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England London Copthorne Tara Kensington


Shingwedzi
By Shingwedzi,
in

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Bring a pocketful of four-leaf clovers when you get this one, because what room you'll get requires a megadose of luck. The range is from ultracrappy 1* room to a decent 3* that flight attendants get.

I got a two bed nonsmoking room on the fifth floor that faced the front of the building. It wasn't perfect, but it was much better than I'd expected. The best features were the location of the hotel and the fridge in the room.

To me, the worst feature of my room was that all of the light shades were singed, indicating a potential fire hazard. My concern was heightened when everyone had to evacuate the building at about 5:30 pm on Saturday, Nov. 29. I never got the same story about what had happened from any two hotel staff, although it had clearly not been a false alarm. The kitchen personnel mentioned there had been smoke, but no two stories matched about where the smoke had been. I had just returned to the hotel at the time, and saw huge crowds milling about out front along with a bunch of fire trucks. It was not a comforting sight.

But that episode aside, my $55 per night seemed like a bargain in London. :)

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  • 1 month later...

It's not too bad. "3/5"

Well, I got this room for $61USD on Priceline but was somewhat unsure what to expect after reading all the reviews.I only stayed for 1 night so I don't have a thorough experience for this hotel. First off, it is extremely convenient. Just down the street (Wrights Lane) on the corner from High Street Kensington tube Station. First thing you'll see is the Kensington Close hotel. Keep walking straight and it's to the right of that hotel.On first glance of the exterior, the hotel has probably seen better days. It was quite dirty. I got there around 3 pm and asked for high floor, East wing and got it. (10th floor) Upon entering the room, it was quite warm. I quickly look for the heating controls and turn it to "cool" but more warm air just kept coming out. I guess it doesn't have proper air conditioning but I guess not many hotels in London do. The room itself was a decent size and other than the quirky washroom sink having separate "hot" and "cold" faucets, it wasn't too bad overall. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again but I wouldn't pay much more for it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We stayed here on Feb 23 after staying at the Melia White House for 6 days. My first view of the exterior gave the impression of a Russian Apartment Building. Although the interior was pleasant enough. The front desk staff were nice and helpful. The location was very good for Kensington.

We were given room 521 with two twin beds that were adequate for the single night stay. Although the comforter was kind of small for the bed, it did provide warmth, since it did not appear that the window heating unit was working (It was about 25F outside)

I had been warned that the tube noise would be a problem on an east facing room, but we had no problems.

Decent room for $75US but not for the rack rate or even the internet rate of 104 GBP.

Rating should be 3* rather than the 4* that Priceline rates it.

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  • 2 months later...

I stayed there in April of this year and my first bid of $100 was accepted. After learning of the hotel I got, I went to Trip Advisor.com and realized that not only did I bid too high, but there were some awful reviews on the site. I got over the economic disappointment and was pleasantly surprised with the hotel. The location was great, room was very nice - quiet, large for London, comfortable and in good condition, hotel staff pleasant and helpful, and last, but not least, good bathroom! I dont know why people has such problems with the separate faucets - there are surely worse challenges in life. So I would say that the hotel is well worth even the $100 I paid!

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  • 7 months later...
  • 6 months later...

4* Copthorne Tara - Kensington for $78 for 3 nights in March 2004 - I liked this hotel and area. The hotel room was large, with 2 double beds. The decor was okay. The staff was helpful and its a block to the Tube (there's a shortcut). Alot of airline employees stay here. The train track was right outside my windon but I don't remember hearing the trains. There is a great pub if you go west on Kensington about 3 blocks -- to a coffee shop - turn left and its on the right side of the road - sorry, its been awhile and I can't remember the name. The pub is in a residential area. Overall, I would be happy to get this hotel.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...

I was pleasantly surprised with this hotel. the staff were very nice and our room was, too. we stayed december 2006.

we asked to be moved to courtyard side though because i am a light sleeper. although the trains stop around midinight, it was quieter on the courtyard side.( the occasional train did not bother my daughter at all.)

it worked out well. nice coffee/tea machine in room.

very well appointed and much closer to the tube station than i had expected. the circle line is not as frequent as other lines at other stations, so keep that in mind when going back to airport, etc.. It was also VERY convenient to busses and very easy to get around.

There is excellent shopping around and a pleasant walk up to notting hill area, kensington palace.

I was disappointed not to receive this hotel again when bidding for same area. I am even further west this time!

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  • 1 year later...

I stayed at the Copthorne Tara Hotel in Kensington this past weekend (10/25/08 - 10/27/08), with a winning bid of $77 per night through Priceline.

The hotel is very easy to find from the High Street Kensington underground station. Exit the underground, turn left down the first street (Wrights Lane), and left again at the end of that street. From the outside we weren't very impressed with the hotel as it really isn't much to look at. However, the staff at reception more than made up for it with their friendly and helpful demeanour. We were given a room on the 7th floor in the non-smoking section (we were originally told there was none available but had one arranged for us assumingly after some juggling of other reservations). Unfortunately we were stuck with twin single beds (not so bad for my girlfriend who managed to get a decent sleep through my snoring for once).

The room overlooked the front of the hotel. Noise was not at all an issue and we slept peacefully. The room and beds were extremely comfortable. The lighting, as a previous post has mentioned, is a little crazy with the push button controls. Once I played around with them for awhile though I got used to which button turned on which light and found it to be quite handy and fun. The bathroom is adequate with a high pressure shower and bath. Our toilet was a little fickle and didn't always flush when we wanted it to but not so big an issue.

The one thing I didn't really like about the hotel was its location. High Street Kensington is a little out of the way and generally requires at least one transfer in order in order to get into the centre of town (Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, for instance). This area is perfect if you are in London to visit the museums (Natural History Museum, Science Museum). The hotel and facilities were fine for the price, but I probably wouldn't stay in this area of London again.

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  • 8 months later...

I bid for two rooms for June 3-6 for my brother and myself. We scored rooms on the 8th floor. Copthorne now lists "Standard" rooms as being on floors 1-10, with club or suite or such on 11 and 12. I think they may have refurbished some of the lower floors, as they used to be noticeably less nice.

Both rooms were very functional and comfortable for our visit.

Breakfast of course not included. BUT the Muffin Man about 1/2 block away on the way to the tube had great breakfasts. There also is a Tesco's full supermarket up on Kensington High Street (turn left on it when coming from the hotel).

We had an excellent meal at the Tai Terrace also on the street between the hotel and the tube station. Probably some of the best Tai food I've had, and I've been to Tailand. Big white tablecloths and linens and we were decidedly underdressing in our hiking clothes, but we were very kindly treated.

For the record, the street "Scarsdale Place" doesn't show up on the little maps one can purchase at Victoria Train Station, and an information booth person there marked a nearby street "Scardale Villa" instead of the right location. Get a better map, or simply follow these instructions from the hotel web site (slightly amended):

DIRECTIONS TO THE HOTEL

By tube - the nearest station is High Street Kensington on the Circle and District Lines - 3 minutes away. As you come out of the station (turning left), turn left again down Wrights lane and you will find the hotel at the bottom of the road on the left hand side.

Romelle

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  • 2 months later...
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