Apartelle London Kensington

This hotel is on a primarily residential/hotel street a couple of miles from the Soho/Trafalgar Square area of London. It has two underground stations within a couple of blocks and lots of shops, small grocery stores, and eating spots on the next street. The information that follows is just to give others a better idea of what to expect. We had a clean room with ensuite bathroom(toilet, sink, shower)and kitchenette (microwave oven, cooktop, small refrigerator, sink), but not exactly what we thought we were getting, based on the website description. We overheard another couple complaining of the same thing, so it wasn't just our misconception. There was no coffeemaker, no hairdryer, and no extra bed, all things that we thought we'd be getting, but all things that we could do very well without. The room was very small -when going around the bed you could either bump your head on the wall tv, or stub your toe on the bed frame - with very little closet space and no bureau. There was no air conditioning and no fan. We were there in September, with unusually warm weather and had to use a hairbrush to keep the window open for air circulation. No lift meant walking up a couple of flights of stairs. There was a laundry facility as advertised - in a basement nook in a building on the next street. There is just one washing machine and dryer, so you get the key to the room, leaving you free to go off and enjoy yourself while the machines do their work. We were there for eight days and housekeeping came once to clean and change sheets and towels. Don't expect complimentary shampoo and soap. We booked this hotel having no idea what to expect except that we wanted the bathroom and kitchenette and this was the best deal we found. While it wasn't everything we expected, we'd go back again. We still feel we received good value - and how much time do you spend in your hotel room when vacationing in London, anyway? The room was very clean, the staff was helpful, the bed was comfortable, there were amenities nearby, and the location gave us easy access to just about all of the greater London area. What's not to like?