During our annual pre Christmas visit to London we stayed at the Crowne Plaza London Kensington. We love visiting London as it’s the perfect place to get us in the festive mood with the ice skating at the Natural History Museum, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, the lights on Regent Street and Oxford Street and visiting Santa at Harrods so the girls can give him their Christmas lists.
As you enter the Crowne Plaza London Kensington you walk into a large modern lobby and you wouldn’t think you are in a hotel converted from a row of Georgian townhouses. It is really impressive and welcoming and not something you would expect from the exterior. Check in was quick and efficient and the staff were very welcoming.
The hotel has 162 rooms and suites but the great thing about the Crown Plaza London Kensington is that because it has 2 double beds it allows a family to only have to book one room which is very rare amongst the London hotels.
If you do want more space or have older children then there is also the option of booking more rooms with an interconnecting door. The rooms had been recently refurbished and were clean and of a very good standard. The beds were really comfortable.
In the room we loved the little touches provided such as the sleep kit made in conjunction with ‘this works’ which provided a roll-on pulse point lotion to breathe in and a ‘deep calm’ pillow spray along with a turn down service in the evening. There was also complimentary high speed wifi but something I would expect at this level of hotel.
Our room had a great view of the lovely gardens at the back of the hotel. This is a hidden gem for a central London hotel having this green space and was lovely to look out onto. As we visited in November we didn’t spend long in the garden but if you stayed at here in the Spring or Summer it is just fantastic to have this green space to relax and the girls could run around whilst in the middle of the city.
There are also duplex suites that would suit a family but unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity to see this, during our 2016 pre Christmas trip to London hopefully we will be able to stay in these rooms which give us that little extra space.
Our executive room also gave us access to the club lounge which was open between 6am and 11 pm for complimentary soft drinks, newspapers and computers. Alcoholic drinks and canapés between 6 and 8 each evening. We liked relaxing in the club lounge in the evening to have a drink and a chat and a rest after a long day of sightseeing in London. You can also eat breakfast in the club lounge if you don’t want to eat in the main restaurant.
We dined in the Crowne Plaza’s Umami Restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel during our stay. The food and service was fantastic and children eat free if you dine before 7pm.
Breakfast the next morning was busy but had a great selection of cereals, pastries, cereal, fruits, juices and hot buffet style dishes. The breakfast tea had been left to stew but the staff kindly replaced it with fresh tea.
The location of the Crowne Plaza is what makes this hotel a great place to stay. It is located, right in the heart of one of our favourite areas of London with great restaurants, coffee shops, shops (such as a giant Waitrose where you could get drinks, snacks etc relatively cheaply) and away from the hustle and bustle of central London. Gloucester Road tube station is literally across the road and it is also only a 5 minute walk to the Natural History Museum and Kensington High Street and about a 15 minute walk or 2 tube stops to Harrods which was perfect for us as a location as we were in London to meet Santa at Harrods.
Another great thing of the Crowne Plaza London Kensington is its close proximity to the tube, it is literally across the road and the area of London that this hotel is located in is very nice, with great restaurants and bars nearby. In the basement there is also a gym if you are feeling energetic during your stay along with complimentary water and towels.
The crown Plaza Kensington is a fantastic hotel and is very child friendly hotel. The staff were welcoming and friendly making the girls feel special and we would thoroughly recommend this hotel for families looking for a great hotel whilst visiting London.