My husband and I and another colleague were exhibitors at Olympia for "La Dolce Vita" and found our 5 day stay to be exceptional value for London. Not only were we within 5 minutes walking distance from West Kensington tube stop, we were only 10 minutes from Olympia hall and would have been even closer to Earl's Court. It made everything so simple to organize. There are plenty of small shops in the neighbor hood to take care of any incidental item you might need or want and the Tesco superstore is very close by for everything else. It was a thoughtful touch to have water, milk, fruit, tea and fresh flowers already waiting for us, making an immediate trip to shop unnecessary. (Although for us ladies a loo roll would have been a nice start as well)
When I first called to inquire about making a booking, I wasn't sure if they were very interested, but as the conversation warmed up the helpfulness became more apparent. Upon arrival I found Mark and his father Richard very friendly and helpful. It did take As they live on the premises, I felt an added sense of security in what is a very pleasant neighborhood even arriivng back late at night. The one bedroom ground floor flat is really perfect for a couple with smaller children, but it worked out just fine for us as a couple with an adult colleague. We didn't mind sharing the bathroom and living room/bedroom, especially as we were out most of the time. It is very quiet and sleeping was heavenly. Plenty of pillows, and large towels for everyone. The flat was clean and has all the modern cons you could want complete with a couple of books to have a read at night if the DVDs or music or telly aren't your thing. I would say a bit of instructions for all of the electronics would be helpful for us with out the aid of a young child to steer you through the remote controls. I wish there had been some possibility to recycle our plastic jugs and newspapers to help cut down on the amount of trash. Maybe next time.
Mark very kindly printed off a few pages of some things I needed and the wi fi reception in the flat was excellent. Make sure to ask all of those questions when you check in, so you're not wondering late at night how to get the internet reception or how to run the TV, or CD player.. Also, if you're like me and aren't thinking clearly, do try to remember that you will need to pay your balance when you arrive unlike a hotel, so that no one needs to go chasing after each other when it's time to leave. Quite sensible indeed. You can still find someone later on, of course, if you need something, so not to worry.
We didn't do any cooking other than breakfast, but was so worth having the facilities to be able to relax and enjoy a casual start to our very long and hectic days, made it all very worth it. We went out to with other colleagues for dinner every night and found that Earl's Court area full of very wonderful eateries. Do find "Benito Bistro", as it it is a wonderful casual atmosphere, with excellent food, reasonably priced, with a menu that has something for everybody.
So whether you are in London for business or pleasure, buy yourself an Oyster card, travel after 9:30 am and stay in West Kensington at the Castletown House flats and you'll save yourself some money and enjoy feeling like a Londoner for awhile.