Amazing South Kensington Flat

Hotel Description

Honestly, when I first walked up to this South Kensington flat on Manson Place, I wasn’t sure what to expect – the street’s tucked away between some of those grand white stucco terraces that make this part of London so ridiculously photogenic. But you know what struck me immediately? How quiet it was, despite being literally minutes from all the chaos of Exhibition Road and the museums.

The thing about staying here is that you’re in this perfect bubble of residential London that most tourists never see. I mean, you’ve got the Natural History Museum practically around the corner (I could walk there in my slippers if I wanted to), but step outside your door and it’s all tree-lined streets and the kind of neighborhood where you see actual Londoners walking their dogs and popping into the corner shop. The flat itself has that solid, comfortable feel – not trying too hard to be trendy, just genuinely well put together. The windows are properly big, which matters more than you’d think when you’re dealing with London’s sometimes gloomy weather, and there’s this lovely sense of space that you don’t always get in city accommodations. I actually found myself making coffee in the morning and just sitting by the window watching the street wake up, which isn’t something I usually do when I’m traveling.

What really sold me on the location though was discovering how easy everything became once I figured out the lay of the land. South Kensington tube is close enough that you don’t think twice about hopping on the Piccadilly line, but here’s what the guidebooks don’t tell you – you can walk to Harrods in about fifteen minutes if you cut through the residential streets (much nicer than trudging down the main roads), and there’s this excellent little gastropub on Thurloe Street that locals actually go to. The area gets busy during the day with museum crowds, sure, but by evening it settles into this lovely residential calm. I never felt like I was staying in a tourist trap, more like I’d borrowed someone’s life for a few days. The only thing I’d mention is that if you’re arriving by car, street parking requires a bit of patience – but honestly, you’re so well connected by public transport that you probably won’t need one anyway. For what it is and where it sits in one of London’s most desirable neighborhoods, it delivers exactly what it promises without any pretense.

Rooms

• Apartment with 1 large double bed, 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for 6 adults

Facilities