I booked The Cleveland for its location, yet small neighborhood feel. In the Cleveland Square in Bayswater, London, this hotel appeared to be two brownstones put together. It was clean, and the reception staff friendly. The hotel is within walking distance to Queensway restaurants and a number of shops. It was also only a 20 or so minutes walk to Buckingham Palace via Kensington Gardens.
There are stairs to get to reception. There is an elevator to get to your floor (third for us), but then we had to navigate two very thin staircases to get all the way up...with our bags. Luckily, I have a chivalrous spouse who carried the bags like a champ. The room had a walk-in shower only. There was a small kitchenette, with a refrigerator. The only downfall to being equipped with a refrigerator, is that your power is controlled by your room key. Luckily, we had two keys, so I left mine in the socket so that our snacks didn't spoil.
In most of Europe, I have found, A/C isn't allowed until around May. This room was so hot ans stuffy. No fan. No A/C. We opened a window, and that was a nightmare. I got ZERO sleep here. One would think my room was housed inside an aviary. The birds never slept, and were so very loud. Then, EVERY MORNING at 0815, the dueling chainsaws came out to trim the trees. A little bit later, they called out the woodchipper. Yes. The woodchipper. All. Day.
On the last day, we decided to stay in our room, since I had caught a nasty bug on our trip. We decided to get food delivery. The reception desk had no idea who we were or what room we were in. Luckily, I went downstairs to get the food, or it would have never come. Half of it didn't show up anyway, but that's for another review.
I liked the Bayswater neighborhood, but wouldn't stay at The Cleveland again, if I wanted any rest at all. I need a vacation after my vacation. read more