Just About All I Could've Asked For
Earlier this month, I was able to spend six carefree days in London, during which time I stayed at the Burns Hotel on Barkston Gardens in South Kensington.
Though it's owned by the Best Western hotel chain, the Burns is a traditional, unpretentious English hotel for those Yanks like me who, while anywhere in Great Britain, would rather avoid the American-style caravansaries one sees in the States. The Burns looks as it might have been recently renovated as it doesn't have the slightly tatty look of some traditional English hotels.
Barkston Gardens is both a short street and a tree-filled, park-like square (open only, unfortunately, to private householders living around the green). It's an island of relative peace and quiet off the busy Earl's Court Road, yet only a three-minute walk from the Earl's Court tube station on the District and Piccadilly lines. On the latter, it's a forty minute ride to Heathrow.
My room, #120, was furnished with a very comfortable double bed, two bedside tables, small writing desk with chair, a second armchair, pants press, tea/coffee service, hair dryer, and a small-sized armoire. The hotel had just installed a flat-screen television on the wall hooked to a system that broadcast dozens and dozens of channels. (Though I didn't watch it much, how very different it is from the old days in the UK when one could only view four or five stations!) Most importantly, the room had free wi-fi for an Internet connection to my PC. The only thing lacking that I could have used during my stay was a mini-refrigerator.
The en suite bathroom had the requisite sink, toilet and a roomy tub/shower combination. Here, as in every British hotel I've ever stayed, no washcloth is provided with the towels and bathmat. It's a cultural thing.
On the street level (ground floor) is an in-house bar that serves pub food in the evening and breakfast in the morning. For no good reason that I can think of, I didn't choose to take advantage of this amenity; I should have.
Around the corner on Earl's Court Road are a post office, two banks (NatWest and Barclays), a gym, and an array of both fast-food and sit-down eateries. A very good choice in the latter group is the Orjowan restaurant featuring Lebanese cuisine. (See my Yelp review.) If you want to eat in the room after a tiring day, a half-block away is a Marks & Spencer "Simply Food" store, which has an impressive selection of both fresh uncooked and cooked pre-packaged foods for one or two people, and including fresh veg, fresh fruits, dairy products, snacks, desserts and alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages. I love the sandwiches! The place is amazing; I wish we had the outlet in the United States.
In summary, Room 120 would perhaps be on the verge of cramped for more than one person, and those dilettantes expecting luxury should stay elsewhere. However, for me, traveling solo, it was everything I could've hoped for except for the absence of a refrigerator. It was nothing even remotely fancy, mind you, but the room was scrupulously clean, quiet, and conveniently located to a tube station and food outlets. All this for a price (at the time) of about $135/per night, which is extremely reasonable for central London. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Indeed, I look forward to doing so. read more