Hotel Review: Best Western The Delmere, London, UK

During my recent visit to London, I stayed at two different hotels, namely Best Western The Delmere Hotel and Royal Cambridge Hotel, both located in Sussex Gardens, London W2. The following is my review of Best Western The Delmere Hotel. You may check my review of Royal Cambridge Hotel here.

1. The Hotel

1a. The Location 

Best Western The Delmere Hotel is set in Victorian townhouses that are located in Sussex Gardens in Paddington, a central area of London. Sussex Gardens boasts plenty of options for small and boutique hotels as well as B&B’s. The road is lined with trees and there are pedestrian walks on both sides of the road. The road can get busy at times but there’s nothing to worry about as you won’t hear much traffic when you’re in your room.

The location is ideal and perfect if you’re looking for a quiet area but still very close to everything that Central London has to offer.

1b. The Reception

I arrived at the hotel early in the morning and didn't expect the room to be ready yet. Lucky for me there's a vacant room and I was quickly assigned Room 5. I thought the room is located on the ground floor but unfortunately it is not. It is located in the basement of the building.   

The reception area is simple and small, and I was prepared to set my expectation of the hotel to that of a Bed & Breakfast (or B&B as they are better known as in the UK) rather than a proper full fledged hotel. However this being a Best Western hotel, I also knew that I can expect better than average standards for the hotel.

The reception is opened 24 hours a day and as you are given a key card for your room, you do not need to leave your key with the reception every time you go out. You may leave your luggage at the reception should you arrive early on the day of check-in or leaving London later in the day after you have checked out of the hotel.

1c. The Room

The hotel has just 36 rooms, and as mentioned earlier I was given Room 5, which is a double room. It is located in the basement of the building and I had to use an elevator to go downstairs to the room. The room is spacious and roomy enough, complete with two bedside tables, a coffee table with two arm chairs, a dressing table and a small wardrobe.

In terms of furnishing, the room has a bit of classy look. Overall the room is well furnished and comfortable and should be good for both short or long stay in London.

The room has tea/coffee making facility, a telephone, a small table fan, a hair dryer and an LCD TV. I did not watch the TV so not sure about the options available in terms of TV channels. I did however find that the location of the TV on the wall is somewhat awkward in that it's not placed on the wall right across from the bed. This is because the entrance door is located right across from the bed. Consequently the TV is placed quite too far from the bed, and at an awkward angle as well. You may not enjoy watching it that way.

The bed is comfortable. Linens and towels are okay. The bathroom is of average size (above average for a small London hotel) but looks clean and like new. It has a bathtub as well as a shower (inside the bathtub and not separately). One setback is probably the fixed shower head. Hot water is available throughout the day. Toiletries are provided.

As the room is located in the basement and at the back of the building, there is minimal noise disturbance from other rooms (which is a common complaint for hotels in the UK and Europe in general due to thin walls). I however noticed that there was no one staying in Room 4 right next door to my room so this could be a contributing factor too.

1d. Breakfast 

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in a small breakfast room on the ground floor. My room rate did not include breakfast but if you pay for rates that include breakfast, you'd be served with continental breakfast. English breakfast may be ordered but at an extra cost. With less than 10 tables, the breakfast room has the capacity for roughly about 30 hotel guests at any one time.

Breakfast Room

1e. Internet Access & Business Centre

Business Centre

Business Centre

Internet access is available for free via Wi-Fi at the hotel. I however did not get any Wi-Fi signal while staying in the room and therefore cannot comment on internet speed. The hotel also has a small business centre which essentially is just a lounge area with a computer and telephone available in the room. This facility should come in handy if you don't have a laptop or a smart phone with you and you need to check something on the internet or print out something.

Tips: If you have a smart mobile phone, you can just buy a “3” pay-as-you-go SIM card either from “3” store or Carphone Warehouse (there is one on Praed Street towards Edgware Road). The SIM card would cost you GBP15 and gives you basically 1 month of unlimited data package for your access to internet.

2. Where to Eat

There are plenty of options that should cater to all kinds of taste buds. Restaurants, delis, cafes and pubs offering fish & chips, Italian, Lebanese*, Indian, Malaysian*, etc. are all within 5 to 10 minutes walk from the hotel. Fast food options include Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC*, & Subway* apart from a few other local fast food joints. There is also quite a good “food court” within Paddington Station.

Cafes, Pubs, Restaurants & Groceries on London Street

Should you prefer to stock up on some snacks and drinks in your room, there’re a few groceries on London Street and Praed Street. There is also a Tesco Express about 10 minutes walk on Praed Street towards Edgware Road.

Cafes, Pubs, Restaurants & Groceries on Praed Street

(* Halal options for Muslims.  There are also more options on halal eateries in the nearby Bayswater area and on Edgware Road)

3. Getting Around

Being in Paddington area means that Best Western The Delmere Hotel is well located and connected with public and private transports. Paddington Station is just about 5 minutes walk away from the hotel. That means you’re just 5 minutes walk away from:

• British Railway
• London Underground (Bakerloo, District & Circle, Hammersmith & City lines)
• Heathrow Express (direct & express rail service between Heathrow Airport and London)

Alternatively you also have the following options to travel around London from the hotel:

• London Underground – Lancaster Gate Station (Central Line)
• London bus service (a few bus stops on Sussex Gardens & Praed Street)
• London Big Bus (there’s a stop near to Burger King on London Street)

If you prefer to walk however, you can easily walk along Sussex Gardens onto Edgware Road (also known as Arab Street) and then onto Marble Arch, which is located at one end of Oxford Street, one of the more famous shopping streets in London.  That should take about 15 to 30 minutes depending on your pace.

Tips: If you are staying in London for a few days, get the Oyster Card to use to pay for your underground and bus rides. A day travel card for London Zones 1 & 2, which costs GBP7, is also handy to travel around Central London. If you’re staying in London for more than 4 days, get the weekly travel card instead. It would cost you just GBP29 for unlimited travels on the underground and bus.

4. How to Get to the Hotel

View Larger Map

From Paddington Station, take the exit to Praed Street. Look out for Burger King which is located at the junction where Praed Street and London Street meet. Walk along London Street until it crosses Sussex Gardens at which point you turn left. Best Western The Delmere Hotel is located towards almost the end of the building block to your left.

5. Further Information

Address:	128 - 130 Sussex Gardens, London W2 1UB
Telephone:	+44 (0)207 706 3344
Email:	reservations@delmerehotel.co.uk
Website:	http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/Hotels/Delmere-Hotel-London-83683/Hotel-Info/Default.aspx
Check in 2 p.m. / Check out 11 a.m.

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* * *   Check Room Availability & Rates HERE   * * *

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