Miller's Residence, London, United Kingdom
Miller's Residence 4 Stars
"Enchanting and fantastical, the boutique hotel is filled to the brim with antiques and rooms are named after the Romantics."
The Press Say
"It’s [a] sensory overload of colour, clutter and Willie Wonka meets Antiques Roadshow." Times 10
Hotel Overview
Review of Miller's Residence, by Katie Scott
THE HOTEL IS CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT FROM 19TH JULY UNTIL EARLY 2011
Finding the entrance to Miller's Residence in London is like looking for the mysterious platform for the Hogwart's Express. The street numbers curiously skip over the supposed address on Westbourne Grove, and it takes a while to realize that the front door is actually just around the corner on a small side street. Aside from the minute plaque next to a fire engine red door, there's no indication that this boutique hotel is any different from a residential address.
This makes sense as the hotel was formerly the private residence of Martin Miller, famed for authoring volumes on antiques. He now lives just across the street and frequents the boutique hotel on his way to the neighbouring Miller's Academy of Arts & Science, that is, when he's not at his a Jacobean-style mansion hotel in Somerset.
Stepping inside you soon realize that this is a magical place, quickly forgetting the world you left behind. A narrow staircase leads you up to the main floor; trying to take in the abundance of art and objects on every inch of wall space is more exhausting than the climb itself. Unfortunately there is no disabled access - the stairs are the only entry to the rooms above.
Reception is tucked away in a small room on the main floor, equally laden with treasures and housing an impressive DVD library for guests. My eye catches a quirky garden gnome in the corner, but it somehow works with the eccentricity of the place. The staff at Miller's Residence are friendly but limited, making it the ideal hideaway for intimacy and privacy.
The main corridor opens onto a large sitting room that houses Miller's personal collection of antiques, by far the most impressive room in the house. There is no restaurant, but a large dining table with candelabras and overflowing fruit bowls is set each morning for breakfast. Guests can also help themselves to the complimentary bar, where Miller's own brand of gin sits in a prized position. This area is at its best in the evening, with candles aglow, a roaring fire in the background and fine malt in hand.
Upstairs there are only eight guest rooms, each one uniquely designed and named after a Romantic poet. Tennyson and Browning have antique four poster beds, and all have DVD players for a quiet night in. Heading back downstairs, the receptionist is giving directions over the phone to new arrivals trying to find the entrance. It's almost disappointing, as you want this magical place to remain undiscovered for as long as possible.
Facilities
Hotel Policies
Rooms
8Who stays here?
Romantic, deliciously cosy, this is great hotel for weekending couples looking for bag bargains at Portobello Market nearby; it's also a firm favourite with a few super-hip Londoners (Kate Moss, Sadie Frost) who occasionally drop in for drinks with Notting Hillbilly friends. Fashion editors love it for shoots.
Come for...
- Poetic rooms
- Gorgeous antique-frenzy
- Excellent location in Notting Hill
Not Suitable for...
- Minimalists - you could lose a small child in one of these rooms
Children
Miller's Residence welcomes children, but is not quite a family-friendly hotel. They will provide an extra cot in the room but have few other services for guests with children.
Eating in
The hotel does not have a restaurant - though there are many nearby. It does have a little bar near reception with complimentary drinks.
Reviews
Review of Millers, by The Hotel Inspector
If you are an antique lover who thinks your house is as full as it can be, a stay at Martin Millers London hotel (he is the author of the much respected Millers Antiques Price Guide) will be an educational as well as a comfortable experience. Only local knowledge or skilful map-reading will bring you to the hotels maroon door in Hereford Road, Notting Hill.
The sedan chair in the hall and the oriental rugs and prints on the stairs do a poor job of preparing you for the eclectic (and some might say eccentric) splendour of the large first-floor drawing room. It is not so much full of antiques as stacked with them, and you can't help feeling that the addition of just one more snuff-box might cause a perilous situation. Lit in the evening by dozens of candles (helped here and there by a little electricity), a stay at Millers is an entirely unique experience.
Miller's Residence offers 5 spacious double bedrooms and 2 suites, all furnished with genuine antiques and decorated in period style
Copyright Charming Small Hotels
Review of Miller's Residence, by Vanessa Kaoukji
The best time to arrive at Miller's Residence is in the evening so that, although it will be harder to find the discrete entrance identified only by a small plaque, the sense of theatre will be greater. At night hundreds of candles are lit and as you enter you will be greeted by swathes of fabric tumbling on to the floor like a waterfall, an empty picture frame, amphoras, antique ornaments, and a staircase, lovingly hand painted by Ioana, one half of the Miller partnership. In fact as soon as you arrive at this 8-bedroomed residence, Ioana and Martin Miller will treat you like one of the family. This really is more of a residence than a hotel.
Martin Miller, of Miller's Antiques Price Guide and recently of Miler's Gin fame, obviously knew what he was doing when he created this theatrical, Bohemian, trendy establishment, although you could almost believe that it had all been thrown together by accident. And that is part of the charm. It's as if the entire contents of a large country house have been crammed into a three-storey apartment. It's a mix between beautiful antiques and bric-a-brac that keep your eyes busy all the time and constantly surprises one. The 40 foot drawing-room-cum-dining-room is the centre piece of Miller's and has acted as the backdrop for so many magazine shoots that its hard to keep track.
The six bedrooms and two suites are each named after a poet, their most well-known poem is painted onto the door, but other than that, there's no real link between the poet and the room. They are decorated with the same attitude as the drawing room - antiques, ornaments and books to browse through, but nothing is too precious that you need to worry about bumping into things, which is bound to happen as space is limited and Ioana and Martin will have been serving complimentary drinks downstairs. Tennyson is the only room with a four-poster bed, Coleridge is a warm, red room, and the Wordsworth suite is another favourite for fashion shoots.
Breakfast is the only meal that is served here, but as the hotel is only a stone's throw from Notting Hill and Portobello Road there's a wealth of cool hang-outs to visit. Westbourne Grove is lined with good restaurants to suit every taste, and ask the hosts at Miller's who'll be happy to recommend their favourites.
Guests should remember that this is also a family home, so don't expect to find anonymity here. And don't be surprised to find guests or friends sitting in front of an antique sedan that houses the television when you come back after dinner - its all very informal and fun. But to keep up with the times ADSL is being installed in every room. Anyone looking for something a bit different in London will find it here.