GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 842

$$ Brompton Hotel is a humble, borderline-dreary, last-resort place with 24 rooms
above a jumble of cafés and clubs. There's a noisy bar and some street noise, so ask for a
room in the back if you want quiet. It has old carpet and no public spaces, and they serve
breakfast in your room. In spite of all this, its rates are reasonable for this upscale neighbor-
hood (Sb-£100, Db-£110, Tb-£160, “deluxe” rooms are just like the others but with a tub,
save a little by booking via their website, includes continental breakfast, free Wi-Fi, across
from the South Kensington Tube station at 30 Old Brompton Road, tel. [phone], fax
020/7823-9936, www.bromhotel.com , [e-mail] ) .
Notting Hill and Bayswater Neighborhoods
Residential Notting Hill has quick bus and Tube access to downtown, and, for London, is
very“homely”(Brit-speakforcozy).It'salsopepperedwithtrendybarsandrestaurants,and
is home to the famous Portobello Road Market (offbeat antiques shops open daily are en-
livened on Saturdays with 2,000 additional stalls until 19:00, most shops closed Sun, Tube:
Notting Hill Gate, tel. tel. [phone]-8354), www.portobelloroad.co.uk ) .
Popular with young international travelers, the Bayswater street called Queensway is
a multicultural festival of commerce and eateries. The neighborhood does its dirty clothes
at Galaxy Launderette (£6-8 self-service, £10-12 full-service, Mon-Sat 8:00-20:00, Sun
9:00-20:00,staffonhandwithsoapandcoins,65MoscowRoad,atcornerofSt.Petersburgh
PlaceandMoscowRoad,tel.[phone]).For Internetaccess, you'llfindseveralstops
along busy Queensway, and a self-serve bank of computer terminals on the food-circus
level—third floor—of Whiteleys Shopping Centre (daily 8:30-24:00, corner of Queensway
and Porchester Gardens—see here ) .
Near Kensington Gardens Square
Several big, old hotels line quiet Kensington Gardens Square (not to be confused with the
much bigger Kensington Gardens adjacent to Hyde Park), a block west of bustling Queen-
sway, north of Bayswater Tube station. These hotels are quiet for central London, but the
area feels a bit sterile, and the hotels here tend to be impersonal.
$$$ Vancouver Studios offers 45 modern, tastefully furnished rooms with fully
equipped kitchenettes (utensils, stove, microwave, and fridge) rather than breakfast. It faces
Kensington Gardens Square in front and its own tranquil garden patio out back (Sb-£92,
Db-£135, Tb-£175, extra bed-£20, discount for seven or more nights, pay Internet access,
free Wi-Fi, welcoming lounge, 30 Prince's Square, tel. [phone], fax [phone],
www.vancouverstudios.co.uk , [e-mail] ) .
$$$ Garden Court Hotel is understated, with 37 simple rooms (Sb-£50-75, D-£80,
Db-£130, Tb-£160, Qb-£180, ask for Rick Steves price if booking direct, elevator, pay In-