after how pleased i was with my stay at the easyhotel on my way out of heathrow last month, i was keen as beans (does anyone say that anymore?) to stay in a more central property before my early-doors euerostar to paris last weekend. the old street hotel is super handily located for a st. pancras train, and, with overnight stays for as little as fifteen quid (in central london!), it seemed the perfect solution to my "i don't know how to get to king's cross for 5:30am" dilemma.
the room
i opted for a double room with a window again - after the incredible views i had over heathrow, but as this hotel is located right on old street, no such view exists. the room i was given faced out onto the road, and was at ground level; the windows had to be frosted for privacy, obvs, which sort of made the windows a little redundant. a) because you couldn't see out of them, and b) because you couldn't open them. for someone who loves to sleep with the window open, this was a little annoying. but, the massive bed and comfy pillows made up for that!
because i was only there for a few hours, the fact that this property doesn't have tvs in the rooms didn't bother me as i had planned to have dinner, shower, and go to bed, but if you're planning to spend some time in the room, then that could cause a problem. or, if you're a light sleeper like me, then the white noise the tv makes really comes in handy when the street noise is too much to sleep through, but otherwise, the wi-fi connection (you have to pay extra, though) was enough to keep me entertained for the few hours i was awake before bed.
the bathroom was nicer than the one i'd had at heathrow, and on the whole the room was a lot more modern too. there were coat hangers and storage, and a lot more room to move around. perfect for one person, but not sure i would have wanted to share that space with another person. again though, if only for sleeping and nothing else then these rooms are ideal.
the area
i walked over to the hotel from barbican tube station, and passed so many great, independent restaurants and coffee shops along the way - places i'd never seen nor heard of before, but some that looked perfectly adorable and that are up on the list of places i now have to visit. once i'd checked in and dumped my stuff in the room, i took advantage of the fading light to have a little wander to see what else i could find in the area. i mean, it's old street, right? it's the hipster's mecca, so i was bound to find one or two spots i could pick up something for dinner that didn't come as part of a meal deal or from a chain restaurant.
not even 100m from the hotel door were a number of vegan, veggie, and owner-operated restaurants for me to choose from - as well as a couple great looking bars and pubs. 'look mum no hands!' (a bike concept cafe) and the gibson - as well as 'grind' - were all within walking distance, which would have been great if drinking alone in public isn't one of the great mortal sins, so instead i opted for pink gin in a can and a baked aubergine from l'artigiano next door instead. gooooood times indeed.
the commute
i was out the door at 5am and checking in at king's cross less than half an hour later. there are buses, there's the tube from barbican, and actually, the easyhotel is so centrally located that i could have walked there in about as long if i didn't have a whole day of walking ahead of me too. essentially, it's super easy to get to-and-from, so really great for early-morning departures from your central london train stations, or even if you get in late and need a kip before you make it back home.
needless to say, i'm a fan of the hotel chain, and though this stay wasn't as quiet as i would have liked, it was perfectly comfortable, and more than close enough for me to get my day started in the right way; it definitely won't be my last stay in one of these properties, the only question is.. which one next?
*i was a guest of easyhotel, but all words are my own.
