The Kensington hotel lies in a London residential backwater – but this five-star property with a white stucco façade and a vague Pride & Prejudice vibe deserves a torrent of praise.
Not least for the torrent of water that gushed through our rainshower head.
I’m not often minded to begin a hotel review by waxing lyrical about a shower, but this was something special – so powerful I was left wondering if the hotel had diverted a Thames tributary through the first-floor plumbing into our ensuite.
At first, I was almost too scared to stand underneath it, fearing that what few hair follicles remain on my head might be blasted off.
It transpired to be wonderfully invigorating, a welcome wake-up aid for a day on which top form would be needed – for we were taking advantage of the hotel’s proximity to the V&A and taking our young daughter to the museum’s ‘Gabrielle Chanel – Fashion Manifesto’ exhibition (which runs to March 10). And who knows what tantrums we’d need to deal with, French haute couture not necessarily a top priority for a six-year-old.
MailOnline Travel’s Ted Thornhill checked in to The Kensington hotel in west London, staying in a room similar to the one above
Ted writes: ‘The Kensington hotel lies in a London residential backwater – but this five-star property with a white stucco façade and a vague Pride & Prejudice vibe deserves a torrent of praise’
Fuel for the foray came in the form of a frankly magnificent breakfast in the hotel’s elegant Town House restaurant.
For £40, we were able to select a veritable banquet – croissants, eggs benedict, fruits, cheeses, and charcuterie.
The amiable waiter forgot our sourdough toast twice over (the reminder he’d forgotten it… was forgotten about). But it turned out for the best – our menu eyes had been too big for our stomachs and we practically rolled out of the hotel’s double-framed doors.
The V&A helps to form a cluster of world-class museums – along with the Science Museum and Natural History Museum – that is just a 10-minute walk from The Kensington.
What’s more, the hotel can furnish guests with tickets for shows that are sold out to the general public.
Ted is full of praise for his room’s ensuite, noting that the shower was particularly powerful
Ted enjoyed a Sunday roast at the hotel and a ‘veritable banquet’ of a breakfast
All the tickets for the Chanel show had been vacuumed up months before we checked in, but the property was able to issue us with three passes.
Not that my daughter appreciated this. She declared herself bored three minutes into the stunning display of Chanel garments and writhed around on the floor to press home the point.
My French partner was in heaven, though.
Ted describes The Kensington as ‘a gem of a hotel in a gem of a location’
The hotel furnished Ted and his family with tickets to the V&A’s sold out ‘Gabrielle Chanel – Fashion Manifesto’ exhibition
Rooms at The Kensington start from around £250 per night
Contentment was evenly spread back in the hotel, where we all revelled in our room’s graceful luxury.
Our quarters housed not only an epic shower, but a claw-foot bath, a four-poster bed, and eye-catching floral wallpaper and similarly patterned curtains. And the little one loved the tippee that served as her own mini ‘bedroom’.
We didn’t manage to squeeze in a drink in the hotel’s decadently styled bar, with its plush furniture and polished wood panels, but before leaving for home we did sample an impressive Sunday roast, served for we parents as an inviting platter for two.
It was a little on the luke-warm side, but the cuts of beef were mouthwatering, as the waiter promised they would be.
Thinking of a stay in London? Put The Kensington on your radar – it’s a gem of a hotel in a gem of a location, and guaranteed to make a splash if power showers are the priority.
The Kensington has upcoming partnerships with the V&A for ‘Fragile Beauty: Visions from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection’ and ‘NAOMI’. Guests can enjoy an overnight stay at the property, including a full English breakfast at the Town House restaurant, and receive two tickets to the exhibition.
