I stayed at the Balalaika once and really disliked it. Rooms were old, garden was not that good. And their internet blocked all sorts of very benign sites (no, I was not surfing porn!). I asked the front desk, and they said it was to block unsafe sites. Next time I stayed at the Fire & Ice and was quite happy with the choice. Rooms are newer, and the best part is proximity to Melrose Arch shops and restaurants. I have stayed there about a dozen times since then. I looked at the African Pride online a few times, but from the pictures, the rooms looked basically the same as the Fire & Ice, so I could not justify the higher costs to myself, even if I could have easily stayed there for work.