Blades Hotel - B&B - London, United Kingdom 

Overall not impressed
Posted: Sun, Jul 06 2008
Last June I made my 4th trip to London. I had always stayed in the Sussex Gardens area and I had spent the first 3 nights of this trip in Sussex Gardens before going to Normandy and Paris. I returned to London from Paris and decided to spend my last 2 nights at the Blades Hotel, based on glowing reviews on this and other travel sights. I was disappointed with my room at the Blades. It was at the very top of the building at the end of a long climb of stairs. The room was shabby and in need of a good cleaning. It was very stuffy and the small fan provided served only to blow the dust bunnies around. There was no screen in the window and opening the window was an invitation for the flies to occupy the room. Getting some sleep was not easy. On the positive side I did enjoy the breakfast room and the selection of food available. The only staff I encountered were two very young girls, who were very polite and helpful. I am returning to London this September and I will be going back to the Sussex Gardens area.

Excellent value for money
Posted: Sat, Jul 05 2008
I was very impressed. The location is fantastic (a 15-minute walk and you're at the Houses of Parliament), and the staff is friendly and welcoming. The hotel is located in an old house, but it's well kept-up and my room had modern and perfectly adequate fittings (the bathroom, especially, was new and clean). My room was quite tiny, but I believe most are larger (mine was a special one in the mezzanine which was going for cheaper rates just because of its smallness). And tiny or not, I had an en suite bathroom and plenty of those little extras that make for a comfortable stay (coffee-making equipment, sachets of shampoo, a TV, etc.). Oh, and it was perfectly clean. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the bed, which was a bit lumpy, but nothing too bothersome. What else? Breakfast was also really nice, with good food and plenty of variety, check-in and check-out were a breeze and the staff allowed me to leave my luggage there until the afternoon the day I checked out. Highly recommended!