Meininger City Hotel London

I went for a weekend away in London and decided to stay at the Meininger Hotel in South Kensington. The location of the hotel was great! It was right down the street form the Victoria and Albert museum and the Natural History museum. Hyde park is a five-minute walk from the hotel. I am a big walker and I easily walked all of the touristy things in London from here. I did make use of the underground as well though. There is a station a few blocks away (either South Kensington or Gloucester Road).

This Meininger was not a party place. It was a nice, cheap hotel. The rooms were very clean and comfortable. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. The neighborhood is a very well-to-do area of London. This could easily be a great place to bring a group or a family because of the atmosphere, the area, and the location. If I go back to London, I will go here again!

Upon arrival, we checked our bags down in the basement. There is a locked cage in which you can temporarily leave your luggage as you await a room to be checked and cleaned. Although the check-in time was 11:00, we wouldn't get in the room until 3:00 pm. Located in South Kensington, the location is ideal as it is a block from the Museum of National History, 1km from Harrods, and 3km from Buckingham Palace. So we took a stroll and came back around 4 pm to rest up (jet lag was a beast). While we napped, someone tried to break in through the sliding glass window. The intruder noticed me, swore, and retreated. I locked the window. When I asked the receptionist for a master lock (naturally I wanted to lock any valuables in the supplied lockers), she said they didn’t have any, and she offered a safety deposit box. Don’t get me wrong, I know hostels aren’t going to be the safest means of accommodation by a long shot, but I was at least expecting secure lockers.

The beds were cheap, the facilities were clean, and the hostel was well located; but their security was lacking. This would be a nice place for backpackers, but if you have any luggage or valuables you don’t want anyone snooping through, consider spending a little more to stay elsewhere.