Walking distance from railway station for central London connections
Spacious rooms with full modern kitchens and iPod docks
Some units have balconies and good views
Room service available, including breakfast (for a fee)
Secure on-site parking available (for a fee)
Wi-Fi available (fee)
Reports of maintenance and housekeeping issues in rooms
Rooms have thin walls and generic decor
Little in the way of on-site facilities (no restaurant or bar)
Not walking distance from Tube station
Wi-Fi is spotty and costs an extra fee
Front desk not staffed 24/7
Chelsea Bridge Apartments is an upper-middle-range property geared toward long-stay travelers. It’s walking distance from trains to central London, but it's a bit too far to walk to the closest Tube station. The 21 rooms are spacious, if a tad generic, and they suffer from thin walls. Though not unusual for apartment hotels, the lack of on-site amenities is a significant drawback, and there's little beyond limited room service. The front desk has limited hours, and there are fees for both parking and for the Wi-Fi, which can be spotty. There are also reports of maintenance issues, and guests are charged a large deposit. Travelers might also consider the cheaper, more centrally located, four-pearl Go Native Hyde Park, which offers both free Wi-Fi and 24-hour concierge service.
Scene
Long-stay apartments with uninspired ambience and limited public spaces
Chelsea Bridge Apartments is just as its name suggests: It's a collection of apartments, primarily targeted at long-stay guests, rather than a conventional hotel. There’s not much of a vibe to the place, and public spaces are limited to a bare-bones reception area in a single-story modular building set apart from the main rooms. In fact, this space feels more like an office than a lobby, with little more than a simple curved high white desk and brown sofa on gray carpet. Hallways are also plain, with white walls, gray carpets, and generic canvas prints. All that said, this is a fine option for long-term business travelers and tourists who want an apartment-like stay and the option of cooking their own meals.
Location
Walking distance from river, park and railway, but removed from the nearest Tube station
Chelsea Bridge is set on a busy main road in south London’s Battersea neighborhood, around a 10-minute walk from the banks of the River Thames, with plenty of shops, cafes, and pubs in the vicinity. Numerous buses stop nearby, and mainline railway connections to central London are within walking distance, but the distance from the Tube (aka the London Underground) can leave the property feeling more isolated than it actually is, and makes traveling to popular attractions a bit more of a hassle.- Three-minute walk to Battersea Park railway station
Rooms
Spacious and contemporary with excellent kitchens -- but decor is generic and walls are thin
All 21 of the property's spacious, air-conditioned apartments come with large, fully equipped, open-plan kitchen/dining areas -- a real plus. Units are modern and homey but generic, with handsome pinewood floors, white walls, and only occasional bland canvas prints. Beds are comfortable and have fabric headboards and bed-side tables with elegant lamps. Large windows fill rooms with natural light, and there are pleasant neutral curtains (Penthouses have white blinds on sloping windows, but these don’t block out all light). Decor includes a mix of leather sofas, glass dining tables, and desks (with stylish hardwood coffee tables in pricier rooms) -- yet some rooms still feel sparse. The modern kitchens are a standout feature, with stovetops, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines, and crockery and utensils. Executive Rooms add narrow, unfurnished, grubby balconies; balconies in Luxury units are more pleasant, with rattan tables and chairs. But apart from attractive top-floor views (including of historic Battersea Power Station), Penthouses offer no discernible upgrades. Standard amenities include large flat-screen cable TVs, DVD players, phones, iPod docks, safes, and irons and ironing boards. With simple, cream tiles and small freestanding sinks bathrooms are more for function than style. Most have slightly dated corner shower stalls with rainfall and power showerheads, though Superior units have shower/tub combos. Hairdryers and free, basic miniature toiletries are provided. Poor soundproofing means many rooms are noisy, and guests report maintenance and housekeeping issues.
Features
Basic amenities including room service, parking, and Wi-Fi (for a fee)
Chelsea Bridge lacks all but the most basic of facilities. In the absence of any on-site restaurant, room service is available (including for breakfast, which costs extra). Secure outdoor parking is available for a fee, and there's spotty hotel-wide Wi-Fi, again for a fee. Note that the front desk isn’t staffed 24/7 (an after-hours contact number is provided).