Accommodation - The Rough Guide to London - page 358

solutions. The public spaces tick all the lifestyle mag
choices - Eames chairs, block colours, coffee table books -
while managing to be comfy and welcoming, and staff are
great. The buzzing restaurant/bar is handy, too. More
London branches are planned. Free wi-fi and movies. £160
Ibis Styles London Southwark Rose 43-47
Southwark Bridge Rd, SE1 T 020 7015 1480, W ibis.com;
! London Bridge; map pp.226-227. The Southwark
Rose has funky design touches that raise the rooms a little
above the bland chain hotels in the area, and rooms are
comfortable and generally spacious. Don't expect much
more, though a buffet breakfast is included in ra tes, w hich
vary widely depending on availability. Free wi-fi. £110
London Bridge Hotel 8-18 London Bridge St, SE1
T 020 7855 2200, W londonbridgehotel.com; ! London
Bridge; map pp.226-227. Perfectly placed for Southwark
and Bankside or the City, this is a plush, contemporary,
independent hotel in a Victorian building in the hear t of
things right by the station and the Shard. Free wi-fi. £200

atmosphere is generally peaceful. Above all, though, the
prices are not to be sniff ed at in this area, and online deals
are excellent. Free wi-fi. £120

EARL'S COURT AND FULHAM
Ì Barclay House 21 Barclay Rd, SW6 T 07767
420943, W barclayhouselondon.com; ! Fulham
Broadway; map pp.250-251. Small Fulham B&B - just
three rooms, one of them a single - in a quiet street near the
tube. Though quite luxurious - the spotless rooms have oak
flooring and fancy Philippe Starck-designed bathrooms -
it's comfortable and relaxed, run by friendly hosts; there's a
small shared kitchen area, filled with home-made pastries,
bread, tea and coffee, so you can have breakfast when you
like, perhaps on the roof terrace if the weather is good .
Usually a four- or five-night minimum stay. Free wi-fi. £110
Nadler Kensington 25 Courtfield Gardens, SW5
T 020 7244 2255, W thenadler.com/kensington.shtml;
! Earl's Court; map pp.250-251. Excellent-value
accommodation, with no fussy extras. Rooms range from
“bijou singles” via “luxury bunks” to “deluxe”; all are
comfortable, clean and quiet, modern and attractive, with
mini-kit chens and free wi-fi. A good choice for groups and
families. £150
Twenty Nevern Square 20 Nevern Square, SW5 T 020
7565 9555, W 20nevernsquare.co.uk; ! Earl's Court;
map pp.250-251. In an area of bog-standard B&Bs, this is
a welcome and inexpensive alternative, a boutique hotel
decked out in bold, warm colours and strewn with Oriental
and European antiques. Rooms are en suite, comfortable
and with good facilities; some, however, ar e te ensy.
Continental buffet breakfast included. Free wi-fi. £85

23

HYDE PARK AND KENSINGTON GARDENS
Columbia Hotel 95-99 Lancaster Gate, W2 T 020
7402 0021, W columbiahotel.co.uk; ! Lancaster Gate;
map p.240. This large, old-fashioned hotel, once five
Victorian houses, offers en-suite singles, doubles, triples
and quads, some with views over Hyde Park. It's all a bit
dated, but comfortable and good value; the bar, and the
public lounge, have a certain faded charm. Free wi-fi in
lobby and bar. £105
Kensington House Hotel 15-16 Prince of Wales
Terrace, W8 T 020 7937 2345, W kenhouse.com;
! High Street Kensington; map p.240. Little details
help give this independent hotel, brilliantly located in a
nineteenth-century townhouse near Kensington Gardens,
a personal touch. The en-suite rooms are smallish, and
worn in places, but light, clean and contemporary; some
have tiny balconie s. A good continental breakfast is
included. Free wi-fi. £156

HIGH STREET KENSINGTON
Vicarage Hotel 10 Vicarage Gate, W8 T 020 7229
4030, W londonvicaragehotel.com; ! Notting Hill
Gate or High Street Kensington; map pp.274-275.
Laidback, quiet B&B on a residential street a step away
from Kensington Gardens. The seventeen clean rooms
are traditionally decorated and a little old-fashioned;
some have shared facilities, and quads are available. A
full Engl ish b reakfast is included. Free wi-fi (in the
lounge). £110

SOUTH KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA
Aster House 3 Sumner Place, SW7 T 020 7581 5888,
W asterhouse.com; ! South Kensington; map
pp.250-251. Friendly, upmarket B&B, wonderfully
located in a luxurious South Ken white-stuccoed street;
one of the thirteen rooms opens out onto the back garden
(complete with little pond), and there's a conservatory,
where the hot buffet breakfast is served. Note there's no
lift to get t o the top-floor rooms. Free wi-fi, though service
is patchy. £190
Myhotel Chelsea 35 Ixworth Place, SW3 T 020 7225
7500, W myhotels.com; ! South Kensington; map
p.265. Though the slightly cheap-looking decor isn't to
everyone's taste, rooms (which vary wildly in size) are well
equipped and comfortable, staff are friendly and the

TOP 5 UNDER £100
Avo North London. See p.362
Captain Bligh House The South Bank.
See opposite
Caring Hotel Paddington. See p.362
Ridgemount Hotel Bloomsbury.
See p.357
Tune Westminster The South Bank.
See opposite