Assaha Hyde Park Apartments

The location is brilliant, but our room was unbearably hot, even in midwinter. There was only one window and it wouldn’t stay open. We were on the fourth floor in room 18, where banging pipes kept us awake through the night. Even the basic cutlery was unpleasantly dirty. Given the price, I didn’t expect luxury, but these problems made the stay difficult.

I’d stay at Assaha Hyde Park Apartments again for the location and the clean, comfortable bed. The room was basic but tidy, with a good mattress and pillow, toiletries, tea and coffee, and a small clean fridge. It matched the pictures on the booking site and met my expectations. The shower room was the big frustration: its motion sensor kept switching the light off after a few minutes, so I had to open the shower doors and wave my hand to turn it back on. The stairwell also looked poorly maintained in October 2017, with walls that seemed unpainted for years.

Room 19, fourth floor, single room. This is just my own experience. I needed an affordable place near work, mainly somewhere to sleep, and for £540 for 13 nights the location and price worked well for me. Hyde Park is right nearby, Marble Arch is about a 15-minute walk depending on your pace, Lancaster Gate on the Central Line is a minute away, and Oxford Circus takes four minutes by Tube. The man at reception was nice and helpful when I spoke with him. The room had everything I needed, plus a few things. I booked a single but got a small double bed, which I was happy with. It also had a kitchenette with a hob, microwave, toaster, kettle and sink, along with a hairdryer, shower products, toilet roll, towels, hangers, a fan for air conditioning, tea supplies, a TV, and one plate, bowl, mug, knife, fork and teaspoon. There was a decent-sized fridge with a small freezer, eco-friendly washing-up liquid, good shower pressure, lots of storage and nine power outlets. The window opened wide and had a nice view, which helped air the room. I didn’t use the TV because I had my laptop, but it was good to have one. There were several problems. The toaster was temperamental and set off the fire alarm a few times, though the alarm may be very sensitive. Toward the end it kept smoking when I put bread in, so I stopped using it. The kitchen sink leaked once and soaked the floor; I mopped it up with towels, and it didn’t leak again. The shower was raised, so water could get onto the floor, but I was careful and didn’t have much trouble. The pipes made horrible screeching sounds, and the water stopped once for about five minutes, right while I was washing my face. The hob didn’t work, though that didn’t bother me much since I mostly used the microwave or ate cold food. The roller blinds had no cord, so I had to roll them up by hand each morning, which wasn’t ideal but wasn’t a big deal. I was on the fourth floor. I’m not unfit and didn’t mind the climb, but there were a lot of steps, some very steep. After doing it every day, four times a day, for two weeks, my legs were definitely stronger. Noise was the biggest downside. You could hear everyone and everything; I’m partially deaf and still heard all the noise overnight. More than once I was woken by people being too loud, including a man singing happy birthday and cheering at midnight for about ten minutes, and people talking loudly through the night. Reception asks guests to be respectful and keep the noise down, but some people clearly didn’t. I slept very badly during the first week. Still, the place had everything I needed and more, and £540 for 13 nights in that location was a good, affordable deal.

The staff were genuinely friendly and helpful, and the location worked perfectly for our sightseeing. Paddington station is about five minutes away on foot, and Lancaster Gate underground station is at the bottom of the road. We came by train and didn’t have a car, so that suited us well. For the four of us, £336 for four nights was reasonable for London, though I wouldn’t expect luxury at that price. I would still expect the place to be clean. We found a sock under the sofa, a false eyelash under the bed, and a birthday banner still stuck to the wall from the previous guests. The apartment was run down and needed updating, as well as more attention to cleaning. The one-bedroom layout was a good size for me, my husband, and our two children. We booked partly because of the kitchenette, which was useful for breakfast before going out and a snack or tea when we returned, but it wasn’t really equipped for cooking a meal beyond heating a microwave meal. There’s no lift, and the stairs up to our third-floor room amounted to nearly five flights. Carrying luggage was tough for us, and the narrow treads and winding stairs would be difficult for anyone who struggles with stairs. The friendly, accommodating staff helped make up for the disappointing room. If you want an inexpensive stay in a good location and don’t expect luxury, it may suit you, but the cleanliness wasn’t acceptable to me even at a cheaper price.