Lime Tree Hotel

You might want to always check www.tripadvisor.com for reviews before you book! Reviews seem ok..

Hi Becky,

I stayed at the Lime Tree last month with a RS Best of London tour. I enjoyed the hotel: location was easy to get to when arriving (I flew into Gatwick and it was super easy-peasy to get to the hotel. I live in a rural area; surviving the trip to the hotel in a huge city, by myself, is something I appreciated!), breakfast was delicious, staff was helpful.

The advice to read reviews is good, but it is so difficult to know if the reviewer actually stayed there or if the reviewer has comparable opinions to one's own. I was reading a lot of reviews to find a hotel in York. I found a gentleman who absolutely despised the room he rec'd and was posting negative opinions all over the web. He posted pictures to "prove" his points .. the bed almost touched the chandelier in the ceiling; the TV could not be watched because the bed had a metal spoke foot rail (I'm blanking on how to name that) in the way; the Victorian chair looked nice but was uncomfortable; the TV was too small ... and those are just the complaints I remember. I've only ever seen small TVs on my trips to the UK and the furniture looked like furniture to me, not the stuff of a night in Hades, which is what he made it sound like. My jaw was really dropping when he complained of the interrupted view of the TV from the bed.

Sorry, long winded way of saying perhaps read a Lot of reviews, look for trends, and maybe use a grain or two of salt?

I liked the Lime Tree. I plan to return when I can get back to London. Architectural Digest perfect? No (I would have to win the lottery to stay in that sort of hotel), but clean, comfortable and homey hotel, yes! My opinion :-) I hope you agree come December. Cheers!

Thanks Betsy, This will be our second RS tour and we are familiar with this style of hotels. WE have a FANTASTIC hotel in Venice..but it was up 5 flights of stairs (Ha)..the view was worth every step. In Florence the bathroom was the size telephone booth, our feet actually covered the show drain when seated. HAHAHAHA, but these are the funny little things we remember fondly. I'm SURE the Lime Tree will be RS style and I look forward to it...I'm more interested knowing if the room is smelly, next to the kitchen or stairwell...simple things. I look forward to the little odd things inside!!

Nice quiet hotel in Belgravia, with an average breakfast, really. No common room, either. We stayed for four nights in July. While the service was indifferent, the location...about equidistant between the tube at Victoria and the quieter, easier to manage Sloane Square station...is very, very good. Also, next door is the Ebury Wine Bar...nice appetizers and a good selection of wines, too. Wonderful, friendly staff there. Right across the street is a coffee shop; it was the best espresso we found in England, and a nice little outdoor space for a siesta/afternoon break. Our room was #19, I think, and we climbed about four short flights. #2 sounds like ground floor to me, or close to it. Nice, modern, comfortable room, with a little smaller bathroom than is usual, even for Europe. Of course, we only saw our room. Finally, easy walking distance up Buckingham Palace Road from the hotel for the Changing of the Guard. For a full report on our trip, check out my blog at http://moltogentileitalia.blogspot.com. Cheers!

Stayed there twice. First time on the top floor, so asked for and got a lower room on the second visit. We are in our 60s and the climb was not bad, except with luggage. Found the staff helpful. I lost my keys at security in Venice airport and they helped me break into my suitcase on the first visit. As soon as we walked in teh second time the lady remembered us and could not believe it had been three years since we had been there. From what we could see, the original owner has retired and the son or son-in-law and his wife are running it now. No change in the service and we found the breakfast most satisfactory.

As stated, location could not be better. Round the corner from the bus station and a block from Victoria rail station. A block from Big Bus tour stop. Walking distance to Buckingham Palace and once at Victoria you can get the tube wherever you want.

Hi Becky. The Lime Tree Hotel is wonderful. Great location, perfect size rooms, and friendly staff. I believe room 2 is the room that has French doors facing the garden (which is delightful). The owners, Mark and Charlotte just had their first child. She was ready to deliver the week we were there with Betsy in the above message. Even with that concern looming large in our vacation time, the couple looked after our needs with the utmost care.

There are plenty of restaurants nearby (Jenny Lo's, Grumbles, The Plumber's Arm pub, and the elegant Ebury Wine Bar next door. If you turn left out of the front door to the hotel and stay on Ebury, you will find 2 blocks over the house where Mozart stayed. Further down on Saturday mornings, there is a farmer's market in a little corner park.

Turning right out of the hotel gets you to the Royal Mews and Buck Palace. I actually saw someone exercising their horse down Ebury street one morning.

I don't think you'll be disappointed in any way staying at the Lime Tree. And #2 should be as bottom as you can get.

Enjoy London!

Would only add two more friendly, honest 'balancers' about The Lime Tree, IMO: the area about a block from the hotel, near the bus station, is not great, and to be avoided, especially at night. Twice we saw foot pursuits of theives in that area. As is common in some urban centers, just a block in the other direction, where the Lime Tree is, it's beautiful and feels as safe as can be. Secondly, night life in Belgravia is a little quiet. If looking for a meal or drink or music much after 10 PM, do that before you get back to the neighborhood. Places tend to close up shop nearby kind of early (at least for us).

Thanks Gio, I appreciate the info. I know in many areas there is a 2-3 block radius that's "okay" and then some shady areas....I look forward to NOT being an article in the newspaper!! We'll be picking up a RS tour while we're there and I'm sure they'll point out the areas to avoid and the others to explore. Thanks again!!

Just wanted to add a bit of silliness regarding US to UK Brit terminology differences - If someone in the UK says a place is Dodgy, that means the same as Shady here. If you ask where the Shady areas are in London, they might point you to an area with alot of trees.

I learned that from my brit husband when we were moving to another part of town here and I said I didnt want to live in a "shady" area and he said why not, for he loves trees...

Becky I don't think you'll be disappointed and I'm glad to see the daughter has taken over from mom and dad. When I was there two years ago found the front desk staff not particularly interested in the 'guests' except when owner's daughter was about.

It was OK; the breakfast was 'cookie cutter' but, again, just OK; and I was one floor up from the street (room #7 I believe) where I didn't have to deal with lobby/breakfast room noise in the morning. I was at the front, with a tiny balcony which I could just squeeze onto for a puff -I do use the demon tobacco.

If you're on a RSteves tour you'll probably get special attention and I expect if it wasn't for Rick, this hotel would be getting nowhere near the 'attention' it does receive. Out the front door, turn left, two+/- short blocks to the Belgravia? pub. Friendly enough, nice local folks, and an outside patio with tables for 'good weather' pints.

One stay for me was enough and I now call the Luna & Simone my London home; other side of the Victoria tracks and the treatment at the desk/breakfast is like night and day compared to the Lime Tree. Three stays at the L&S in two years and not likely to change my choice; and cheaper than the Lime Tree.

We stayed at the Lime Tree a year and a half ago and have to agree with Geoff that it's just okay. I thought it was overpriced and the service, breakfast, furnishings, etc. were all very indifferent. We may have been in Room 2 (sounds familiar) -- a twin room up a short (half) flight of stairs overlooking the back garden. It was directly over the breakfast room as we discovered early the next morning. Luckily we weren't interested in sleeping in. The bathroom was so tiny we laughed every time we used it.

Without Rick Steves' recommendation and following I don't think they would be able to charge the prices they do. Next trip I'll stay elsewhere.