Wife and I are talking about staying in London this fall and I am considering to stay in the easyHotel so we can have more money to eat out and see sights. I hear the Earl's Court location is very good, and that is the one I am leaning toward. How about you? Which one have you stayed at and how was it? I see there is a twin room, which has two twin beds? That would be the best for us, a double bed is a little narrow as we're used to a Queen. Thanks!
I haven't stayed at Easy Hotel, but based on location alone, the one in Victoria is more centrally located. If you haven't done so already, please check http://www.tripadvisor.com/ for traveler reviews and traveler pictures of Easy Hotel.
Dave, you might be surprised by the bed sizes in the UK and Europe. An American double is considered something like a queen here. We have an American queen which is bigger than a British King-sized.
Beds on trains are even worse, I believe that they are often 24 or 21 inches wide. If you are concerned that you won't fit, you may do well to communicate directly with the hotel, etc., for measurements.
There is work being done on the escalators at the Victoria tube station. An advisory is posted on tfl.gov.uk www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/17948.aspx For that reason alone, I would avoid the one by Victoria.
Victoria Station is still operational, although transiting through it is more difficult during evening rush hour because the two working escalators will both be going up.There are other tube stations close by and there are bus stops nearby also. Victoria is a very central location with budget-priced hotels, and many tourist sights within walking distance. I don't think people should automatically avoid stayng there just because the station is being refurbished.
In many years of travelling to London, i dont remember any time when Victoria station WASNT undergoing some kind of repairs. Always some escalators that arent working
Earls Ct is my favorite. Residential area. Very quiet and safe. It is down the street, 3 minute walk from a huge 24 hours Tesco grocer, and 5 minute walk from Earls Ct Tube station, also next to Kensington High St with tons of nice shops, and Earls Ct road with restaurants, pubs, Starbucks, Internet cafe, Boots the Chemist, laundromat and post office. Also near to the V&A museum and Natural History museum. The city bus #74 picks up right outside the hotel and on the opposite side of the street takes you past the V&A all the way to Harrods, etc. Plus, everyone in reception is extremely nice and speak perfect english, a great improvement over when I stayed at the (noisy) Paddington Easyhotel, as they stared at me as if I had a bird sticking out of my forehead when I asked them simple questions. It's my temporary home every time I visit london and am staying there again on my 4th trip in 2 weeks!
The easyHotel at Victoria is on top of the railway lines out of Victoria Station, the Paddington one has areputation of being noisy from the street in front. There are two easyHotel's in Earls Court just yards apart, an area very much set up for the budget traveller with cheap pllaces/pubs to eat and two very large 24x7 supermarkets on your dooorstep - a rarity in Central London.
The one called easyHotel South Kensington in Lexham Gardens to my mind is in the better/quieter location than the easyHotel Earls Court Earls Court on the Cromwell Road.
I've stayed at the easyHotel in Victoria and the one in Paddington (twice). I like the convenience of the Paddington area. There are many restaurants and the train station within a 5-minute walk. What I did not like was a room with no window, located in the basement, in Paddington. The best room of three was at Paddington on the first floor with a window on the street. I think the window must have been double-paned, since I don't recall being bothered by noise. The room was largish and I could see trees and double-deck buses. If you can get a twin room, it will probably be larger than the standard just-wide-enough-for-a-bed-plus-an-extra-foot-of-space-on-one-side. Bathrooms are tight, think airline loos with small showers. For large or tall people, this may feel cramped.
Thanks for all the replies. My wife said she didn't want to stay in any hotel without tea and coffee making facilities in the room, so we're off to an inexpensive B&B!