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Last year we loved our stay at affordable luxury hotel The Hoxton in London so when The Escape List invited us to try out their new site which lists luxury UK hotels for under £150 we jumped at the chance.
About The Escape List
We love The Escape List site which lists both urban and rural hotels all over the UK. You can search by city, browse the map, or choose a collection such as An Hour From London, Pet Friendly, Gourmet, Eco Friendly or Romantic, which is a fun way to discover somewhere new for a mini break.
A few things make The Escape List stand out from other hotel listing sites: the clean, easy to use site that shows the hotels off with lots of photos; the fact that the hotels are hand picked and guaranteed to deliver luxury; and that none of them cost more than £150 a night (some are as low as £40). They have reviewed each hotel, not just using the hotel’s blurb and we appreciate that they include the hotel’s pitfalls as well as perks so you can be sure that the hotel is right for you. The Escape List provides all the information you need to choose a hotel but then you book direct with the hotel so there’s no middle man.
There are some gorgeous looking hotels on the site, ranging from B&Bs to boutique hotels to pubs with rooms. They all have something special about them, and you won’t find any soulless chain hotels here. It’s a real source of inspiration for some exciting luxury breaks around the UK and you can build up your own personal Escape List to refer back to for ideas in the future. I’m sure if we still lived in England we’d use this site a lot to plan holidays and weekends away.
London is expensive and rooms are often small, overpriced and unexciting. We didn’t want to repeat our dreary Travel Lodge experience from last year, and wanted to stay somewhere with individuality and more comfort. After browsing The Escape List site we chose myHotel Chelsea.
The myhotel group has two boutique hotels in London and one in Brighton and they’re known for their modern and unique designs. They aim to make guests feel at home and that’s something we definitely felt during our two night stay at myhotel Chelsea. Tranquility is the word that best sums up our experience as we found it a relaxing and very comfortable retreat from hectic London in the posh Chelsea neighbourhood in South London. The hotel successfully manages to balance traditional and contemporary in a converted police station.
myHotel Chelsea Rooms
All rooms are individually decorated, and our superior double room had an understated but cosy elegance in pastel pink. It was bright and spacious with a humongous bed that was so comfortable that it was a struggle to get up in the morning. We appreciated the large desk, pair of armchairs next to the floor length windows, free WiFi, large flatscreen TV with DVD player, and wide range of complimentary teas and coffees. The bathroom was clean and shiny and although it didn’t have a bath it had everything else you need including bathrobes to lounge in.
As the hotel is located in a residential area it’s very quiet and we had a really relaxing stay.
Facilities
The small reception area is elegantly designed and we loved the complimentary fruity water and delicious cakes, and the aquarium wall.
The three5 tapas bar is a comfortable space including a terrace for sunny days with a small menu of international tapas and wine. We didn’t have time to try the food but the cheese plate sounded very tempting. Breakfast is also served in the bar. We had the continental breakfast buffet which was excellent with freshly baked pastries and breads, cheese and meats, cereals, and fresh fruit. The continental costs £12 or for a few pounds more you can add a hot dish.
Our favourite space was the bright conservatory, a comfortable lounge with sumptuous sofas and armchairs, magazines and newspapers to read, a DVD player with decent selection of DVDs, a Mac and PC for guests to use, and tea and coffee. With the sound of a trickling fountain and lots of plants it’s a great place to chill out.
The hotel offers an in room spa service if you feel like a massage, facial or manicure.
Area
The hotel is located in a residential neighbourhood of grand Victorian buildings and although it’s only a five minute walk from the South Kensington tube it’s really quiet. Chelsea is a fancy neighbourhood and you’ll find Ralph Lauren and Stella McCartney shops a few minutes walk away.
There’s lots to do in the area including shopping on the fashionable King’s Road and nearby Kensington’s world class museums: Victoria and Albert, Natural History, and the Science Museum. The Royal Albert Hall is nearby and you can easily get to Hyde Park and Harrods. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants in the area.
Highs
- A peaceful oasis in London
- Experience the high life in fancy Chelsea
- Tasteful, modern decor
- Huge, comfortable beds
- Friendly, helpful staff
- Gorgeous, comfortable conservatory and tapas bar for relaxing in
- South Kensington tube is only a 5 minute walk and Victoria Train Station is two stops away
- Complimentary cakes in reception!
- Free WiFi
Lows
- Breakfast isn’t included and is quite pricey (although good)
- The WiFi needs a different password for each device. It’s not a huge problem as you can have as many as you need but it’s a little inconvenient.
Recommended For
Anyone looking for a comfortable, beautiful room in London without paying a fortune. It would be ideal if you want to visit South Kensington’s museums.
Location
35 Ixworth Place, London, SW3 3QX. The nearest tube station is South Kensington which is on the Piccadilly, Circle and District lines.
Cost
Rates depend on the date and how far in advance you book but start from £140 a night for a standard double. For more details see the myHotel Chelsea website.
myHotel Chelsea offers everything you want from a London hotel—a convenient but quiet location, comfortable elegant rooms that blend modern and traditional, and a taste of life in posh London surrounded by some of the city’s grandest homes.
Thanks to myHotel Chelsea who gave us a complimentary stay.
You guys do an extraordinary job with this blog BUT – I thought you were in Sonoma and now you are in London?
I love travel blogs but always prefer following the sequence to understand the travel part and the season or time that you writing about. I assume you are not jetting around as this seems.
Never Ending – good!
Most of the time our posts are about a month behind, as I don’t have time to write about everything when we are in the place. We were in Sonoma last month and then Yosemite, back to San Francisco and on to London a few weeks ago. Now we’re travelling across Europe. We still have more posts to come from the US as we experienced so much. I find a strict chronological schedule too restrictive as some posts take longer than others. If you want to follow where we are at the moment it’s best to see our Facebook and Twitter pages. We are moving rather quickly this summer!