Blakes Hotel

I hate those places ; staff makes you feel uneasy and uncomfortable, everything is bloody expensive, design is old now...

Went there for dinner and drinks...And it was just bad.

Waste of time, money, energy...waste of everything.

I guess by now they've been hit by the financial crisis a bit and they are eating their humble pie...Good !

A great place to stay if you're a celebrity or friend of the proprietor, but otherwise you will be treated as a pleb. The literature in the rooms about the 'concept' of the place is however fairly amusing and leaves you in no doubt about the high regard in which all those connected with the establishment hold themselves.

I stayed here for 6 nights for business. This hotel is so overpriced, and it doesn't help that the US dollar is worth half the pound. Just to get a small carafe of coffee to your room is $14.00 US. Just coffee. An English breakfast at their restaurant downstairs is $50.00 US dollars. For bacon and eggs. The rooms are individually decorated. Mine was all black walls everywhere with Asian furniture. It was a dark room that the maids continually turned all the lights on all day while I was not in the room. I left notes for them to not turn all the lights on (a waste of energy) and to please leave my windows open (they wanted to keep shutting them) and they liked to reorganize my things on the nightstand, moving them to different shelves. They did read the notes and did as I asked.. The maids also took my personal bar of soap I had brought. The hotel staff quickly went out and replaced it for me as the soap the hotel provides is way too smelly. The desk staff is extremely helpful, as I think they have had people complain before. They were so nice and quick to take care of anything. The location is quiet, Hugh Grant was spotted several times skulking about the neighborhood, I guess he lives in the area. There are no coffeemakers in your room, so you are forced to room service or go down to their restaurant in the morning. THe nearest cafe is a good 10-15 min walk, They do have wetbar that you can get your own things and put in the fridge. Another in our party stayed in their biggest suite, 007, that has a kitchen with a stove but there was not one plate, pan, dish or cutlery in the kitchen. When we brought lunch in, we had to call and have them send up plates and cutlery and glasses. The restaurant staff were not nice and had an attitude. When asking a waitress what their special eggs were, she gave us definite attitude because she didn't know and that meant she had to ask the chef, "only the chef knows". So we asked her to please ask him at which point she rolled her eyes and her anger was evident as she left. She did not speak English well either. Her attitude didn't change over the 6 days. We went to the bar one night, and my 3 drinks (2 margaritas and 1 vodka tonic) came to $75.00 US dollars. And the elevator in this hotel is the smallest thing you've ever seen. Barely room for 2 people. Your luggage will not fit, they bring it up in a different elevator. I will not stay at this place again.