Citadines South Kensington – Apartment hotel with a kitchenette

Photo: Craig Cross

Kitchenette and ensuite bathroom

Craig’s review… This place is great. It’s almost like renting a flat because all of the rooms have bedrooms, bathrooms and a little ensuite kitchen attached. Here’s all the stuff you get in the kitchen: a hob, microwave, saucepan, toaster, plates, bowls, cups, saucers, a sieve, tin opener, bottle opener, knives, forks, spoons, sponge, tea towels, a bottle of washing up liquid (totally wasted on me), plus a proper fridge-freezer for your food.

Photo: Craig Cross

One thing to bear in mind is that you need to pay a supplement if you want a cleaner to come in and tidy up and make your bed every morning, and replenish your soap and teabags. I wasn’t bothered in the slightest that my bed remained unmade every day (it felt like home!) and I just bought some extra teabags and stuck them in the cupboard in the kitchen. And I bought a bottle of milk and stuck it in the fridge. You need to think of it as a flat, rather than a hotel room.

Photo: Craig Cross

The ensuite bathroom has a bath, shower, hairdryer and even a little string washing line to hang up your socks. The bedroom has a TV, iron, ironing board and safe.

Photo: Craig Cross

The only downside is the absence of a restaurant and bar, but seeing as you’ve got your own kitchen in the room it’s no big deal (you can just eat Pot Noodles all week). If you can’t be bothered to do any cooking yourself then they provide a big menu of meals that you can have delivered to your room, and there are plenty of pubs and restaurants in the surrounding streets. Kensington High Street is only a short walk away.

Location of the Citadines hotel

The surrounding area is nice enough, and within easy walking distance of the Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Palace, but it’s a slightly farther out than where I’d normally choose to be. There are only a couple of bus routes that run between South Kensington and Trafalgar Square so if you want to go anywhere else then you’re going to be using a lot of public transport. But do you know what? The room is so great I think I’ll still recommend it anyway.

[Note: When I stayed here it was being advertised as a 3-star, but now it’s being advertised as 4-star. I don’t really see it as being 4-star to be honest, but I do still recommend a visit.]

Worth a stay? ★★☆Value for money? ★★★Nice rooms? ★★★Good location? ★★☆

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon. This review was updated on 1st September 2023