Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
some have fabulous views. Though housed in a fourteenth-
century building that once c
ontain
ed Edward III's royal
regalia, the interior is modern.
£150
DOCKLANDS
Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf
46 Westferry
Circus, E14
T
020 7510 1999,
W
fourseasons.com
/canarywharf; Westferry DLR or
!
Canary Wharf; map
pp.206-207.
A spectacular riverfront setting, sleek
modern interiors and good links to the City (including the
option of taking a boat into town) make this hotel popular
with business folk, while good-value weekend rates make
it a feasible base for sightseeing. Service is impeccable, and
there's access to a good pool, gym
, spa
and tennis courts.
Several rooms have Thames views.
£160
EAST LONDON
Boundary Hotel
2-4 Boundary St, E2
T
020 7729
1051,
W
theboundary.co.uk; Shoreditch High Street
Overground; map pp.192-193.
A Terence Conran
creation, this slick Shoreditch hotel offers seventeen funky
rooms, each themed on different design styles from Eames
to Shaker, and most of them offering ample space. There
are two good, lively restaurants on site - the
Albion
(British), and the
Boundary
(French) and
a stu
nning all-
weather rooftop bar (see p.391). Free wi-fi.
£170
40 Winks
109 Mile End Rd, E1
T
020 7790 0259,
W
40winks.org;
!
Stepney Green; map p.190.
To stay
here - in the early eighteenth-century home of interior
designer David Carter - is to enter a fairytale world. Witty,
theatrical and achingly beautiful, it offers all the wow
factor of a magazine lifestyle shoot, but with real creature
comforts. The only problems may be snagging a room -
there are just two, a single (£110) and a large double,
sharing a jaw-droppingly glamorous bathroom - and
living up to the stunning surroundings (it's a shoe-free
house, so make
sure y
our socks are clean). Free wi-fi in the
common areas.
£185
Hoxton Hotel
81 Great Eastern St, EC2
T
020 7550
1000,
W
hoxtonhotels.com;
!
Old Street; map
pp.192-193.
“The Hox” is an established, youthful hotel
in this nightlife neighbourhood, with modern but warm
public spaces - all exposed brick and burnished metal -
and comfy boutique rooms. Downstairs, the
Hoxton Grill
and the DJ bar are popular hangouts - there's a party
vibe down here and it can be noisy, so ask for a quiet
room if you value your sleep. A light breakfast is delivered
to your room, wi-fi is free, you get an hour's free local
calls a day and they also lend out bikes. Rates depend
entirely on availa
bility;
you might pay as little as £79 or
as much as £199.
£120
Shoreditch Rooms
Shoreditch House, Ebor St, E1
T
020 7739 5040,
W
shoreditchhouse.com/bedrooms;
Shoreditch High Street Overground; map pp.192-193.
Linked to the Shoreditch House members' club, and from
the same stable as the
Dean Street Townhouse
(see p.356)
this hip little place has the same no-nonsense room-
naming policy, with 26 options from “Tiny” up to “Small-
plus”, which have minuscule balconies. Rooms may be
small but they're comfy and beautifully designed, with lots
of tongue-and-groove, fresh, sunbleached colours and
vintage tiled bathrooms; there's a Cowshed spa, rooftop
pool and restaurants at the members' club next door, where
you can hang out with the beautiful media types and
where, r
efresh
ingly, no mobile phones (and no suits!) are
allowed.
£125
THE SOUTH BANK
Ì
Captain Bligh House
100 Lambeth Rd, SE1 (no
phone),
W
captainblighhouse.co.uk;
!
Lambeth
North; map p.216.
Captain Bligh's former house can now
be your home from home - a charming, cosy Georgian
building, opposite the Imperial War Museum and a short
walk from the South Bank, run by a friendly, though
wonderfully unobtrusive, couple. The four rooms are all
very different, varying in size, but each is comfortable and
stylish, and they all have kitchenettes.
Rate
s are low, but
there's a four-night minimum. No cards.
£90
Mad Hatter
3-7 Stamford St, SE1
T
020 7401 9222,
W
madhatterhotel.co.uk;
!
Southwark or Blackfriars;
map p.216.
Good-value Fuller's hotel with thirty clean and
comfy en-suite rooms, above a Fuller's pub, in an old hat
factory. This is a great location, a short walk from Tate
Mode
rn an
d the South Bank, and staff are friendly. Free
wi-fi.
£120
Tune Westminster
118-120 Westminster Bridge Rd,
SE1
T
020 7633 9317,
W
tunehotels.com;
!
Lambeth
North or Waterloo; map p.216.
The first London branch of
the Malaysian chain (“five-star beds at one-star prices”),
whose minimal modern rooms and down-to-earth pricing
policy have made it a firm favourite. It's a clever idea: by
doing away with niceties like tables, chairs and closets,
prices stay low and you simply opt to pay for extras,
including towels, TV, hairdryers and wi-fi, on the easy-to-
use booking site. Rooms are capsule-style, but well
designed and bright, with comfy beds and spotless
showers; the very cheapest are windowless and rather
small. Th
e ot
her three branches (see p.356) are slightly
cheaper.
£65
23
SOUTHWARK
Ì
Citizen M Bankside
20 Lavington St, SE1
T
020 3519 1680,
W
citizenm.com/london-bankside;
!
Southwark; map pp.226-227.
Though the high-
design concept may jar a bit - guests are “citizens” and staff
are “ambassadors”, check-in is super-cool airport-style -
this is a good option, part of a growing European chain,
with 200 compact rooms with a modern, pod-like design,
hi-tech touch tablet room controls and smart storage
