GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 846

$$$ London Vicarage Hotel is family-run, understandably popular, and elegantly Brit-
ish in a quiet, classy neighborhood. It has 17 rooms furnished with taste and quality, a
TV lounge, a grand staircase, and facilities on each floor. Mandy and Monika maintain
a homey atmosphere (S-£63, Sb-£107, D-£107, Db-£136, T-£136, Tb-£178, Q-£152, Qb-
£200, 20 percent less in winter—check website, free Wi-Fi; 8-minute walk from Notting
Hill Gate and High Street Kensington Tube stations, near Kensington Palace at 10 Vicarage
Gate; tel. [phone], fax [phone], www.londonvicaragehotel.com , vicarage-
[e-mail] ).
$$ The Gate Hotel has seven cramped but decent rooms on a delightful curved street
near the start of the Portobello Road Market, in the heart of the characteristic Notting Hill
neighborhood. While the lodgings are basic and could be cleaner, the prices are low for this
area and the romantic setting might be worth it for some (Sb-£60, Db-£85, bigger “luxury”
Db-£95, Tb-£115; higher prices Fri-Sat; 5 percent fee to pay with credit card, continental
breakfast in room, no elevator, pay Wi-Fi, 6 Portobello Road, Tube: Notting Hill Gate, tel.
020/7221-0707, fax [phone], www.gatehotel.co.uk , [e-mail] , Jas-
mine).
Near Holland Park
$ Norwegian YWCA (Norsk K.F.U.K.) —where English is definitely a second lan-
guage—is open to any Norwegian woman, and to non-Norwegian women under 30. (Men
must be under 30 with a Norwegian passport.) Located on a quiet, stately street, it offers
a study, TV room, piano lounge, and an open-face Norwegian ambience (goat cheese on
Sundays!).Theyhavemostlyquads,sothosewillingtosharearoomwithstrangersaremost
likely to get a bed (July-Aug: Ss-£46, shared double-£44/bed, shared triple-£40/bed, shared
quad-£37/bed,includessheetsandtowels,includesbreakfastyear-roundplussacklunchand
dinner Sept-June, £20 key deposit and £3 membership fee required, pay Wi-Fi, 52 Holland
Park,Tube:HollandPark,tel.[phone]or020/7727-9897, www.kfukhjemmet.org.uk ,
[e-mail] ). With each visit, I wonder which is easier to get—a sex
change or a Norwegian passport?
Paddington Station Neighborhood
Atthefar-eastendofBayswater,theneighborhoodaroundPaddingtonStation—whilemuch
less charming than the other areas I've recommended—is pleasant enough, and very con-
venient to the Heathrow Express airport train. The area is flanked by the Paddington and
Lancaster Gate Tube stops. Most of my recommendations circle Norfolk Square, just two
blocks in front of Paddington Station, yet are still quiet and comfortable. The main drag,
London Street, is lined with handy eateries—pubs, Indian, Italian, Greek, Lebanese, and
more—plus convenience stores and an Internet café. (Better restaurants are a short stroll to