address Karen's posting suggesting that Kensington was "nicer" than Bloomsbury. <BR> <BR>Obviously, different people prefer different neighborhoods, but in April I found a real cheap hotel in Bloomsbury. The room was tiny - you could open the dresser drawer or walk past the bed, not both, and the bathroom was down the hall, but the place was clean, the staff was friendly, and for me best of all, I was the only American tourist. Most of the folks I met at breakfast (included in the price of the room) were people from other parts of Britain in town on business. <BR> <BR>As I was walking up Marchmount Street from I noticed a pub, a fish and chips place, and a laundromat and knew immediately I liked the neighborhood. <BR> <BR>I walked almost everywhere - to the British Museum, the British Library, the half-price ticket booth at Leicester Square, the bars on Old Compton Street and on and on. I guess it's what you're into, but I thought Bloomsbury was great for a home base.

Linda

KenCT, I liked Bloomsbury, too. At times I really felt like I was in a small village. We'll definitely stay in Bloomsbury when we return next time.