Flat in Earls Court

Hotel Description

You know what? I was honestly skeptical when I first saw “Flat in Earls Court” listed as accommodation – the name doesn’t exactly scream luxury hotel. But walking up to this place on Coleherne Road completely changed my tune. It’s actually one of those converted Victorian townhouses that London does so well, and whoever renovated this one really knew what they were doing.

The location is pretty brilliant if you ask me. You’re technically in Earls Court, but you’re literally a five-minute walk from South Kensington tube station, which means you can be in central London in about fifteen minutes. What I love about this spot is that you get the best of both worlds – it’s on a quiet residential street (I mean, you’ll hear the occasional bus rumble by, but nothing that’ll keep you up), but you’re still close enough to the action. The Natural History Museum is basically around the corner, and there’s this little Italian place called Da Mario just down the road that locals queue up for. I stumbled across it on my second night and ended up going back twice.

The flat itself feels more like staying at a really well-organized friend’s place than a typical hotel room. The space is generous by London standards – actually generous, not just “generous for London” generous. They’ve kept some of the original Victorian features like the high ceilings and crown molding, but everything else feels contemporary and thoughtful. The kitchen area is fully kitted out, which honestly saved me a fortune since London restaurant prices can be… well, you know. There’s a Tesco Express about two blocks away on Old Brompton Road if you need supplies. The bathroom has one of those rainfall showerheads that actually works properly – I’ve stayed in five-star places where the water pressure was disappointing, so this was a pleasant surprise. Check-in was refreshingly straightforward too, none of that hovering-around-the-lobby-at-2pm nonsense.

What really won me over though was the attention to small details that show someone actually thinks about what travelers need. There are USB ports by the bed (revolutionary, I know, but you’d be amazed how many places still don’t have them), the WiFi actually reaches every corner of the space, and they provide proper coffee, not those sad instant packets. The area gets pretty quiet after about 10pm since it’s mostly residential, which was perfect for me, but if you’re looking to stumble home from Piccadilly at 3am, just know you’ll have a bit of a tube journey or a pricey Uber ride ahead of you. During the day though, you’ve got Hyde Park literally across the street from South Ken station – I ended up running there most mornings because it felt criminal not to take advantage of having Kensington Gardens right there. That 9.7 rating makes complete sense to me now. It’s the kind of place that gets the fundamentals absolutely right without trying too hard to impress you with flashy extras you don’t actually need.

Rooms

• Two-Bedroom Apartment with 2 × 2 single beds and 2 × 1 extra-large double bed for 4 adults

Facilities