Review of St. James' Court, A Taj Hotel, London 4*

If you have researched a London Vacation you know that one of the top priorities is choosing the proper accommodations. The location and price of your hotel will probably dictate how favorable you view your time in the city. And since nobody ever travels to London for the weather, you may be spending more time in your London hotel than a normal vacation. So getting the accommodations right is important. Well, I have done the research for you. I typically spend 2-5 months planning my vacations meticulously and so in some ways there are never any surprises. I selected the St James Hotel because I assumed it was a great values and was somewhat a convenient jumping off point to explore the city. Only in this case I was wrong. The St James hotel exceed all expectations far beyond what I could have imagined. The staff are way better than the reviews may suggest. The breakfast (make sure it is included) is the best hotel breakfast I have ever had. This is worth repeating … St James has the best hotel breakfast I have ever had, anywhere! (Talk about a great way to save $ on meals in an expensive city). The amazing courtyard (you have already seen the pictures) is better in person. The little hotel bar and live jazz at night was unanticipated and great. The Christmas decorations were fabulous. The Jr. Suite was larger and more comfortable than expected. What can I say, my wife and I were smitten by this hotel. While visiting one of the world’s greatest cities … the St. James was one of the highlights. The St James is close to Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey (both a short 10min walk). Most of the other London tourist sites will probably require a tube ride (station is 5 mins away). The District line and a short walk will deliver you to about half of all the major London Attractions. The bus is also close by. We were able to get all the way to Camden market on a single bus that probably passed the other half of the London attractions not serviced by the District line. My wife and I did walk all the way into The City on a few occasions, so you can skip the tube if necessary although expect to be walking for at least one hour. So I while I wouldn’t call the St James central, it was nice that it was in a much quieter section of London after dark. I will definitely be staying at the St. James again but a few things to nitpick about. The carpets in our room showed the obviously signs of being well used. Not a big deal but a reminder than London and the St. James is an extremely popular destination. The afternoon tea and the adjacent Taj 51 was slightly overpriced based on our expectations. The Tea was great and the service was outstanding but it just felt a little pricey. The afternoon Tea has nothing to do worth St. James but I mention it because another reason we selected the St James was for the convenience of having access to an afternoon Tea at the hotel. I am not saying that the afternoon Tea wasn’t great… because it was … it just seemed slightly over priced. I paid about 30% more for my stay at the St James than I have in other major cities like Rome and Paris, but I feel like St James was double or triple the experience. The only reason not to select this hotel is if it does not fit in your budget. Keep in mind the included daily breakfast alone probably save us £100-£200 alone for our 6 day stay. You can solve your biggest London travel dilemma by simply booking the St James, and spend more time focusing on the rest of your travel plans… and watching the weather forecast (the St James also has complimentary umbrellas).