The Harrington – Gloucester Road – 4 Cornwall Gardens

Hotel Description

You know what caught me off guard about The Harrington? It’s tucked away on this gorgeous garden square that feels like a complete escape from London’s chaos, but you’re literally a three-minute walk from South Kensington tube. I mean, Cornwall Gardens is one of those perfect white stucco crescents that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a period drama – except with excellent WiFi and proper coffee.

The hotel itself sits in what used to be a row of Victorian townhouses, and honestly, they’ve done something really smart with the conversion. Instead of gutting everything to create some sterile modern box, they kept all the original character – the high ceilings, the ornate cornicing, even some of the fireplaces – but updated it so it actually works for how people travel now. My room had this lovely bay window that looked out over the private gardens (which you can actually access, by the way), and the bathroom was one of those rare London hotel bathrooms where you don’t have to choose between hitting your elbow on the wall or getting properly clean.

What I really appreciated was how quiet it stays, even though you’re right in the heart of everything. The Natural History Museum is basically around the corner – I could see the queue forming from my window in the morning – and you’re equidistant from Harrods and Hyde Park. But Cornwall Gardens itself is residential, so once you turn off the main drag, it goes properly peaceful. The front desk staff seem to actually live in London too, which makes such a difference when you need restaurant recommendations or want to know which entrance to use for the V&A to avoid the crowds. They pointed me toward this brilliant little gastropub on Gloucester Road that I never would have found otherwise, and gave me the insider tip about hitting the Science Museum after 3 PM when all the school groups clear out. Check-in was refreshingly straightforward – no upselling, no lengthy presentations about amenities I’ll never use, just genuine helpfulness. The kind of place where they remember your name by day two, but not in that forced, corporate way that makes you uncomfortable.

Rooms

• Deluxe One-Bedroom Apartment with Garden View with 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• One-Bedroom Apartment with Balcony with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• One-Bedroom Apartment with Terrace with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• One-Bedroom Apartment with Garden View with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• Deluxe One-Bedroom Apartment with Garden View with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• Deluxe One-Bedroom Apartment with Garden View with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child
• One-Bedroom Apartment with Balcony with 1 large double bed for 2 adults, 1 child

Facilities