More about The Darlington Hyde Park
Enjoyed My Stay
by sangria07 about Darlington Hyde Park
Initial Enquiries
My inquiries made prior to and after the booking received very prompt response - all one day from the date my email was sent out.
Service
The service was very efficient. Staff were extremely polite, friendly and helpful. When I first checked-in, I found that the kettle in my room was not working and rang the reception. Within minutes, someone came up to check on it and replaced the faulty kettle.
The hotel is very neat and clean.
Room
My single room was very clean, fairly spacious and comfortable. The space was very well-utilized.
There is full coffee and tea making facilities, 2 complimentary bottles of water on arrival, mini refrigerator and an in-room safe.
The en suite had a shower stall large enough for one to move around comfortably. There is nothing I dislike more than a cramped shower stall where you end up bruised all over just trying to take a shower. Full bathroom amenities are provided. The only improvement I can think of is for the hotel to attach a rack inside the shower stall so that amenities can be placed inside while taking a shower.
Facilities
The room comes with breakfast. There is a continental spread to help yourself to and / or you can choose to order a cooked to order English breakfast.
Maps and attraction brochures are liberally available in just outside the breakfast room.
There is a small lift to service the hotel.
I arrived way before the check-in time asked if I could leave my luggage there. The staff happily obliged and tagged my belongings. When I returned later that evening and check-in, my bags were already safely installed in my room. They also took care of my bags on the day I left after I checked-out as my flight was scheduled for much later in the evening.
The only negative thing about this hotel is that there is no computer with free internet available for guests to use. But the staff did helpfully point out that there was an internet cafe just two minutes away. It is on the way to Paddington Station and charges £1 per 30 minutes usage.
Surroundings
The location is the best thing about the hotel. It's about 3 minutes walk from Paddington Station and less than 10 minutes to Hyde Park. There is a bus stop just outside the hotel. I found the place to be quiet and safety was never a concern. Their website has a special section regarding female travellers where they claim to have experience and try to help solo female travellers feel welcome and safe. It was one of the reasons I chose this hotel and I'm glad to say that I did indeed feel comfortable and safe staying here.
I thought it was great value for money. I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend it to other travellers.
Fabulous find!
by TripAdvisor Member kaydee1
My husband and I along with another couple stayed at the Darlington Hyde Park in early September for eight nights. We found the front desk staff to be knowledgeable, helpful and cordial, going out of their way to assist in any way possible.
During our stay in London the weather was unseasonably warm. Fortunately, our charming 2nd floor room had 2 large windows plus a fan, which let in a much-needed breeze during the night. The double bed had four nice plump pillows and the sheets and duvet cover were changed every day.
The bathroom had a large tub and a nice high shower with terrific water pressure. The towels in the bathroom were thick, plump and large enough to wrap around you. A note to those that use washcloths – the Darlington, like most European hotels, does not provide them. The hairdryer did not have enough “oomph” for me; so if you have a “do” that needs a powerful blow dryer to make happen, better pack one. Loved the safe in the closet and the small refrigerator was nice to have as well. Our room and bathroom were cleaned spotlessly every day.
The included breakfasts offered something for everyone in the sunny little room they call the Conservatory. You could have a full English breakfast (love the way they serve toast in England!), or just serve yourself from the vast assortment of fruits, cereals, rolls, and coffee from the buffet. The breakfast crew was very accommodating to us. We were not early risers several days and pushed the closing time a bit, but were never turned away unserved.
This hotel has several security features in place for the safety of their guests. We looked at another hotel close by out of curiosity as we had been told it was half the price by another tourist, but noticed that anyone could walk in off the street, board the elevator and gain entrance to any of that hotel’s floors in seconds. After seeing that, we appreciated the safety measures the Darlington Hyde Park employs.
Although an earlier poster mentioned creaky floors, we never noticed that at all - and we were in the same room she was - room 203. In fact both my husband & I noted that you never heard any noise from the other rooms or outside in the hallways, and the hotel was full during our stay.
This hotel is just a 5-minute walk from Paddington Station, a real plus. Nearby, you will find a handy Internet café on London Street, and to whet your whistle, a nice little pub on Praed & Norfolk - The Fountain Arms, which serves fabulous roast chicken dinners on Sundays.
The Darlington is a wonderful place to stay in London and a great value. One day while conversing with the front desk staff before heading out, the manager told me that they consider themselves to be a bed and breakfast hotel that treats their guests with dignity - and that they certainly do.
Great Paddington Hotel, a real find
by A TripAdvisor Member
I booked the Darlington after reading the reviews on TripAdvisor, and I was extremely pleased with the decision. We were given a double room (Room 16) on the ground floor at the back of the hotel, that had no view, but made up for it in that it was very quiet and dark for sleeping. It was decorated in business fashion, had fridge, fan (no air conditioning), and a safe, and the bed was very good. Breakfast was very nice, and hotel staff were very good. We paid 65 pounds per night from discountcityhotels.com, which was a fantastic rate.
The hotel is in a great location, as others have said. For those of you on a budget, the underground to Heathrow is less than half the price of the express train, just as convenient, but stops all stations so takes longer.
Very good value (for spanish standards)
by TripAdvisor Member bruixa
We have recently stayed 5 nights on this hotel, following the reviews of tripadvisor.com, and I have to say it have been a very good choice. The hotel is very clean, very well located (next the tube station, the bus stops and near lot of restaurants, shops...). The room is simple, but full equiped (with fridge, colour tv, hairdryer, coffee). The staff is extremely friendly and pacient (my english is so bad:-) I think is a very good value, 70 pounds per night, even for spanish standards. I'm sure I will choose this hotel again for my next stay in London.
excellent hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
I had a single room. The room is very small and without air condition but very very clean and well equipped with everything you need. The breakfast is excellent. The location is very good. Next time I will take the double room.
Tal Shakked
A Gem of a Place
by TripAdvisor Member Keevin
We spent a week at this very fine property Sept 3-11, 2004. We went to London with another couple so we took two rooms on different floors. We searched this site long and hard before deciding on the Darlingtion. What a great find. This Hotel is spotless. The rooms are comfortable, the beds are great. The bathroom was clean and well supplied, and there is plenty of hot water.
The staff was cordial and helpful. This hotel has very good security. The hotel is very close to Paddington Station, a short walk and there is good bus service also. The breakfast was very nice and the room it is served in very friendly.
This is an area with many hotels and most are not as nice as this. We made a point of checking a few out to compare, while the fronts on the buildings look the same, the others were not on the par with this hotel.
All rooms are non smoking. There is no airconditioning but the fan in the room helped. We would certainly stay there again. The Hotel provided the traveler with a clean, comfortable, safe room with a good breakfast, for an reasonable price. It does exactly what is promises and no one who goes there should be unhappy.
Very nice place to stay!
by TripAdvisor Member Dinkytoy
I stayed at The Darlington from 15-20th september 2004. Location is good; nearby underground (Paddington) and a little walk to Hyde Park.
It's on a rather busy street (at least busy at daytime) but I had a room at the back of the hotel, which was very nice, quiet and spacious enough (single room).
It was cleaned every day; just like the nice bathroom with plenty of clean towels everyday. There was a fridge (very convenient!), coffee and tea making facilities, TV and a safe.
Entrance to the hotel and the rooms only by keycard, which made me feel (as a solo female traveller) very safe.
The breakfast was good; a choice of continental buffet or full English (at no extra cost, which is the case in many hotels!).
Staff was very friendly and helpfull. I would stay here definitely again!
Forum Posts
Questions about a vacation in London
by Japessebas
I am planning on a vacation from Florida to London in July.
OK I know its the worst time to travel to Europe from the US but I said I would take the family and now I have to figure out how.
Can anyone recommend a good hotel (without breaking the bank) for a couple and one 8 year old in central London?
Anyone have any experience with Zoom Airlines, they have the cheapest flights?
Any recommendations on websites for best hotel rates or flights? I know all the basic ones, expedia, kayak, farecast, orbitz, etc.
Lastly I've never tried the Priceline system of naming your price, I am hoping someone can give me feedback before I enter a CC number.
Re: Questions about a vacation in London
by hawkhead
Ignoring the totally useless comments of the previous negative poster ...... try www.booking.com, www.laterooms.com, www.lastminute.com, www.alpharooms.com, www.travelodge.co.uk (they have family rooms), www.premierinns.co.uk (also have family rooms). Zoom Airlines are prefectly safe and reliable and are used by lots of people I know without any adverse comments.
Re: Questions about a vacation in London
by swissfondue
Agree about organising some accommodation ASAP. Booking.com is a great site IMO and I have used it numerous times. If you come across the Darlington Hyde Park Hotel in your research I have stayed there twice and can recommend it. Couple of minutes walk to Paddington Station/Underground, is comfortable and breakfast is included. They have family rooms.
Venere.com is another very reliable site recommended by many VT'ers.
Re: Questions about a vacation in London
by Jamesr3939
We stayed at the Ruben's Hotel which was nice and in a great location, our room looked directly over the "horse gate" at Buckingham Palace and it was just short walk to the nearest tube station.
Re: Questions about a vacation in London
by suvanki
Hi, if you are just wanting a hotel as a base to sleep/ eat breakfast I've stayed at The Royal National Hotel (Bedford Way) - (Russel Square Tube station) which has family rooms,also Ambassadors Hotel- Gloucester Road Tube Station:www.crystalhotels.co.uk. Thee were both reasonable prices, comfortable and central.
If you want more info on these hotels please check out my London hotels page.
Also try www.Venere.co. Booking.co, Hostalbookers etc. or Google, London Cheap Accommodation.
For flights I usually try skyscanner.com first
Enjoy your visit!
Best Wishes,
Sue
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