Seraphine Kensington Olympia Hotel

This small Seraphine Kensington Olympia Hotel is tucked above a row of shops on some of London’s prime real estate. As a result, it can feel a little cramped and is probably best suited to single tourists or business travelers on short trips. In fact, the entrance is so small and inconspicuous that some guests report missing it the first time. It leads through a narrow, nondescript hallway and up a flight of stairs to the main reception (there’s an old-fashioned, manually operated elevator at the back), which doubles as the hotel’s lounge and breakfast room. It’s all a rather compact setup, but it’s attractively done with hardwood and white tiled flooring, lovely original sash windows, and functional dark-wood and brown-padded seating. The modern but small high-fronted wooden reception desk has chic lighting overhead, and there’s London-themed artwork on the walls throughout, including in the bright hallways with their multicolored striped carpet and patterned gray wallpaper.

Set in one of London’s most affluent neighborhoods, the Seraphine Kensington Olympia Hotel is just a five-minute walk from High Street Kensington tube station, making for easy connections around the city. The hotel is surrounded by countless high-end shops, restaurants and bars. Holland Park is a seven-minute walk away, and it’s a 10-minute walk to Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, and Hyde Park. The Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum are all a five-minute drive or about 14-minute public transport ride away. It’s six minutes by cab or eight minutes by public transport to the Royal Albert Hall, and Knightsbridge and Notting Hill are both a six-minute drive away or around 15 minutes by public transport. Oxford Street is 20 minutes away by public transport or 17 minutes away by taxi; Buckingham Palace is a 13-minute drive or 25-minute bus ride away, Big Ben is 17 minutes away by road or 22 minutes by tube, and the London Eye is a 19-minute drive or 30-minute tube ride away. Heathrow is the closest airport, a 26-minute drive or 39-minute public transport ride away, while Gatwick Airport is 52 minutes from the hotel by public transport or an hour by car. London City Airport is a 40-minute drive or 55-minute public transport ride away.

There’s little to distinguish between the room types on offer at this Seraphine Kensington Olympia Hotel. None are particularly spacious, but Double Rooms are especially small; comfortable beds have colorful throws and modern gray headboards, and sit on simple gray carpet against accent walls with black-and-white photo murals. Small built-in bedside tables have elegant lamps plus individual reading lights, there are small desks with brightly colored retro-patterned chairs, and large windows have simple gray floor-length curtains. Double Deluxe Rooms are a little more spacious but otherwise the same, while Junior Suites add an extra single bed, but have no living space to justify the suite title. Bathrooms in particular are tiny, though they’re modern and attractive, with off-white wall and floor tiling, decent-sized walk-in showers with powerful rainfall and slim line power showerheads, and miniscule sinks. There’s branded hand and body wash in large pump bottles, and pricier rooms also have individual hotel-branded soap, body wash and shampoo. All rooms have individual air-conditioning and flat-screen TVs with cable, iPod docks, phones, safes, hairdryers and coffee- and tea-making facilities, as well as free Wi-Fi. But there are no mini-fridges or minibars. Bathrobes, irons and ironing boards are available on request. Views are of neighboring buildings and, while they vary, none are massively inspiring. There are some adjoining rooms available, but note that some guests complain that street-facing rooms can be noisy, and there are also some reports of housekeeping and maintenance issues.

The Seraphine Kensington Olympia Hotel is a particularly small hotel without much communal space, and as such, it has few amenities to speak of. The lobby doubles up as the breakfast room, and a simple continental breakfast is included in rates -- it's also the lounge, with soft drinks, beers, wines and spirits available for a fee. In addition, there’s a single computer terminal with free Internet access. Guests can store valuables in the safety deposit box at the 24-hour front desk, free newspapers are available on request, and dry cleaning, fax, and photocopying services can be arranged. A tiny meeting room can host up to 15 people -- it's attractively decorated, but lacks much privacy. There’s free Wi-Fi throughout, though this can be patchy at times.