September 13, 2010

London, England: The Portland Hotel; hotel review


The Portland Hotel  

31-32 Bedford Place, in Bloomsbury, +44 (0) 20 7580 7088. 18 rooms. Weekend rates include continental breakfast.

This beautifully restored Georgian townhouse has large rooms—some with high ceilings and decorative molding, and some in the back with large windows overlooking the Duke of Bedford’s former garden (it is a backyard running the length of Bedford Place and shared with Montague Street).

The sophisticated decor at The Portland Hotel falls somewhere between contemporary style and old-fashioned English chintz. I liked the “fitted kitchenette” in a closet, and most especially its tea cabinet equipped with a hot water kettle and tea bags. Our dramatic oversized bathroom had the same tall ceiling as the bedroom plus another window looking out to the yard, a large soaking tub and shower, and a shiny black marble floor in which I could actually see my reflection.

Breakfast is taken a few doors down the street in a sister hotel, The Clarendon. Guests can relax with a drink in the bar lounge there, too, or just sit in a private back garden.



More London hotels.

More ideas for exploring Europe.


image courtesy of hotel

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts