Guesthouse West

My second stay at this "boutique" hotel and staying a couple of days gave more time to explore .Realised what a great location this is.Morning stroll around Notting Hill and on to Portobello road in the sunshine is a great way to spend a few hours.A real cafe culture exists and I found it totally relaxing to be staying away from the usual hustle and bustle.Very much a convert to this area for future stays

The staff are extremely helpful and nothing seems to be too much trouble....when we took a late breakfast on Saturday morning and found no plain croissants our waitress simply nipped out to the nearby bakery and bought some more!!

The rooms I would describe as New York Hip....a little on the small side but with everything you need and extremely stylish.Our friends stayed in one of the larger(slightly more expensive) terraced rooms which was also very stylish.

We stayed two nights and we were delighted to find a boutique hotel with a touch of class. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, the food taken delicious, and our room, although small, was more than sufficient, We had the benefit of a corner room (no.18) so our bathroom was larger and lighter. We particularly enjoyed the informality of the lounge/bar and the deck outside offer the same lovely food and the opportunity to spot the famous of Notting Hill. The shopping around the hotel is fabulous - almost no need to go elsewhere. It is truly a little gem and should really remain our secret. Easy parking.

I'll get the small amount of negatives out of the way and then hit on the positives. Please do read the positives.

Neg:

While this hotel is in a great location once you get there, it is about a 10 minute walk to a Tube station (Notting Hill Gate or Bayswater). The walk itself is nice, but I would only want to do it in nice weather as I found it inconvenient in cold or bad weather. I was frozen walking from the Tube to the hotel upon arrival in the frigid weather and had to take a taxi to the airport upon departure because it was pouring. As I was there in February, it was very cold. The heat (central, no radiator) in my room did not heat my room. The staff first told me to let the heat run for about an hour to heat up the room. It never did. And, the heater was obnoxiously loud when running on the high setting. They offered to switch my room, but given a little experiment we did, I do not think the other room (can't recall #) would heat up sufficiently either. Also, this other room had a bathroom the size of a small closet compared to my assigned room (#8), which had a wonderfully sized and comfortable bathroom. Also, the alternative room faced the street and had a larger window (makes the room colder...) and my assigned room faced the back and had a smaller window. In the end, they provided me with a space heater, which did sufficiently warm the room. Unfortunately there was no way to regulate the heat with the space heater, so I had to keep turning it off when too hot and on when too cold. Note that the room rates do not include VAT. Now, on to the positives...

Pos:

The hotel is located near many great shops, cafes, restaurants and a mall that has restraurants, shops and a movie theater. Portobello Road is walking distance from the hotel as well. In nicer, warmer weather and for a stay in the Notting Hill area, I would return to this hotel. The room I stayed in was comfortable (except for the heat issue). I didn't care that there are no lifts, but some may. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I liked the lounge in the reception and my friends and I did relax and have drinks there. I did not try any of the breakfasts, though included in the rate. You can rent DVDs in your room for a charge and a deposit (returned upon check out). I never quite understood if there is free internet access if you do not have a laptop as there is a charge to rent a laptop from the hotel. There is WiFi as my friend brought her laptop which we used for Internet searching without issue. Also, the staff told me they would have checked me into my flight and printed my boarding pass had I not done it myself using a stranger's laptop in a cafe. They also negotiated a decent fare for a taxi for me. Email me if you want the name and number of the driver. He picks up from Heathrow for 45GBP (no extra fees) and will take you to Heathrow from your hotel for 35GPB (no extra fees).