After my first article, which gave you a selection of things to see/do in London as well as the story of my Ouibus adventure, here is, as promised, a second article about the London hotels I tested during my “so British” getaways. The subject of accommodation is a real issue, particularly in London, as everyone knows that what costs almost the most during a stay in the English capital is the lodging. As you will see, I haven’t really tested places that offer a real solution to this concern, and I think that if you don’t have a relative, cousin, brother, distant uncle, niece, former neighbor, college friend, or whoever… to host you for free, you’ll have to take the Ouibus to save on transport, but that’s another story…
In reality, while preparing for my weekend, I first turned to websites searching for rentals from private individuals, as is done a lot today, notably via House Trip, which I had already told you about in a previous article. You can find low prices starting from around thirty euros on the site, but if you want to get closer to the center of London, you should count on paying between €50 and €100 per night.
Finally, my experiment with this service will be for another time, since I had the opportunity in 2016 to test 2 extremely well-located hotels, the Citadines Trafalgar Square and the Royal Garden Hotel. In such conditions, it’s difficult (and totally absurd) to say no… I also regularly add my other tests of London hotels or accommodation to this article when I go back!
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Table of Contents
The Citadines Appart’Hotel in Trafalgar Square
The Citadines aparthotel in Trafalgar Square, which enjoys an ideal location (a two-minute walk from Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery), reopened in 2012 after a major renovation, so the establishment is all beautiful and brand new. The advantage of staying in a Citadines hotel residence is the independence compared to a classic hotel room, with the choice of a studio or an apartment provided with a fully equipped kitchen (oven, fridge, stove, dishwasher…), which can save you from the expensive restaurant routine for lunch and dinner, for example.
The breakfast (not included in the room price, £12 for adults and £6 for children, free for those under 6) is served in the common room on the ground floor and offers a fairly classic continental buffet. We still managed to unearth some English specialties, including porridge (a dish I had discovered during my short stay in Scotland), scones, and in a more classic style, we really liked the waffle maker that allows you to make delicious hot waffles yourself.
Services:
- Free Wi-Fi internet connection
- A free self-service hot drinks area in the living space on the ground floor during the day
- Self-service umbrellas just in case, at the entrance of the hotel (I found this quite thoughtful)
- The possibility of leaving your luggage for free at the concierge desk upon arrival or departure
Price: between £120 and £200 per night, depending on the dates and the time of booking
The great tip: the “Early Bird Booking D-21“, by booking no later than 21 days before your arrival date, you can benefit from a special rate of up to -20% on the Best Flexible Rate.
Citadines Trafalgar Square
18/21 Northumberland Avenue
London WC2N 5EA
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New Road Hotel
I really liked this hotel with its industrial style. Our room was small but very functional (for info, it was room no. 225), although for my taste, there was just a lack of a place to put one’s suitcase. By the way, this London hotel reminded me of a Parisian hotel we tested with my favorite photographer a few years ago, the Citizen M Gare de Lyon.
I also really enjoyed the English breakfast à la carte which was really great. You can have avocado toast for a healthy option, or a typically English plate with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and English-style red beans. In addition, the hotel has a very good restaurant, Mr. White’s English Chophouse (which I mention in my special article on good food addresses in London), and it’s a very good address for dinner on-site in the evening, for example.
New Road Hotel
103-107 New Road, Whitechapel London
Price: from £135 per night
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The Royal Garden Hotel in London
With this 5-star hotel located in the Kensington neighborhood, I am bending my “great tips” rule. Not for once, but I am taking you with me into one of the 17 master suites of the establishment to admire its superb view of Hyde Park and London. We were lucky enough to spend a magical night in the Goodwood Suite of the hotel and its 100 m2, located on the 8th floor and overlooking Kensington Gardens and Kensington High Street. My super joy of this overnight stay was obviously to enjoy the large bathtub in the suite for a relaxing bath (I love doing that when I’m at a hotel, since I only have a very small shower at home).
Another super great point: the bedding which is quite exceptional, as much for the quality of the bed as for its size (which reminded me, by the way, of the super bed at the Hotel Maria Cristina where I stayed during my getaway to San Sebastian).
The practical side of this master suite lies, here again, in the presence of a small kitchenette area with an oven and fridge to make food on the go if one wishes (nothing is left to chance in a suite of this standard!). The hotel also benefits from a very renowned Chinese restaurant, Min Jiang, on the top floor of the building. I haven’t had the opportunity to test it, but if I return to London soon, it will be on my to-do list! As for breakfast, we tested the English Breakfast, but I will tell you about it at greater length in the next article, with my London Food Tour.
On foot around the hotel I advise you to go for a stroll in the very beautiful Hyde Park (see our little photos in the 1st article), on the Kensington Gardens side, you will have a breathtaking view of your neighbors, Kate and William, who live in Kensington Palace. You can also go visit the Victoria & Albert Museum or the Natural History Museum in the area, or even treat yourself to a show outing at the Royal Albert Hall not far away.
The little extra: the free Wi-Fi everywhere in the hotel for guests (apparently quite a few London hotels charge extra for this service, so I’m pointing it out).
The great tip: at the moment, the hotel is celebrating its 50th anniversary with several interesting offers. Every week, for every 50 customers, one customer is offered a free taxi service by the hotel. The hotel is also distributing more than 50,000 “Golden Gift Cards” to its customers for this occasion.
Tested in 2016
Royal Garden Hotel
2-24 Kensington High Street London W8 4PTPrice: standard room from £162, Master Suite from £1,437
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And you, what are your good hotel addresses in London, or your accommodation tips?
Find all my articles on my trips to Great Britain below:
⇒ All my articles on Great Britain
⇒ All my articles on England
⇒ All my articles on London
MY ARTICLES ON LONDON
⇒ London Food Tour
⇒ Selection of hotels in London
⇒ Weekend in London
⇒ London by bike
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez and Mademoiselle Bon Plan Photos not royalty-free, photographer's authorization mandatory before any use
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