It’s time to put London on the list of destinations again. The city is no longer as expensive as it used to be as a result of recent declines in value of the British pound against other currencies. Hotels and restaurants are even lowering prices, at least for now. London has a lot of fabulous boutique hotels, which we have listed already, but now let me add one more: Rough Luxe. According to their website, it’s a little bit of luxury in a rough part of London (across the King’s Cross train station, which I would hardly call “rough”). The hotel is in a Grade II listed building which has been renovated by designer Rabih Hage. Some rooms have shared bathrooms. They serve afternoon tea. Prices start at £155, which is reasonable for London.
- Vibe: faded luxury with modern touches, eclectic mix of art and antiques, charming and quirky.
- Pros: reasonably priced for London and centrally located (across King’s Cross station and 1 minute walk from St. Pancras station).
- Cons: the area is very busy so if you want peace and quiet, this isn’t for you.
Rough Luxe Hotel
1 Birkenhead Street
London, WC1H 8BA
United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7837 5338
www.roughluxe.co.uk
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About Esme Vos
If you ever venture out of London to the New Forest in Hampshire, I recommend you try this fabulous boutique hotel owned by Gerard and Nina Basset. Gerard was one of the two co-founders of Hotel du Vin.
There’s also the totally hip Hoxton hotel as well (http://www.hoxtonhotels.com/) – which is well worth a stay if you’re looking for a boutique place in London – gorgeous rooms but the area is also a little ‘rough’ – sadly I couldn’t get in when I visited England last year. There’s a good guide to finding cheaper rooms which I used then, though those listed aren’t all boutique: http://www.moneysavinglondon.com/Hotels/london-budget-hotels.html.