The Dillons

The last 2 reviews do not reflect the stay I had at Dillons hotel. I found the staff to be very efficient and friendly, even letting me borrow an ironing board and iron! I has a lovely quaint bedroom at the back of the house which overlooked their garden. The bathroom and room were very clean and we had clean towels every day and the breakfast lady did not mind that we were late down for breakfast...The breakfast was basic: cereal, tea/coffee and toast with a variety of preserves and cheese but it was perfect. The value for money was great, the cheapest and nicest hotel I have stayed in for a long time and in a beautiful part of london. The locals were all very friendly and we had a couple of good nights at the XO bar in the village.

We stayed here for 8 nights.

Here are the positives--

1. Easy access to tube stations

2. Safe area --even late at night --and a beautiful area of London. Hampstead is gorgeous. Lots of cafes, a couple of Starbucks- they are everywhere in London, small shops, and a large park with fantastic views of the city. A great place to stay if you don't want to be in the bustle of the city 24/7. We loved Hampstead.

3. Grocery stores nearby

4. Hotel staff is nice.

5. Cheap rates for London

6. Our sheets were clean.

7. The floor was vacuumed most days, which was important since we often ate in our room.

8. The carpets in the lobby, hallways, and our room looked nice.

9. The breakfast room was pretty.

10. Plenty of hot water for showers.

Here are the negatives:

1. Our ensuite room (room 7) really wasn't that clean -- old geasy dirt/dust on top of the toilet (they have those old-fashioned tiolets where the tank is mounted high on the wall above the flush). I noticed it immediately -- significant dirt. It was cleaned when I mentioned it to the staff, but ironically, the bathrooms in the hall had the same type of dirt -- never cleaned while we were there. Not cleaning the tops of spaces was a pattern -- the top of the wardrobe, top of the shower, etc. These are spaces where one would hang a towel to dry or store items. I cleaned them.

2. The shower caulking was black. Ugh. The shower head was broken and floppy.

3. The room had a little dresser with three drawers -- one completely useless as both drawer pulls were missing. The other two drawers only had one pull each. Signficant dust.

4. We had to ask for towels -- we often only got one towel for the two of us. The towels weren't replaced every day --but that was fine with us.

5. We scrounged to get two tiny bars of soap. Bring your own shampoo and wash cloths--neither are provided, but that is typical in Europe (and not a criticism per se.)

6. Breakfast is simple -- cold cereal, toast, juice, tea/coffee. No decaf coffee. We were there for 8 nights-- they ran out of muesli and whole wheat bread during our stay.

7. No air conditioning, although we did ask for a fan and received it promptly. We were there in the spring and the temperature was fine. But in the summer, I would think the room would be beastly hot.

8. The directions they provide to the hotel aren't that great --especially if you arrive at night. It is not far down Belsize Ave, but certainly further than the distance they indicated. Also, the numbers on the houses change as you pass an intersection. So the first time you are expecting to find "21 Belsize", you won't find it-- keep going down the road until you go past a street on your right that leads to a small square with a few shops/stores visible as you pass by. The hotel is just a few doors further.

So, the bottom line is, would we stay there again? Maybe. But if we could afford a little more, I think we would try to find a place that was a bit more comfortable and cleaner. Also, I wouldn't bother with an ensuite room. The bathrooms and showers in the hall were nicer. Certainly, with a little attention to detail, this could be the best deal in London.