Accommodation | Nox Kensington

I am a big fan of a city break and I love to visit London. We live around 2 hours away via train and are fortunate to have a direct train route depart from the neighbouring town. Being from 'up North' means London accommodation prices always come as a shock. We look for something affordable, comfortable, clean and practical. We're not bothered by luxury when it comes to a city break as we spend most of the time out of the hotel exploring the local sights and as we travel by train we don't need to consider our parking options. I'd never heard of NOX hotels before but there are quite a few branches in the London area. We were travelling with Iris this time and had planned to spend the majority of our time around the museums so we chose to stay at the NOX Kensington branch. 

We arrived at the accommodation a little stressed. Manned check out is available until 5pm, after that you have the option to use the self check in. It sounds straight forward but you need to have sent identification documents in advance to use the self check in. We hadn't done this as we expected to arrive in good time. After a delayed train and navigating the tube with a 3 year old for the first time we arrived dripping in sweat with 5 minutes to spare. Thankfully check in was still open and getting sorted was quick and easy. Next time we'll send the documents in advance, even if we plan to check in before 5pm, just to save ourselves the anxiety. Despite our rushed arrival and somewhat dishevelled appearance the reception staff were really friendly and welcoming.

The lift was out of order which wasn't a problem for us as we were on the ground floor but had we been higher up it would have been a bit of chore to carry a pushchair up and down flights of stairs whenever we went out.

Upon entering our room for the first time we couldn't help but notice by how cold it was. The air conditioning had been left on full. We couldn't work out how to change it to heat so we just turned the unit off and the room soon warmed up to a reasonable temperature. The second thing we noticed was how white and bright the room was. Despite containing a double bed and a single bed as well as catering facilities and an en-suite the room felt really spacious. 

The accommodation is exceptionally well laid out. There is a large four door wardrobe, the first two doors hid the kitchenette. I was very impressed with this. It had a full size undercounter fridge with complimentary bottled water. Tea, coffee, sugar and a small array of condiments were also provided. There was a microwave and a small electric hob. There were ample plates, mugs and bowls plus pans for cooking. There was a small sink for pot washing and kettle filling and rather thoughtfully a sponge to wash pots with. It was a very well stocked kitchenette and I loved that it closed into the wardrobe so you didn't feel like you were sleeping in the kitchen. Once the doors were shut, it looked just like a nice quality hotel room.

The second half of the wardrobe was to hang clothing. There was ample space in the wardrobe and some clothes hangers were provided. There was a safe that was free to use, as well as an ironing board and iron. Once we'd unpacked there was still space to fit our suitcase inside which I liked as it kept the floor free in the bedroom and allowed Iris a little space to play.

The beds were comfortable and the window dressings did a good job keeping the room dark. The quilt could have been a little bigger and a bit thicker. We visited in summer and so they were okay for us but I imagine they'd be insufficient in the colder months. The pillows were also a little flat but I did sleep well whilst here. As the lift was out of order we found our room to be a little noisy as people had to walk past our room to access the stairs. The apartments are in an old Victorian terrace and you do get some noise from above but nothing that disturbed us through the night. We didn't hear any road noise in our apartment. 

We chose an apartment over a hotel as we were travelling with a 3 year old and wanted something family friendly. Any parent knows that kids eat so much food so having a fridge was a necessity plus it was nice to keep some goodies in for when Iris was asleep. Travelling with young children means you spend more evening time in your accommodation so being able to enjoy a cold rum and coke was a nice touch.  It also enabled us to start the day with a healthy breakfast and pack ourselves a fresh picnic to take with us on our daily adventures. Since being diagnosed Coeliac I've preferred apartments and AirBnB's to hotels purely so I can manage my own food situation.

The Nox Kensington is a fantastic place to stay as a family and it would be equally nice to enjoy the space as a couple but I will say that you need to be comfortable with the person you are staying with as the bathroom door is a sliding door made from frosted glass and the bathroom doesn't feel very private- that wasn't a problem for us- once a guy's seen you give birth there's not much left to be embarrassed about but if we were a couple with a burgeoning romance I'd have died at the prospect of using this bathroom. Aside from the lack of privacy the bathroom was very nice. Toiletries were provided alongside fluffy white towels. Everywhere was clean and well maintained and the shower was the best I've ever used. It was so powerful and hot. It really was fantastic. It was also a really spacious shower which was important as Iris doesn't like showers so we pack an underbed storage box in our suitcase for her to bathe in and this fitted perfectly inside the shower cubicle.

We chose the Kensington branch as I believed it was closest to the museums. That was a bit of mistake on my part as it was around a 40 minute walk to the Science Museum but it was a nice scenic walk in a safe feeling area so it wasn't too bad. If you enjoy shopping then the Kensington branch would be perfect as it's a 5 minute walk to Westfield Stratford City which is host to many stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. It's also home to Kidzania, a fantastic children's attraction. The Stratford tube station is located next to Westfield so you're only a few minutes walk away from easy access to the rest of London.

Overall I loved our time at Nox Kensington. We stayed for 3 nights, over the weekend during the summer holidays and paid £342 which is a true bargain. It was the perfect clean, well equipped family accommodation. I'd return here for future London visits but would also consider trying out Nox branded accommodation elsewhere. I've definitely been won over by this practical and affordable accommodation provider. 

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