ellylex

I know there are many people from Britain here along with many travelers to London. I have posted a question in Choice hotels earlier. I know you guys stay at higher end properties, so I better ask here.

I have read on tripadvisor one comment that Kensington is one of the poorest areas of London. Is that so?
I have booked Quality Crown Kensington (2 singles suite with points)located on Cromwell (Paddington one doesn't have room availability I wanted - only small room double).

Can someone comment on the area itself please. Is it pleasant (Kensington) or is Paddington better? (I do know that Paddington is more conveniently located to tube and trains than Kensington one). I also have an option to stay at Comfort Inn Kings Cross located on Chad's St, also very close to tube.

Hoping to get more comments.
Thank you

Christopher

Actually, parts of Kensington are among the wealthiest areas of London, particularly the southern sections of Kensington. Cromwell Road more south than north in Kensington, and it is the A4 (the old Bath Road — the main route out of London to the west), so it is a busy road. It has lots of hotels on it, of differing standards, but I wouldn't say it was poor.

If you're worried about personal safety — well, of course, anything can happen anywhere, but the most likely thing to happen in this area is petty theft and pickpocketing.

I'd have said that Paddington in general is less salubrious than the part of Kensington you're talking about.

I don't know where you're based or if you know London at all, but two further points might be worth making. One is that compared to, say, lots of US cities, London is very "mixed up together" in terms of its social and demographic profiles. In other words there aren't, on the whole, vast swathes of the metropolitan area that are deprived: the deprived areas are mixed up with all the other areas. The demography can change from street to street in some cases, often for no apparent reason, although sometimes it is connected with the style and type of housing (much of which was built as estates during the second half of the nineteenth century), or for other historical reasons.

The other point is that, on the whole, there aren't too many "no-go" areas in London, probably because of the situation described above: everyone tends to mixed up together. As in all big cities, one must be careful of course, but I generally feel less vulnerable in London than in most other cities, and certainly than in most other cities of a comparable size...

ETA: Kensington's not too bad for transport: the Cromwell Road is convenient enough to the Piccadilly and District lines (Earl's Court, Gloucester Road, South Kensington, Knightsbridge Underground stations, depending where you are), and there are various bus routes along it too.

ellylex

Thank you, Christopher for the advice. I have never been to London and live in LA. It was just one comment from tripadvisor that threw me off. I understand that all the areas named above are fine. Just deciding which one is better to stay at for tourist purposes.
Quality Kensington is on Cromwell, Comfort Inn Kings Cross on Chad's st (last comment on tripadvisor that hotel has been remodeled but there are no new pictures), and Quality Paddington next to Paddington station.

ScottieFlyer

Ellylex, the info Christopher has provided is all sound. Kensington is anything but poor, I suspect there might have been some confusion with Kennington on Tripadvisor. One bed apartment rentals in the area you refer to can run at $2000/week and the area is full of embassies.

The area is in my view a good choice. You will be besides Imperial College so many students on the go at all hours, and comparatively good and inexpensive food and drink available if you choose to pop into one of the college cafes. The Natural History , Science and Victoria and Albert museums are all on your doorstep, entrance is free and they are fabulous so I recommend you don't miss them.

By the post office adjacent to Science museum and Imperial College, you can go down a stair and can walk through a tunnel (safe and busy) to south Kensington underground station; here you will have good connections on subway to centre of London in about 10 minutes. If weather is good and you enjoy walking just walk from Cromwell Street to Hyde Park Corner and from there follow signs to Buckingham Palace then through St James Park towards Horseguards, Parliament Square (for parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Downing Street) then along to Trafalgar Square. Here you are not far from shopping and theatre districts of Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Oxford Strreet and China Town. You could spend a great day following this route on foot.

Don't let fear put you off, London doesn't really have no-go areas like some cities in USA but discretion and vigilance is always advised wherever you travel.

Have a great trip.
SF

NewbieRunner

Quality Crown Kensington seems to be further west from the Natural History Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and Imperial College, but is still well within walking distance. Make sure to buy an Oyster card. (There are threads on this in the UK forum.) You can hop on and off a bus as many times as you like without paying more than a fixed daily maximum and catching a bus may be more convenient than the underground or to get to an underground station from the hotel.

You can also check the area on Google Street View.

Christopher

Yes, I've looked it up now; it's really at Earl's Court (SW5). It's a convenient location, but if it's really important to be next to a station then the Paddington one might be better. The Kings Cross hotel would be the bottom of the three on my list in terms of location.

But to be honest, all will do the job I'm sure, so I suppose the best bit of advice is not to worry too much about it and enjoy what London has to offer when you get here.

ETA: The Cromwell Road location is actually roughly equidistant from Earl's Court Underground Station and Gloucester Road Underground Station, possibly even marginally closer to Gloucester Road. Both stations are on the Piccadilly, District, and Circle Lines. Paddington Station is on the Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, and Circle Lines.

The Piccadilly Line is generally a good line to be on for touristic purposes, taking in as it does South Kensington and many of the museums, Knightsbridge (if you want that sort of shopping), Piccadilly and Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, the British Museum area near Holborn and Russell Square, and Heathrow if that is your airport. The Bakerloo Line is also good, though perhaps not quite as convenient.

Changing trains on the Underground is easy; make sure you pick up a pocket map when you buy your Oyster Card, and remember that lines are described in the stations by name (with their individual colour) and direction: Piccadilly Line Eastbound, Victoria Line Southbound, etc.

Paddington is of course convenient for the Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express; both Paddington and the Cromwell Road area are equally convenient for Gatwick — trains from Gatwick arrive in London at Victoria station.

NewbieRunner

The Kings Cross area may have changed (I haven't been in the area for a couple of years) but it would also be at the bottom of my list of three. It wouldn't be dangerous but might not be very pleasant at night.

Christopher

I think "not dangerous but not very pleasant" sums it up pretty well, although I don't know the particular street in question. Neverheless, if one was travelling back to the hotel at night by Tube or bus, one would have to walk through the general chaos and (admittedly relatively low-level) sleaze of the Kings Cross area.

ajax

Just to echo what other posters have said, Kensington is one of the richest and nicest areas of London and has some of the most expensive urban residential property in the world. It is very likely that the poster on the other site was confusing Kensington with Kennington - the latter is far less salubrious.

It does depend on what you're planning to do in London and where you'll spend most of your time. The Comfort Inn at King's Cross on St Chad's Street is also a viable option; there are six Tube lines coming through King's Cross - including the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines, which will bring you directly into the West End.

hsmall

I live a few hundred yards from St Chad's St. The OP will be fine as this is on the south side of the station and more or less as safe as it comes.

ellylex

Thank you for all of your replies!
I will be traveling with my friend (two females) and my concern was how far tube is from the hotel (Kensington one) plus we are going to have 2 suitcases. I was thinking of taking tube and walking to hotel (don't know whether that is a good idea or not), we arrive to LHR in the afternoon. I was warned that Glouster station doesn't have escalator all the way to the top - one has to walk up the stairs. What would be a cheap and reasonable way to get to the hotel with luggage? Should I take Heathrow Connect and then tube and walk? ot just tube?

In London I just plan to see palaces, musems and parks on a six day visit.

NewbieRunner

If Gloucester Road station doesn't have escalators all the way perhaps you can get off one stop earlier at Earl's Court station which is not much further from the hotel. You'll see lots of other people dragging their suitcases in the street so you won't feel out of place.

According to this page there are lifts (elevators) at Earl's Court station but someone who lives in London may be able to confirm.

You'll be in the right area for museums and palaces and parks won't be far away.

alanR

Tip - when talking about places in the UK use their full names, suffixes like "Road", "Street", "Crescent" etc ARE significant - for example "Gloucester ROAD" not "Gloucester", "Edgware ROAD" not Edgware, "Liverpool STREET station" not Liverpool Station - unless of course you do mean Gloucester , Edgware or Liverpool

Raffles

Think double that for something decent for a family in South Ken.

However, I have to say (having driven in through Kensington today) I cannot understand why anyone would stay there on holiday. The location is useless for most things and most hotels overlook the 6-lane highway to Heathrow.

Trav+

Kensington a 'poor area'? No, ellylex, most of it could not be considered 'poor' - much the oppo, as has been said.

I rather like King's Cross, which I think has had an undeserved bad rap for a number of years. I stayed in a flat not far from the station for a few weeks in February and March, and had no reservations at all about wandering home from the station or the bus stop on Gray's Inn Road at all hours of the day or night. St Chad's Street is a quiet wee road not two minutes' walk from the station, quite acceptable in my view. And I prefer KX to Paddington, but others' MMV.

The Quality Crown Hotel is in a bit of an iffy location; if you know the streets you can nip through to Earl's Court station a bit quicker than to Gloucester Road station, or hop on the handy number 74 bus towards Hyde Park Corner and beyond.

Gloucester Road station has about 16 steps up from the train platform to the lift level, then lift to ticket hall and street level. Earl's Court has a lift from the train platform to the ticket hall, then a ramp up (or seven steps up) from ticket hall to street level. If you're coming from LHR, use the Earl's Court Road way out.

When you leave the station cross the road and turn left. Hogarth Road will be the first turning on the right - take it and follow along (it turns a bit) until it makes a dead end at Knaresborough Place. You'll see a pedestrian crossing across the Cromwell Road with the Cromwell Hospital in front of you: cross the road and turn right, where you'll see the Quality Crown on the left, at Lexham Gardens.

Unless you're truly keen on the Quality Crown Hotel, there is something in the area that may be a bit more appealing: have a look at base2stay on Courtfield Gardens, about a two minute walk from Earl's Court station and away from the noisy Cromwell Road. The option to do a bit of self catering can save £££ - there is a massive Sainsbury's just past Lexham Gardens on the Cromwell Road and a lovely M&S Simply Food on Earl's Court Road - and the hotel is certainly pleasant enough, well maintained with good service. Worth a look.