Maranton House Hotel Kensington - London

In a quiet, leafy side street, just 2 minutes’ walk from Earls Court London Underground station, this attractive Georgian building was fully renovated in the late 1990s. Maranton House Hotel is a family-run hotel with 15 rooms, offering room service and dial-up internet access at an additional cost. All of the rooms have been refurbished to a very high standard and each room has marble en suite facilities. The renovations restored some of this Georgian building’s beautiful original features, while also bringing the bedrooms and bathrooms up to modern standards. Free wireless internet access is available in the rooms. On the lower ground floor, at the rear of the building, there is a sunny breakfast room that doubles up as a bar in the evening. This bright orange and cream room has French doors leading out onto a small patio. The hotel is just a 2-minute walk from Earls Court Exhibition Centre and the London Underground station. The station offers direct access to London Heathrow Airport and Victoria Coach Station. London’s major tourist attractions, the famous West End and the capital’s major shopping areas are also all within easy reach.

The hotel’s stone steps lead up to the reception area, with its fresh flowers and deep-red armchairs. Once a home for Catholic women, this high-ceilinged Georgian building offers a relaxed retreat, away from the bustle of Earls Court.

Kensington is a highly desirable residential area best known for Kensington Palace and its gardens. There are also several major museums in South Kensington, including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Earls Court Exhibition Centre is right across the street. Earls Court London Underground station is on the District and Piccadilly lines, with regular direct trains running to central London and south-west to Wimbledon. The Albert Memorial, commissioned by Queen Victoria in the 19th century to commemorate her late husband, Prince Albert, is just a 10-minute walk away from the hotel in Hyde Park. An elaborate structure with various friezes and pillars of red granite, it has recently been restored to its original splendour and recovered in gold leaf.

There are many bus and tube links from Earls Court to all the major sights in London.

Continental and full cooked English breakfasts are served in the breakfast room each morning. In the evening, drinks are available for guests at the small white bar. The hotel does not have its own restaurant, but there are several excellent dining options in the surrounding area.