When looking for a hotel for a long weekend in London, we automatically checked the Express by Holiday Inn website. When it came down to it, we needed a family room to accomodate 4 of us and we didn't want to pay the extortionate prices a lot of hotels wanted from us. We had the choice between Hammersmith which was a bit further out than we wanted and Victoria.

Looking at things Pimlico was our nearest tube station so changing at victoria for the 2 minute ride after we came from Paddington was quite easy. The first problem was which exit to go out of. Rayneman is the best exit and you cross the road by the library before heading straight past the shops and on to St George's Square and turning right. On the opposite side of the street a few seconds walk you will find the hotel at 106. It's clearly marked.

The area is quiet and we felt extremely safe here. We did realise that we were in the flight path early one morning when someone left our window open overnight. But otherwise you heard the odd banging off doors but not much else.

On entering the hotel as I did every time I walked in the front door, I tripped over the step. Check in was done efficently and quickly with everything explained easily. Our room was on the ground floor overlooking some flats. We could see a roof outside our room and further along the conservatory roof of the breakfast room. Our room was very spacious for an Express. We had a fold out sofa bed at one end and a proper double bed at the other. The toilet was just next to the double bed. The TV was facing the sofa bed which seemed a bit odd as we'd normally put the children in the sofa bed and watch tv. Tea and coffee facilities were provided but we never used them.

The bathroom wasn't your usual express layout. This one didn't have the door which made the toilet area more private. The shower was ok and the space was bigger than we have had in the past at other hotels. Overall it was all very clean and tidy.

Breakfast is held 7.30-10.30am on weekends and 7-10am on week days. Breakfast room is very smalland in the basement of the hotel. We had to mind and not fall down the narrow stairs due to a narrow step right at the top which then led on to the stairs down. The tables are a bit squashed. There was a range of 4 cereals, 2 types of bread, croissants and a couple of pastries. Some yoghurts and grapefruits were available with some fresh fruit such as apples, pears or oranges. They also had some small rolls one morning. We did hear someone ask if they had something else and being told that if it wasn't on the shelf then there was none left.

There was a bar next to reception with a small lounge area. Staff were attentive and helpful everytime we went. There was a vending machine but we advise using one of the shops down the street for water and snacks. The internet access was