No. Ten Manchester Street

Good Location - Poor Value

Not a particularly imaginative name but at least there’s no doubt about where it is. That might be useful actually as apart from a couple of small plaques by the door there is nothing that would make you think that this is an hotel. Perhaps they are embarrassed, and in some ways they have reason to be. I’d probably put this in the bed & breakfast category and think their three star rating flatters them a little.

I had read that the rooms were small so booked a double which turned out to be just about large enough to swing the proverbial feline, I hate to think what a single room would be like. The bathroom was similarly sized but everything seemed to work OK except for the window which was somewhat ingeniously held up with two empty toilet roll tubes.

Despite its size the room was fairly well furnished with a proper wooden wardrobe, an easy chair, a writing desk and chair, a small TV, a radio and a fan which was quite welcome. There was also a tea & coffee tray, a hairdryer and an iron, oh and of course a Corby trouser press. Amid all of this there was just enough room for a bed which I guess just about qualified as a double. The lumpy mattress had obviously seen better days, possibly before the war, and creaked and complained like an old washer woman on laundry day every time I moved.

The rack rate shown in reception for this room was a laughable £300 and even at the £90 I paid I felt it was overvalued. I only stayed one night and I booked it for the convenient location, I might possibly do the same again but would have a good look around first for an alternative.

Unique Quality: There is a pleasant looking lounge in the reception area and the corridors are nicely decorated. They have one of those miniscule lifts with a maximum 5 person limit sign that in reality you could only get 3 people in, and they would have to be very good friends. It somehow manages to move so slowly between floors that you hardly get the feeling of motion at all. Better to use the stairs for a couple of flights.

The location of this hotel is one of its few plus points, and was the reason I booked it. It is between Baker St and Oxford St tube stations and close to Marylebone High St and the al fresco eateries around Wigmore St. It is also convenient for all the private medical clinics around Harley St.

• Opinion of Price: about average

No. Ten Manchester Street Photo: Front entrance

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