You know what caught me off guard about this place? The moment I walked into this JOIVY apartment on Belgrave Road, it felt less like checking into accommodation and more like a friend had handed me keys to their really well-designed flat. I mean, the whole “delightful” thing in the name actually lives up to the hype – which honestly doesn’t happen that often in London.
The location is what really makes this work though. Belgrave Road might not sound glamorous if you’re not familiar with the area, but you’re basically a five-minute walk from Tate Britain (I timed it – actually closer to four if you walk at a decent pace). What’s brilliant is you get that proper Westminster address without the insane tourist chaos of being right on the Thames. The street itself has this nice residential feel with those classic white Georgian terraces, but Victoria Station is close enough that you can hear the distant hum of the city – sort of comforting actually, like London’s letting you know it’s still there. Parking around here is typical zone-one nightmare stuff, but the tube connections are solid if you’re coming from Heathrow or anywhere really.
The apartment itself – well, whoever set this up actually thought about how people live, not just where they sleep. The kitchen has proper counter space (not those joke mini-fridges you usually get), and there’s this lovely natural light that comes through in the afternoons that makes the whole place feel bigger than it probably is. I loved that they didn’t go overboard with the “luxury” touches – no weird golden taps or anything – just clean lines and everything actually works. The bed’s comfortable enough that I didn’t wake up feeling like I’d been wrestling with it all night, and the shower pressure is decent, which in London apartments can be… well, let’s just say it’s not always guaranteed. Check-in was refreshingly straightforward too – none of that awkward key-handoff dance you sometimes get with apartment rentals.
What really sold me on this spot was discovering that little stretch along Warwick Way has some genuinely good cafes (there’s this Portuguese place that does incredible pastéis de nata), and you’re walking distance from both the river and those gorgeous garden squares tucked behind the main roads. The Tate Britain connection isn’t just convenient – it’s actually lovely to wander over there in the evening when the crowds thin out, then come back to what feels like your own little corner of Westminster. It’s that perfect balance of being in the thick of things without feeling like you’re camping out in tourist central.