Aldgate Suites

The hosts were friendly, and the entry instructions were clear. Our clean room had everything listed in the description, including fresh towels for everyone and complimentary shampoo and conditioner. There are plenty of nearby cafés, restaurants, and shops. The problem was the entrance. A large garbage container right outside smelled awful and drew rats.

There are plenty of restaurants nearby, along with Tesco and Sainsbury expresses, and I thought the place was good value. Donatello is in Aldgate, beside a main road with lots of bus service. Getting to the rooms means climbing a steep staircase. This isn't really a hotel, more a set of rooms to let. There's no reception, but the friendly staff answer calls quickly and sort out problems fast. The rooms seem recently modernised and were very clean. The heating worked well, though there was no air conditioning, just an opening window for hot days. Mine had a separate bathroom with a very small shower, and it was nicely finished, though the shower door seals were already coming off. Turning around in the shower, be careful not to hit the tap and switch the water to scalding. The room had a kettle, tea, coffee, and four little milk portions. The flat-pack furniture felt wobbly and came apart easily. The desk in my room did just that, and the wardrobe needs an anti-tip mechanism. Still, good value for the money.

The room was clean and had enough furniture, but it stayed noisy late into the night because it was directly above a Turkish restaurant. It was tidied daily, though the towels weren't changed. They were folded and put back on the bed while still damp.

A terrible experience. We booked three nights, but couldn't open the door with the code they gave us. We called the emergency number, and they never managed to send anyone with a key. There were rats near the entrance too. After waiting for two hours, we finally booked somewhere else.