Current location:health >>
Forget the city centre
health764People have gathered around
IntroductionThe Kensington hotel lies in a London residential backwater – but this five-star property with a whi ...
The Kensington hotel lies in a London residential backwater – but this five-star property with a white stucco façade and a vague Pride & Prejudice vibe deserves a torrent of praise.
Not least for the torrent of water that gushed through our rainshower head.
I’m not often minded to begin a hotel review by waxing lyrical about a shower, but this was something special – so powerful I was left wondering if the hotel had diverted a Thames tributary through the first-floor plumbing into our ensuite.
At first, I was almost too scared to stand underneath it, fearing that what few hair follicles remain on my head might be blasted off.
It transpired to be wonderfully invigorating, a welcome wake-up aid for a day on which top form would be needed – for we were taking advantage of the hotel’s proximity to the V&A and taking our young daughter to the museum’s 'Gabrielle Chanel - Fashion Manifesto' exhibition (which runs to March 10). And who knows what tantrums we’d need to deal with, French haute couture not necessarily a top priority for a six-year-old.
MailOnline Travel's Ted Thornhill checked in to The Kensington hotel in west London, staying in a room similar to the one above
Ted writes: 'The Kensington hotel lies in a London residential backwater – but this five-star property with a white stucco façade and a vague Pride & Prejudice vibe deserves a torrent of praise'
Fuel for the foray came in the form of a frankly magnificent breakfast in the hotel’s elegant Town House restaurant.
For £40, we were able to select a veritable banquet – croissants, eggs benedict, fruits, cheeses, and charcuterie.
The amiable waiter forgot our sourdough toast twice over (the reminder he’d forgotten it... was forgotten about). But it turned out for the best – our menu eyes had been too big for our stomachs and we practically rolled out of the hotel’s double-framed doors.
The V&A helps to form a cluster of world-class museums – along with the Science Museum and Natural History Museum – that is just a 10-minute walk from The Kensington.
What’s more, the hotel can furnish guests with tickets for shows that are sold out to the general public.
Ted is full of praise for his room's ensuite, noting that the shower was particularly powerful
Ted enjoyed a Sunday roast at the hotel and a 'veritable banquet' of a breakfast
All the tickets for the Chanel show had been vacuumed up months before we checked in, but the property was able to issue us with three passes.
Not that my daughter appreciated this. She declared herself bored three minutes into the stunning display of Chanel garments and writhed around on the floor to press home the point.
My French partner was in heaven, though.
Ted describes The Kensington as 'a gem of a hotel in a gem of a location'
The hotel furnished Ted and his family with tickets to the V&A's sold out 'Gabrielle Chanel - Fashion Manifesto' exhibition
Rooms at The Kensington start from around £250 per night
Contentment was evenly spread back in the hotel, where we all revelled in our room’s graceful luxury.
Our quarters housed not only an epic shower, but a claw-foot bath, a four-poster bed, and eye-catching floral wallpaper and similarly patterned curtains. And the little one loved the tippee that served as her own mini ‘bedroom’.
We didn’t manage to squeeze in a drink in the hotel’s decadently styled bar, with its plush furniture and polished wood panels, but before leaving for home we did sample an impressive Sunday roast, served for we parents as an inviting platter for two.
It was a little on the luke-warm side, but the cuts of beef were mouthwatering, as the waiter promised they would be.
Thinking of a stay in London? Put The Kensington on your radar – it’s a gem of a hotel in a gem of a location, and guaranteed to make a splash if power showers are the priority.
The Kensington has upcoming partnerships with the V&A for ‘Fragile Beauty: Visions from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection’ and ‘NAOMI’. Guests can enjoy an overnight stay at the property, including a full English breakfast at the Town House restaurant, and receive two tickets to the exhibition.
TRAVEL FACTS
Ted was hosted by The Kensington, where rooms start from around £250 per night.
PROS: Superb location near world-class museums, elegant interiors, magnificent breakfast, charming staff, incredible water pressure.
CONS: Minor service slip-ups, Sunday roast on the luke-warm side.
Rating out of five: ****
The Kensington has upcoming partnerships with the V&A for ‘Fragile Beauty: Visions from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection’ and ‘NAOMI’. Guests can enjoy an overnight stay at the property, including a full English breakfast at the Town House restaurant, and receive two tickets to the exhibition.
For more information visit www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-kensington-hotel/packages/fragile-beauty-exhibition-experience and www.doylecollection.com/hotels/the-kensington-hotel/packages/naomi-exhibition-experience.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“International Identities news portal”。http://holyseevaticancity.unhasdecoradas.org/content-44a199954.html
Related articles
Independent UN experts urge Yemen’s Houthis to free detained Baha'i followers
healthCAIRO (AP) — Human rights experts working for the United Nations on Monday urged Yemen’s Houthi rebe ...
【health】
Read moreChina railway trips to reach 144M during May Day holiday
healthChina's railway network is expected to handle 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day M ...
【health】
Read moreChinese female carrier aircraft pilot trainees complete solo flights
healthThe first group of female pilot trainees from the carrier-based aircraft of the Chinese People's ...
【health】
Read more
Popular articles
- Shooting injures 2 at Missouri high school graduation ceremony
- Coach sees challenges for women's basketball team at Paris 2024
- Scientists speed breed rice on edge of desert
- Champions League is being expanded and EPL teams have failed to take advantage
- Storms damage homes in Oklahoma and Kansas. But in Houston, most power is restored
- China expects 210 mln road passenger trips during National Day holiday
Latest articles
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Maryland ban on rifles known as assault weapons
Spanish travel industry happy to see China's return as major tourist destination
Norway to add millions more to historic increase in defense spending announced last month
It would take until 2040 to repair all homes destroyed so far in Gaza, UN report says
Four people killed in a house explosion in southwestern Missouri
19 dead after road cave
LINKS
- U.S. Justice Department sues Apple for alleged monopoly in smartphone markets
- Students from United States and Fuzhou University visit Kuliang in SE China's Fujian
- CBA Roundup: Liaoning beat Xinjiang, Golden Bulls bag 8th straight win
- IOC, UEFA to monitor betting integrity ahead of major events
- Marinos see off Shandong to seal first ACL semis
- Delilah Hamlin goes braless in white tank top and short shorts alongside ab
- Guangdong rally by Fujian, Sichuan lose 12th in a row
- Blinken assures US support of Black Sea allies as Ukraine urges military aid during conference
- Marinos see off Shandong to seal first ACL semis
- Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 31,490: ministry