The Milestone Hotel, London Review

This is a review of the Milestone Hotel in London, a traditional London hotel intent of offering great accommodation with real English charm.

The website features that overused and misunderstood word “boutique,” yet this hotel isn’t boutique at all. It’s traditional, English and is all the better for it. It is small, well thought-out and perfectly located overlooking Hyde Park, just off Kensington High Street.

The exterior is typical Victorian London. A red brick building with sandstone accents, large white wood windows and a feeling of warmth and welcome. That feeling was echoed once we got inside too as the door was opened for us by uniformed staff and we were guided to the reception.

The lobby was all wood, with flowers everywhere and staff willing and able to help wherever they could. We were checked in quickly and were escorted to our room within a few minutes.

We had the Tudor Suite, which was large, well decorated and fit the character of the hotel perfectly. Some might think it garish, with bold patterns and gold bed, but somehow it fit the overall character of the hotel. It certainly worked for us.

“The Milestone Hotel is superb, the view amazing and the service second to none.”

The wallpaper was patterned in a traditional style and was bordered by gloss white woodwork, dark wood doors, light carpet and high ceilings. The suite included a small seating area with table, armchairs and a sofa with a large inglenook fireplace. There is a large bed, with four posts at the other end.

There is a sitting room in another room, which had a larger table, another fireplace, sofa, chairs LCD TV and everything you would expect. The high, patterned ceilings held chandeliers that looked perfectly in place for the room too, offering a real feeling of luxury. The outlook was superb over to Hyde Park, the large windows let in a lot of good light, allowing us to spend time admiring that view.

The bathroom is equally well-appointed, with marble counter-tops, twin sinks, large mirrors, a lovely shower and enough space to move around comfortably. There were thick towels, robes and Penhaligon toiletries too, which completed the bathroom as far as we were concerned.

We stay in a lot of hotel suites, but this is one of the first, if not the only suite that we could imagine living in full time. It’s comfortable, warm and relaxed. Everything you need to live happily in the city. The view of the park didn’t hurt either.

The rest of the hotel is equally well appointed. The public areas include a lounge, map room, spa and gym. The first three all fit the traditional mould with wood panelling, old books, overstuffed leather furniture and a feeling of comfortable ease throughout.

The gym and spa are small but well executed. They are modern, clean and fully-fitted. The gym was definitely compact, but had everything you would need for a basic workout.

The hotel also has Chenestons restaurant, which we didn’t get to try, the Oratory dining room, a converted chapel, Stables bar and a modern black and white conservatory, which offered a modern contrast to the traditional décor of the rest of the hotel, while still fitting in nicely.

The Milestone Hotel is a lovely, traditional hotel in the heart of things. The rooms are superb, the view amazing and the service second to none. The standards are high, the decoration is excellent and the whole package is tightly wrapped into a very accessible bundle. We would happily return here.