Friday, November 15, 2013

Date Night & a Hotel Review


*I received one night complimentary accommodation from Holiday Inn Kensington Forum.


I can't believe that it's already November.  The year has just flown by.
All of the Christmas commercials are making me a bit crazy. 
With no Thanksgiving to slow the onslaught, London is already embracing Christmas mode.
This will be my second Christmas in the UK and I have to admit London does Christmas very well.
When you coat this bustling city with twinkly lights and a winter's chill, it can be pretty spectacular.
When we were invited to enjoy a Staycation with Holiday Inn Kensington Forum to experience London as she prepares for Christmas, we decided to make a date night of it.  

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum

The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum has 900 rooms on 27 floors.  As we expected from Holiday Inn, we had a clean, air-conditioned room.  Our spacious, executive level room had a few extra amenities that you won't see in a standard room.  My favorite feature was the wall plugs... European, UK and US.  Having all three is very convenient.  

The staff was friendly and helpful.  There is a cafe featuring Starbucks coffee, a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and a traditional pub for a nightcap.  I have to note that free Wi-Fi is only offered at the Holiday Inn if you are a member of their rewards club.

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum

 But what really makes this an ideal choice for a London Christmas Staycation is the location. 
The hotel is located in the affluent district of Kensington in West London.
It's a great location for shopping, museums and dining.  Kensington is a gorgeous part of London. 
It also happens to be where Matthew's new job is located.  So we were eager to explore the area some more.

It's a short walk to the Natural History Museum where you can go ice skating.
For some of the best Christmas shopping in London, head over to Kensington High Street.
The Gloucester Road Tube Station is just two minutes away with good connections on the District, Circle and Piccadilly Lines.

There are also some really nice restaurants close by.
We visited a local cocktail bar and then had a lovely dinner.

And the best part?
We didn't have to spend an hour on the tube and bus to get home.




*I received one night complimentary accommodation from Holiday Inn Kensington Forum for the purposes of review.
All photos, writing and opinions are 100% my own.  
 As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.





10 comments:

  1. Next year we should throw Thanksgiving!! (or a late one this year) I love it, if only for the pumpkin pie alone. It's the best.

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  2. When I studied abroad in London I lived right across the street from this hotel and it was the bane of my sleeping as the fire alarms went off all the time!

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  3. Sounds like a great place to stay! I love staying in city centers where everything is close :)

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  4. This looks quite reasonable! Thankfully I don't need to stay in town but this would be a good option to recommend to friends & family.

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  6. I always love a hotel with A/C. I crank it right up. 

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  7. Kensington is such a pretty area. I could never afford to live there, but it was fun to pretend for a night. 

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  8. Ha! Sorry I brought back some bad memories for you, Bailie. That would be pretty annoying :p

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  9. Love that idea! I'm sad that we don't have anything planned, although we are going to the Christmas Markets in Vienna and Bratislava next weekend, so I can't complain too much. Pecan pie is my favorite.

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