The Cranley

Comfortable and convenient

We very much enjoyed our stay at The Cranley. It was a lovely little townhouse hotel that made us feel like we were living in a local setting, but was conveniently located to a Tube station with three train lines. The staff was accommodating and friendly; the room was comfortably sized and appointed with a view of the street. (We paid slightly more for the king-bed deluxe to get a bit more space; it was well worth it.) We did not get breakfast, which seemed pricey, as we prefer coffee / tea only in the a.m. Our only complaint was that the room was quite warm at times even with the heat turned off and the windows open. Never figured that out. We would definitely stay here again.

Nice Hotel with a few problems

We were generally pleased with the hotel except for the problem we had with air conditioning, which didn’t work in our third floor very hot room. They were able to move us to another room (on ground level, good AC and larger!) the next day. Also, drinks from the filled liquor decanters in the lobby are not free- I was admonished for taking a bit even though there is no indication that you must PURCHASE a drink from the clerk on duty. There is no coffee/tea maker in the room. There was some construction on the street in front. Rooms in the back are quieter. Good proximity to Tube stop.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Breakfast is not included at the Cranley. Buy what you need at the grocery stores around the Gloucester Rd Tube stop and use the refrigerator in your room!

Charming Hotel in Great Neighborhood

Hotel is charming, and low key. They had a room in the basement for us on our early morning arrival (which was nice because we could freshen up after the long flight from the US). They moved us to a 3rd floor room the next night, which was much better than the basement room. Hotel’s elevator does not provide access to all rooms, so be prepared if that’s an issue. For our third floor room, we got off at one side of the hotel, climbed to the fourth floor, then back down to the third floor, which was ok. Staff is minimal -- no doorman -- but that was ok with us. Neighborhood is wonderful, with restaurants and pubs, but out of the hustle and bustle of usual tourist hotel areas. Walk to the tube ranges from about 5 minutes (Gloucester Road), to 7 or 8 minutes (South Kensington) to 10 or 12 (Earls Court) depending on where you want to go.

Traveler's tip on dining

Great Indian restaraunt, Noor Jahan, just at end of street, near corner of Bina Gardens and Old Brompton Road.

At Home in London

The Cranley is nicely located in a row of townhomes in "South Ken" near the Natural History Museum and other attractions. The street is quiet. The former parlor of the townhome has been converted to a homey sitting room with desk registration, fireplace going all the time and tea in the afternoon. Very English. Room was very comfortable and bed was first class. Very well fitted out and maintained. I wish they had had a public free internet computer, but an internet shop was nearby. The front steps are a pain-in-a (high and steep) with no bellman to help. If you have a bad back, get the cab driver to haul your bags in. Room service quite expensive. Go around the corner - lots of restaurants/coffee shops. Our favorite: Beirut Express. We’d return to the Cranley.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

The a la carte price for Underground fare in London is very expensive, and taxis are worse. Use the "Oyster Card" and pay 1.5 Pounds per ride, or get the one week Oyster. Don’t forget to turn it in at the end for the refund of unused balance and card deposit.

Lovely neighborhood, beautiful room

My sister and I arrived on an early morning flight, and although our room was not serviced, we were allowed to use another room for a nap and a place to leave our things. When we came back from breakfast, we were escorted up to our lovely room, quite large for a London hotel. Staff couldn’t have been nicer.

Quiet and simply tasteful

We loved this hotel. It had minimal bureau space (in fact none) but the rooms were attractive, the staff perfection, the street quiet, and could not be a better location. We will be back if the price stays the same.

Traveler's tip on dining

Eat at Lundums, Riccardos...