Overview
First Impressions
Walking up to The Bishops on one of North London’s most prestigious streets, you’ll immediately notice this isn’t your typical boutique hotel. The Victorian mansion sits elegantly among the grand homes of The Bishops Avenue — honestly, I had to double-check the address because it looks more like a private residence than a place you can actually book. There’s something refreshingly understated about the whole approach, which makes sense once you realize this is a unique boutique hotel without official star rating that focuses more on character than certificates.
The Neighborhood Experience
Here’s what I love about staying here — you’re genuinely in a residential area that feels worlds away from tourist London, yet you can still reach the West End in about 30 minutes. The location puts you near Hampstead Heath, which means proper green space for morning runs or afternoon strolls. East Finchley tube station is your closest connection, and while it’s not exactly around the corner, the peaceful surroundings more than make up for the short walk or quick taxi ride.
Inside The Property
The interior strikes this interesting balance between elegant period features and modern comfort. Each room feels individually designed rather than copy-pasted from a hotel chain playbook — you know what I mean, those places where every space looks identical. The furnishings lean toward classic British style without going overboard on the chintz, and the bathrooms are actually well-appointed with decent water pressure (something you can’t always count on in converted period buildings).
Practical Considerations
I’ll be honest — this place isn’t for everyone. If you need a 24-hour concierge or an on-site restaurant, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you appreciate a more intimate experience where the staff actually remembers your name, The Bishops delivers on that front. The service feels personal without being intrusive, which is exactly what you want when you’re trying to unwind after long days exploring the city.
Why Guests Love It
What really sets this place apart is the sense of staying somewhere special rather than just convenient. You’re sleeping in what feels like an elegant London home, complete with the quirks and charm that come with period properties. The 7.8 rating reflects exactly what you’d expect — solid comfort and service with enough character to make it memorable, but without the polish (or price tag) of the five-star hotels in Mayfair. For travelers who want to experience a quieter side of London while still having access to everything the city offers, it’s actually a pretty smart choice.
Guest reviews
"Very good"
It’s a mansion
Room was massive
13 March 2025
"Very reasonable priced for the area, great location for Ally Pally, only a £7 Uber ride away and beautifully decorated,l"
This is a beautiful house on a very prestigious road and it was a pleasure to be able to stay here for a night while attending an event at Alexandra Palace, for a very reasonable price, which also included free parking. The bed was so comfortable and the hosts were very welcoming and accommodating, even leaving a few beers and a bottle of wine in the fridge for us, for when we got back from our night out 😊
What could be improved: There was nothing we didn’t like about the property, only suggestions would be bedside tables as there was nowhere to put our drinks and a bin for the room. These are only minor suggestions, but would’ve made our stay perfect
13 February 2025
"In a nice area away from the centre of London but close enough to an underground station"
In a nice location away from the centre of London but walking distance to an underground station. Hampstead Heath park is walking distance along with some nice pubs and restaurants.
What could be improved: It felt like an old rich person's house with the various rooms converted to hotel rooms and the breakfast area was the kitchen. The breakfast area felt a little claustrophobic.
30 October 2025
"Impressive place with friendly staff - but a bit run down and not too clean."
The property itself is pretty amazing, huge rooms and lavish decor. Shaf and Mike who run it are really nice guys, friendly, helpful and a good laugh. Nice big comfy beds and LOADS of space.
What could be improved: On the downside it's definitely not the cleanest place I've stayed, the carpets could do with a really good pro-clean. The bathrooms were not too fresh, the big mirror in mine was absolutely filthy as were some of the surfaces. The shower in my room didn't work so I was kindly offered another room to shower in which was fine but the all of shower heads were badly scaled up so the water came out at funny angles, there was no shower gel. There were no glasses in the kitchen to poor a beer into. The WIFI was completely useless. There were lots of pictures missing off the walls so it felt a little unfinished. I just think this gaff is needs a regular pro cleaning company and maintenance guy and it could be absolutely amazing.
17 January 2025
"Good location to transport links in to central London, staff were extremely friendly & helpful"
Great spacious rooms
What could be improved: N/A
19 October 2025
"Perfect place"
The staff were so kind.there was so safe place.free breakfast.free car park.. Also had a nice and fantastic yard!
Thank you RUPERT and ASH, Thanks for every things
What could be improved: The place was incredibly beautiful and clean, and I gave it a perfect score (10) for that. Just an small point the bathroom bin hadn't been emptied before we arrived.
22 July 2025
"Excellent"
The tranquility. Everything
16 July 2025
"Best weekend ever"
Me and the lads came up for a one night stay for the Sunderland playoff final.
We were over the moon with the room and the staff were unbelievable with us. I couldn’t recommend the place enough. The staff made sure we were happy and even stocked up the fridge for us getting back. This won’t be the last time we stay there
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
29 May 2025
"Shared hostel accommodation. Extremely run down. Friendly host."
Close to tube station
What could be improved: This is a HOSTEL not a hotel - be warned. If you’re a backpacker and that’s what you’re expecting then it’s fine. If you want a nice hotel, it is NOT. We had to find a place last minute and this was very significantly cheaper than anywhere else.
Dirty. Graffiti scribbled all over all of the furniture. Beds just random old incredibly soft/unsupportive mattresses scattered about the room with non matching supermarket bedding. No headboards. Thin old pillows. Carpet dirty. Lights didn’t work (all spotlights disconnected with just one light per room working). Furniture broken - almost every drawer handle was missing. No chair. No bin. Old kettle but no cups or supplies. Stiflingly hot room. Bathroom clean but shabby. Towels just random mismatched supermarket type towels (they smelled clean). Shower worked but was very old and lots of broken parts around the shower stall. Two tiny bottles of shower gel but no other toiletaries or soap.
Room wasn’t secure - an unlocked (and unloveable) door connected the room to the service/fire staircase. On both nights random people noisily walked from there directly into our sleeping area - not good when sleeping with wife and two young daughters - they obviously didn’t realise they’d walked into an occupied apartment and I had to jump up (at about half past midnight) to stop them coming in further; thankfully they were as mortified as I was, apologised and left, but meant I didn’t sleep well and didn’t feel safe. This was the main complaint I would have. Other reviews say the same thing.
There’s a communal kitchen with some random supermarket items left out (in their boxes and packets as if someone did a small weekly shop and tipped it onto the counter) for anyone to use - it was all a bit random and I didn’t really want to touch any of it because honestly who knows who had touched it or where it had come from. Kitchen was dirty and broken.
18 August 2025
"Not a nice experience"
Unfortunately, nothing.
What could be improved: Where do I start? We arrived at the property and we were not booked in.
To be fair, the host tried his best to accommodate us in another property as there was no room for us at The Bishops.
The property that we were sent to appeared like an empty house and the room we were assigned had a wardrobe full of mens clothes, no towels, no toilet roll, no tv (just holes in the wall where a tv had been removed) and scribbles on the paintwork !!
He claimed that this was an upgrade from our original room.
As a Mother and Daughter in London in a random house, this was quite unsettling.
No fire evacuation procedure and patio doors that opened out onto a roof with no safety rails !!
Absolutely shocking and not a nice experience at all..It spoiled the whole trip.
17 July 2025
