StayLux Kensington

Hotel Description

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when I first walked up to StayLux Kensington on Bute Street – the exterior’s pretty understated, which actually turned out to be refreshing after seeing so many hotels trying too hard with flashy facades. But you know what? Sometimes the best places are the ones that don’t need to shout about it.

The location is genuinely brilliant, and I mean that in the most practical sense. You’re literally a three-minute walk from South Kensington tube station, which sounds like tourist-brochure speak until you’re actually dragging luggage through London rain at 9 PM on a Sunday. The Natural History Museum is right there if you’re into that sort of thing, but more importantly for me, you’ve got proper neighborhood life happening around you. There’s a little Tesco Express on the corner that saved me multiple times, and Exhibition Road has some decent coffee spots that aren’t completely overrun with tourists – well, not completely. The area gets busy during museum hours, but it settles down nicely in the evenings.

What really impressed me was how they’ve managed to feel upscale without being stuffy. The rooms aren’t massive (this is London, after all), but they’re thoughtfully designed with actual storage space and – this matters more than you’d think – proper lighting for reading in bed. The bathroom had one of those rainfall showers that actually works, not the sad dribble you sometimes get. I stayed on the third floor and it was genuinely quiet at night, which surprised me given how central you are. The staff at check-in were efficient without being robotic, and when I had a minor issue with the air conditioning, someone was up to fix it within twenty minutes. The breakfast setup is solid too – nothing fancy, but proper coffee and they don’t skimp on the good stuff. I mean, you’re paying London hotel prices, so you should get real butter and decent pastries, right? There’s something to be said for a place that knows what it is and does it well rather than trying to be everything to everyone. The 8.7 rating makes sense to me – it’s the kind of place you’d actually recommend to someone without any weird caveats or warnings.

Rooms

• Three-Bedroom Apartment with 2 × 1 double bed and 1 extra-large double bed for 6 adults

Facilities