Cheap sleeps in London - London Forum

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2. Re: Cheap sleeps in London

If you look at the Clearlake's website (http://www.clearlakehotel.co.uk/) you'll notice that they have economy rooms and apartments. They do emphasize the small size of the economy rooms and when I phoned last year, they suggested that I upgrade to a studio apartment and gave me a rate that was less than the rate posted on their website.

So my studio apt. had an entry hall with kitchenette and bathroom off to the left and bedroom to the right. The kitchenette was really a narrow, L-shaped hall. And I mean narrow. The tiny English fridge was opposite the door for good reason. To open the fridge door fully, you had to open the door to the kitchen! However, it had all the basics, except an oven: fridge, microwave, 2 burner hot-plate, kettle, sink, minimal dishes, etc. The bathroom had a shower, no tub. The bedroom was a bit wider than a double bed with 2 bedside tables. There was a good-sized wardrobe built into one wall, a long, narrow table fixed to another wall, an armchair, and a regular chair. The TV was mounted above the table - usual 5 channels.

I did mention the awful decor in my other posting. The room could have used painting, one leg of the table was extended by a block of wood (and that was done by a carpenter while I was there!), the duvet cover did not match the sheets and neither matched the pillow slips, the armchair upholstery didn't match anything else and neither did the curtains - that sort of thing.

Don't stay there if you're a cleanliness freak. Everything was clean enough, but it didn't sparkle. But that is probably because it's hard to get old fixtures and fittings to sparkle.

The hotel is in a series of converted houses and has the added plus of a lift. It's a block from Kensington Gardens, about 3 or 4 blocks to the High St. Ken. tube. So the location is great.