The Rembrandt

Abiola at the desk was courteous, professional, knowledgeable and extremely polite. I made a point of remembering his name because those qualities seem rare these days. The hotel was clean and well maintained, and the cleaning service was great. The rooms felt comfortable and welcoming. It's ideally located across the road from the Brompton Oratory in South Kensington, close to museums and an easy walk from Knightsbridge and Chelsea. I'd stay again and recommend it to everyone.

Breakfast was the most comprehensive I've seen in quite a while. They even had a waffle/pancake machine I'd never come across before. The room was perfectly fine, with a bath, two chairs and the usual TV, tea and coffee, and king bed. At £140 for the night with the eat-all-you-need breakfast, I thoroughly recommend it as a base for visiting London. The location is excellent, just across the road from the Victoria and Albert museum.

The location is what would bring me back. South Kensington Underground Station is a four-minute walk away, Harrods is about five minutes on foot, and the Royal Albert Hall was close by for my husband's concert. The Victoria and Albert Museum stays open until 10 pm on Fridays. There are loads of good restaurants, bakeries, cafés and ice cream shops nearby, and we enjoyed wandering around to find places to eat. Even at 10 pm we found a café serving coffee and cake near Harrods. The neighbourhood felt very safe after dark, and an evening stroll on a warm summer night was lovely. The hotel itself is old and dated, and around £200 a night felt very expensive. The lobby looked beautiful and luxurious at check-in, just what I'd expect from a four-star hotel, but the room's furniture looked like it had come from a charity shop a hundred years ago. The room felt more like a three-star standard, and the corridor door frames and walls made it seem like little had been refurbished in decades. It reminded me of an elderly grandmother's home that hadn't been redecorated in fifty years. What mattered most to me, though, were noise, temperature, cleanliness and smells. In those respects the hotel did well despite its age. We were on either the fourth or fifth floor, facing the back rather than the street, and it was incredibly quiet. The room was spotless, the bedding fresh and comfortable, and there were no bad smells. The bathroom was dated but very clean. With daytime temperatures around 30°C, I appreciated the complimentary chilled water in the minibar and the glass tumblers they'd put in the fridge to keep cold. Breakfast didn't quite meet my expectations for a four-star hotel. The selection was fairly limited, though most of it was tasty, and the watermelon and other fruit were fresh, sweet and delicious. Omelettes were available and very good, but the queue often meant waiting more than ten minutes. I would have expected things like freshly made omelettes, pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice at this level. The breakfast staff were exceptionally friendly, and the crockery and cutlery were spotless. Next time I might skip breakfast and try a brunch café in the area. The pool and gym cost an extra £15 per adult per day, on top of the roughly £200 a night that included breakfast for two. Service was friendly and there was very little else to fault. Despite the dated rooms and high price, I'd probably come back for the location.

The staff were all friendly and very helpful, and the self-service breakfast had a great selection. I spent a couple of nights here for a January break. My room was on the small side, but clean and very comfortable. I'd highly recommend the hotel for anyone visiting South Kensington.