Finding a hotel in London is easy. There are hundreds of them - probably thousands! However, London hotels are renowned for being amongst the most expensive in the world and so finding a central, reasonably-priced, high-quality hotel is very difficult. Well look no more!
We came across the base2stay in Kensington recently and I have to say it's perfect in EVERY respect. I honestly can't sing its praises enough.
So many hotels, particularly the well-known chains, might entice you with a Great Deal or a Special Weekend Rate but once you're in the door, they've got you!! By that I mean, they charge you through the nose for absolutely everything. We've all seen the £3 can of Coke and the £2 Kit-Kat in room Mini Bars. Well you won't find that sort of ripping-off going on at base2stay. They have handy vending machines out on the corridors where you can buy all the usual stuff at normal prices. So if you do get an attack of the munchies and need your chocolate fix, then you won't need to take out a second mortgage.
On the same subject, in-room films can be cost-prohibitive in most hotels, but not at base2stay. £2.95 - that's all they charge if you want to watch a film. My local BlockBuster costs more than that! If you want to go on The Internet, you won't find yourself being charged extortionate rates either, for that matter
Base2stay is exactly what it says it is. The hotel provides you with a place to stay when you're in London but acknowledges that you might be on a budget (and let's be honest here, what families aren't?) and doesn't try to get you to spend EVERY penny you have in their establishment. There's no restaurant at the hotel but they provide you with a comprehensive guide to all the local eateries where you can buy a full English breakfast from £2.95 and eat just about any nationality food. Base2Stay knows that when a family comes to stay, they'd rather buy some cereal, croissants, bread, orange juice or whatever in the local supermarket and save themselves some money. Base2stay gives you choice, independence and control
Now, own up if you've sneaked carrier bags of food and drink into hotels. No sneaking around here. Base2stay knows that their guests want to do that and they make it easy for them. Tescos, Waitrose, M & S and Sainsburys are just around the corner from the hotel and the in-room brochure tells you where to find them, if you haven't already passed them on the way in. The hotel has no objections to you having food delivered to your rooms either - in fact they positively encourage it.
There's a kitchen in EVERY room at base2stay with a fridge, micro-wave and just about everything you need including the all-important cork-screw!! Having paid over £10 for a G and T at a well-known chain hotel recently, this was much appreciated.
Something else that impressed me, was the standard of the rooms. Modern, uncluttered, fresh, under-stated, all shades of creams and taupes, our room was lovely. There's wasn't a thing out of place, it was immaculately clean and it was remarkably stylish. The towels were the fluffiest and largest, I've ever had in a hotel and that includes the 5 Star ones too. Our room had a flat-screen TV and the large, funky bathroom was far from one of those 'not enough room to swing a cat in' types.
When you go away with children and they're in an inter-connecting room, you always worry that they'll go out on the corridor on their own and 'something might happen to them'. Well I do anyway. Here at base2stay, they'll give you two rooms, not only next door to each other but also with their own small corridor and your own 'front door'. A little bit of the hotel which almost belongs to your family..... a personal suite! You don't need to worry that someone could get into the kids' room or that they could get out. You've got the front door key! There are rooms for 4 if you have little ones that you want in the same room though I have to say most older children would love the luxury bunk-rooms. On a practical note, cots are provided free incidentally.
To me and other base2stay fans (I think you can safely call me that!), it combines all the plus points that you get when staying in a really great hotel with all the practicality and flexibility of staying in a serviced appartment. This 'blurb' on their own website says it all really.
Base2Stay is near the Science Museum which is as good a place to start as any when on a family trip to London but it's also near Gloucester Road and Earls Court Tube Stations so easy to get everywhere.
As I'm writing this, I'm aware that I sound like a walking advert for the base2stay but I can honestly say, hand-on-heart, that no other hotel has ever struck such a chord with me.
The hotel's ethos of wanting to make guests happy by providing them with what they want and not just trying to screw their guests for every little penny, is obviously paying off. I would imagine that once you've stayed there, you wouldn't really want to stay anywhere else in London. It's a charming boutique hotel yet it's also family-friendly - almost a contradiction in terms. Whether you're on business, a break away without the children or a family visit to London, this hotel ticks ALL the boxes.
base2stay - kensington
25 Courtfield Gardens
London
SW5 0PG
www.base2stay.com
telephone:
+44 (0) 207 244 2255 or +44 (0) 845 262 8000
Kathryn Crawford
February 2008
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