My 21 yr old daughter and I stayed here June, 2008. Thanks to the reviews on this site, we expected what we got: budget accommodations with a separate kitchen and bath, horrible decor and old carpets/wall paper, and only somewhat clean. The linens were clean but frayed, the bathroom was fairly clean, but because it was warm and there is no a.c., the windows were left open a lot. London air is dirty, and all surfaces collect dust, which the cleaning people do not take care of.

The location is great - 5 minutes walk from Kensington High underground station, close to groceries stores, and Naz, the main front desk help, was great for information and extra help.

Don't stay here if you're fussy about desk and room condition, but for a small funky apt,. it's great.

We did not actually stay at the Clearlake because in a three week period, our quoted rate for the same room went from 85 pounds per night to 90 and then topped off at 92 and some change. This after we'd sent one CC number, which they then said they couldn't accept (it was Discover). When we emailed back with another number, we had no response for days. Then, when we finally heard something, it was from a different person who upped the rate. The third and final email upped the rate again and also informed us that two of our nights were no longer available--so more per night for a shorter stay.

We chose to look elsewhere at that point.

Although these apartments are not as up to date as some hotels I really couldn't find a problem with them. I've stayed several times, every time coming away happy. The rooms are clean. The wallpaper and carpets may be shabby but that doesn't bother me because I don't go on holiday to stare at wallpaper and carpets! It is EXACTLY what I am looking for. Cheap, convienent to tube and good shops. The staff are VERY friendly and helpful.
While I do recommend the Clearlake the one downside is the fact that there's no breakfast. I found an Italian restaurant just down the road that does a lovely fry-up though!


When I come to London again, this will be my first choice.

Clearlake hotel staff was very helpful. We knew from other reviews to not expect the best room. We had also booked one of the cheaper studio rooms (#5), but we were given the chance to inspect the room before paying so we knew what we were getting into. Yep, it had old torn wallpaper and old carpet, but the room had been cleaned. They cleaned the room and left fresh towels daily. I have arthritis in my spine and was concerned about the beds, but they were comfortable even in the old studio. The staff was very helpful and honest! I paid by traveler’s check and one of my checks had stuck to another one. The staff returned it to me when they discovered the error. Laundry was done the same the day and at a low cost compared to other hotels we stayed in. The location was great! Tube was 3 blocks away with plenty of shopping and small grocery stores. Also nearby was “Easy Internet” store that allowed you to buy an hour of Internet time with a code with a password which allowed you to log off and back on anytime you came in the store. One of the few Internet stores you actually got to use all the time you paid for and could come and go as you needed. Having Kensington Palace and the park next door was great when you got back from site seeing and just wanted a walk through a park. Several museum including the A & V are in walking distance. Although it wasn’t the Hilton, the Clearlake hotel staff was great and this was a reasonably priced room in an area where other hotels were charging 200 GBP per night. If you can afford a little more you should upgrade to one of the apartments which are in better condition, but I would stay there again.