The name of the hotel, Arosfa, means “a place to stay” in Welsh. We might suggest that another Welsh word, one meaning “gorgeous and lovely place good for value-hungry visitors” be applied as a replacement.
Yes, we’re fans. The 17-room Arosfa is a gem, cheaper than the
Arran House next door and offering rooms a clear cut above others in the Gower Street guesthouse tangle. The magic begins in the hotel’s sitting room, a “Hollywood-meets-New York” vision with a chandelier, modernist black leather couches and chairs, mirrored chests of drawers, and multiple images of Audrey Hepburn. We were a bit taken aback by the room’s splashy nature.
Rooms are not quite so lavishly appointed, though they are very nicely put together. Recently renovated rooms include flat-screen televisions and lovely matching leather-and-wood bed frames and low bedside tables. Walls are mostly empty and white, broken up with a large canvas of modern art. Less recently renovated rooms are also quite nice. Though they’re less comprehensively put together, they’ve got plenty of nice little details: artful vases, marble ledges left over from boarded-up fireplaces, and smart wooden bed frames.
At least one unit has an attached kitchen. Lounge lovers, know that Arosfa’s exquisite sitting room is only open until 10 p.m.
Guests at Arosfa come primarily from the U.S. and Europe, within which Norwegians are particularly, and curiously, well represented. Guests include family, couple, and friend configurations.
