Westland Hotel vs. Aster House
This is our first trip to London and we're having a hard time deciding. RS recommends both. WH is in Notting Hill area; AH in South Kensington. Price is comparable: WH is GBP130 incl. VAT and AH is GBP130 excl. VAT, so about $30 more. We'll be there the second week in December. Any experience with either? (Related question: Which neighborhood do you prefer as a home base?) (Aside: We tried for the Vicarage, but they were fully booked for our dates.)
Jeanne
Washington, DC 10/26/09
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I have stayed in and really enjoy both areas. Hope that makes it easy for you :-).
Read up on your specific hotels at tripadvisor.com to get hundreds of reviews posted there. I always throw out the complaints from the Americans and really listen to the Europeans (who know what to expect).
Notting Hill will get you closer to the Portobello market and the great Bayswater area for shopping and great restaurants. Close to the tube stops as well.
South Kens will also land you in the middle of great shopping, restaurants and Kensington Gardens, yet again Nottinghill also is close to the Gardens.
Nice tube stop in South Kens as well.
Sorry, but its about a draw for me about the areas. I like 'em both. And they are really close to each other anyway.
We stayed at the Westland in March of 2008. We liked it OK. It seems a little high for what you get. I had trouble with the wifi. They do have an ice machine. The breakfast is good and will stay with you. We had a large room by London standards. It is across the street from Hyde Park. I run every morning and that is convenient. It is the area we like to home base in. We like walking, so to us it is convenient for most of what we do. We are going back this March, and we wish we were there again, but our deal is for the Chrysos close to Paddington. I don't think it will be as good, but we are just happy to be there. Good luck!