Grapevine Hotel

Location-wise, the Grapevine Hotel is really not that close to Victoria Station. I would have to say it is a good 15-20 min walk, though dragging heavy luggage across Buckingham Palace Rd and Eccleston Bridge makes it feel like an eternity.

Check in is at 1pm and was a breeze. The proprietor whose name I can't remember, was a kind man who was so pleasant that I can almost forgive them for their falsely advertised "short distance" walk from Victoria Station.

I booked a single room with an ensuite. My room was on the second floor and upon seeing the narrow, spiralling stairs I started to feel sorry for those above me. How many floors were there? There is no elevator, so one must carry their luggage up these steep stairs. Me, being a solo female and not of a very large stature was left to my own devices in carrying one large piece of luggage, backpack and bag up the scariest 10 min of my life.

My room had 3 twin beds which was a pleasant surprise. And that was about it.

The carpet is completely worn out and I feared taking my shoes off. The window had no screen and was open at all times. I tried closing it but it would not budge, so for the next 2 days I prayed that no misguided birds or insects would be flying my way.

The bathroom, oh my where do I start? There is a serious mould problem in the ceiling, walls, shower curtain everywhere!

To be fair, I was aware that it is rated a 2-star hotel and not surprised at the standards. London is such a terrific city that I hardly spent any time in the room at all. The Grapevine is ok for a short stay. But that's about it.

the room was so small the bed hardly fit in it and we had to open our suitcase on the bed. we banged our heads off everything in the bathroom (if you could call it that) and it was so dirty. not exactly the romantic weekend we had hoped for. we weren't expecting luxury, just a basic room with some floor space but it was far below basic. i have never had a lot of money and have always stayed in budget hotels which are acceptable but this was beyond a joke. i wouldn't even recommend it to a homeless person, they would be better off staying in their cardboard box.