We can all agree that the holidays are meant to be enjoyed fully, in every aspect, and starting with your hotel is the obvious move!
What do you say? London is too expensive to afford a luxury stay? That’s what you think, and I’m happy to say that what you think is wrong. There are plenty of options if you want to stay in a look-good feel-good place, and here you have a list of Hotels under 230£ per night, with the quality of double that, because you should treat yourself on your vacation in London and we know it!
Let’s get started!
CitizenM, Tower of London
Overlooking the famous monument, this venue offers incredible views across the Tower, Tower Bridge, until The Shard blocks your view.
It’s a comfy 4-star hotel offering a range of different rooms and suites characterised by chic decor and in-room entertainment. CitizenM is a great stay for both tourists and business travelers, an excellent choice.
Take in more views from the hotel’s rooftop bar or relax in a cool lounge area where you can work, or maybe play a board game with other guests!
Sloane Square hotel
Sitting just around the corner from Harrods and a moment away from King’s Road, this hotel is perfect if you want to visit the Saatchi Gallery and the V&A and the Natural History Museum with a quick skip to south Ken!
The richly decorated interiors aren’t stuffy at all, you can actually get comfortable and spacious rooms, where you’ll sleep on Egyptian cotton sheets and soft pillows, walking on plush carpets, absorbing the artwork so carefully put together, and just outside your room? London, in its beauty.
Don’t forget that you can (and should) dine at the stylish Côte Brasserie.
The Westbridge
Find it next to Queen’s Jubilee Park (the location for London 2012 Olympic Games). Get inspired by this boutique-style hotel that offers the quintessential British charm, right in the heart of London’s most innovative district.
Enjoy a drink in the sunny courtyard where you can feel just like at home, because no matter how many times you stay there, it’s always an evergreen. Their lounge is open 24-hours a day, and you can plop on the big squishy arm chairs and warm up after a freezing London day next to a roaring fireplace.
Choose between different kind of rooms: the Heritage, located in the historic coach house, where you can marvel at their rococo-style influences such as ornate beds and shabby chic side-tables, and the Modern rooms, with a sleek and elegant look, with plush upholstery and a muted, relaxing colour palette. You can splurge and opt for the Double Deluxe, which will win you a balcony with views over the city.
The Mandeville
At this venue you can find single occupancy room options, making this one of the most affordable luxury hotels in London for solo travellers.
The hotel is wonderfully situated just a 4 minutes walk from Bond Street tube station, so when staying here you have Oxford Street, London’s shopping go-to area, and department store destination Selfridges right outside of your door. This allows you to enjoy crowd-free(ish) early morning or late night shopping, when the buzz has dissipated and you can calmly do your browsing.
The Mandeville is also located in Marylebone Village, absolute feasting hotspot in the capital with names such as Ottolenghi, Delamina, Orrery, Taka, The Cavendish and Caldesi all within walking distance – so no public transport needed.
Whether you book a single room, double deluxe or treat yourself to a suite, all guests will enjoy the same stylish decor and comfortable bedding, with the size of the room being the only -obvious- difference.
Watch out though – the prices on the website are per person.
Lost Property St. Paul’s
Lost Property is the latest addition to Hilton’s creative chain of more boutique-like Curio hotels; it has just under 150 stylishly refurbished rooms, each with large, comfortable beds and bathrooms with high-quality finishes. The hotel holds onto the ‘lost & found’ theme throughout various aspects, it’s in the cocktail menu, which needs a UV pen to be read, and some really curious artwork on the walls of the lounge bar.
It sits, nice and proud, just across St Paul’s Cathedral, in proximity to St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge, a brisk walk from the Tate, The Globe and all the excitement of London’s Southbank. Although the primary location is more of a business-focused vibe, the hotel’s surroundings make it a good spot for tourists too, allowing them to be away from the hustle and bustle of the West End, but still keeping a foot in it. The hotel has one main restaurant and bar – called Found – and a very pretty Parisian-inspired coffee shop on the ground floor, the Tattle; both of these serve high quality food and drinks, so we warmly suggest you take advantage of that!
Mama Shelter, London Shoreditch
The streets of Shoreditch always keep up the level of coolness, and here it shows with this venue, unmistakably French, incredibly hipster. It boasts a Garden Terrace Bar, bold interiors and eye-catching artworks on the ceilings, and obviously some sort of mismatched country-house assortment of furnishings, with lampshades and pineapples ornating the tables.
The chaos of Shoreditch’s nightlife is just outside, but you can’t start a night out without first having cocktails in the Garden and enjoying some out-of-tune singing in the hotel’s karaoke rooms (yes, karaoke rooms, they can fit up to 15 hipsters each.).
Hotel rooms vary in size, and while none of them really dip into luxury-hotel waters, they’re really comfortable, with basics like plush beds, modern bathrooms, and quality soundproofing all around.
The Pilgrm, Paddington
Located in a perfect spot close to Hyde Park, as well as Notting Hill and Marylebone, this Paddington hotel is the perfect place to base yourself during a trip to the capital.
Considering its position just across the road from the Underground, Heathrow Express and rail services, could have been a charmless commuter’s crashpad, instead the renovated Victorian building houses a regularly changing art collection, with the artwork coming directly from the team’s favourite creatives, and it changes every three months.
It offers fantastic breakfasts, plush communal areas and bespoke British design, to cosy up for some work or relax, and also a cocktail terrace overlooking the frenetic streets below. There are 73 rooms, facing either London Street or Norfolk Square. They offer excellent value, the decor features bold blue carpets, repurposed radiators and lots of plants, as well as wrought-iron railings (which took 300 hours to revamp) and glossy parquet floors. Instead of in-room coffee and tea facilities, there are six shared ‘pantries’ throughout the hotel, with self-service beverages and biscuits.
You can tell that they like what they do. The owners, designers, creators, all those involved, really enjoy this project.
Nhow London, Islington
This budget London hotel between Hoxton, Islington and Shoreditch is as unconventional as its area, with artworks that range from graffiti to royal portraits, colour-pop doors in homage to Notting Hill and a restaurant that riffs on the classic British pub.
Very eclectic in its design, it’s all very colourful and has so many objects and works of art you could quite happily spend many hours sitting in the bar trying to get the meaning of it all.
The hotel has collaborated with Jealous Gallery to showcase the work of London artists, so you’ll be able to enjoy some culture without even stepping out of the front door.
There are 199 rooms on floors 1-8, with one suite on each of the first seven floors and then a penthouse on the top floor. All of these are in the angled pointe of the building, and so have views across City Road and onto Macclesfield Road. The bar is known to be overpriced, but sitting in the midst of this bustle is free, and so is asking about the art pieces.
Moxy London Stratford, East London
The Moxy brand, a branch of the Marriott, has affordable stays all over the world, including North America – its Chelsea edition in New York is a particular highlight. In Stratford in East London, guests can expect good value, sleek design and top eco credentials.
All 294 bedrooms are equipped with 42-inch televisions, en-suite bathrooms and USB charging points. The bar is open around the clock for late-night cocktails and there are communal areas to hang out in if you’re feeling sociable, or plug in your laptop to get some work done and out of the way to enjoy the rest of your day.
It’s located right next to Westfield if you want to shop ‘til you drop, and you’ll also be in prime position for exploring the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park reliving the summer of 2012. And if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, you can test your fear of heights at the ArcelorMittal Orbit nearby.
These nine hotels are our sincerest suggestion if you want to treat yourself to a luxury stay in London without breaking the bank, let us knoe which one you choose, and how you liked it!