GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 852

easyHotel
With several hotels in good neighborhoods around London, easyHotel is a radical
concept—offering what you need to sleep well and safely, and nothing more. Most of them
are fitted into old buildings, so the rooms are all odd shapes, from tiny windowless closets
to others that are quite spacious. All rooms are well-ventilated and come with an efficient
“bathroom pod” that looks like it was popped out of a plastic mold—just big enough to take
care of business. While they do have a 24-hour reception, everything else is spartan: You
get two towels, liquid soap, and a clean bed—no breakfast, no fresh towels, and no daily
cleaning. The base rate ranges from £30 to 85, depending on the room size and when you
book—“The earlier you book, the less you pay.” Prices are the same for one person or two,
but then you're nickel-and-dimed with optional charges for the TV, Wi-Fi, luggage storage,
and so on.
If you go with the basic package, it's like hosteling with privacy—a hard-to-beat value.
But you get what you pay for; in my experience, easyHotels are cheap in every sense of
the word (no elevator, thin walls, noisy halls filled with loud travelers seeking bargain beds,
flimsy construction that often results in broken things in the room). And they're only a good
deal if you book far enough ahead to get a good price, and skip the many extras...which can
add up fast.
Regardless of the location, you must reserve through their website
( www.easyhotel.com ).
$ easyHotel Victoria is well-located in an old building near Victoria Station (77 rooms,
34-40 Belgrave Road—for location, see map on here , Tube: Victoria, enquir-
[e-mail] ). They also have branches at South Kensington (34 rooms,
14 Lexham Gardens, Tube: Earl's Court or Gloucester Road, tel. [phone], enquir-
[e-mail] ), Earl's Court (80 rooms, 44-48 West Cromwell Road, Tube:
Earl's Court, [e-mail] ), Paddington (47 rooms, 10 Norfolk
Place, Tube: Paddington, [e-mail] ), and Heathrow and Luton
airports (Heathrow location described on here ) .
Hostels
For more London hostel listings, try www.hostellondon.com .
$ London Central Youth Hostel is the flagship of London's hostels, with 300 beds and
all the latest in security and comfortable efficiency. Families and travelers of any age will
feelwelcomeinthiswonderfulfacility.You'llpaythesamepriceforanybedina4-to8-bed
single-sex dorm—with or without private bathroom—so try to grab one with a bathroom
(£16-30/bunk depending on demand, twin D-£40-60, £3/night less for members, breakfast-
£4, includes sheets, rental towels, lockers—BYO lock, families welcome to book an entire