Citadines Trafalgar Square

For visiting London, I have not found a better place to stay because it is 3 minutes to Trafalgar Square, 3 minutes to the Embankment underground station, 12 minutes to waterloo, 7 minutes to the theatre district, 10 to Covent Garden and surrounded by pubs and restaurants. The apartments have kitchens for breakfasts or late night snacks.

BUT with the exception of the lobby, the building (corridors and units) are very basic and quite graceless.

YET when we next go to London, we will try to stay there. At under $300 a night for a one bedroom unit, it is cheaper and yet more flexible than hotels in the same part of this great city.

A group of 3 of us stayed here in a 2 bed apartment for a long weekend at the beginning of October. The hotel has 2 major advantages namely LOCATION and (less so) value. It makes a trip to London so easy when you can walk.......to the river, Tate Modern, National Gallery , St Martin in the Fields, Covent Garden, the Eye, Westminster. It's especially nice to be so near the river. The front of house staff are fine, the beds and shower were fine, the luggage service was very easy when we left our luggage for a few hours after check out - what would make me hesitate to recommend the hotel is the jaded feel, eg the carpets in the corridors upstairs, the sofa was a bit tired, the toilet was a little on the odorous side. Also, the ceilings in the narrow corridors were low. The windows were in peculiar places in the bedrooms because of the way the interior of the building has been refitted. This might not apply to all rooms as ours was a duplex, with an internal stairs from the living area to the bedroom area. On balance, if the accommodation aspect of a break isn't the major criterion, then the location of this hotel outweighs any other factor.

On the weekend October 2nd to October 4th we (3 adults) decided to spend a weekend in London… We booked in Citadines Hotel at a rate of 271 Euros (2 nights, 4 adults max)… After reading the reviews, we were not really sure what to expect… the final result, as you will see, was surprisingly positive!

First of all, the location! The location can’t be beaten! Right in the middle of everything, still in a very quiet street… its like 2 minute walk from Charing Cross or Embarkment Metro Station… the London eye is like 5 minutes away and so on the rest of the tourist attractions… The commuting from Gatwick Express was like a breeze, going ton Gatwick to Victoria and then to Embarkment in like 45 minutes …. Within 2 blocks there are plenty of supermarkets, small shops, bars, pubs, clubs, restaurants, etc…

Then, our room was ready upon early arrival (1030 am!)… the room (820) was on the eight floor… the size was perfect by all means!!! Bathroom and separate shower… then a separate double room… and then a quite big living room with one sofa (that converted into 2 separate twin beds), a big desk and a flat tv… besides, a small kitchen… the décor was modern and practical, nothing fancy but not cold either… the shower had plenty of hot water and nice pressure… our room at night was not noisy at all!

The place was not small at all and everything worked perfectly… it was even bigger than many English flats!

The convertible sofa was great because it turned into 2 separate beds, so you can place then in a 90 degrees angle… the beds, sheets and pillows were comfortable… everything was clean and in perfect shape…

The service in the front desk was practical and efficient in everyway… there is free wifi in the lobby and a computer with internet free to use…

Upon checkout, we stored our stuff in the luggage room, as did mostly the rest of the guest, and indeed they make you sign a form that they are not responsible for your goods… as it happens in every other hotel, its just that they explicitly admit it… no problem at the end when claiming our bags…

In general, we were extremely happy with our choice… I really believe that Citadines offers true value for your money, since in such an expensive city like London is difficult to find roomy and fairly priced accommodations.

I would definitely recommend this to all my fellow travelers.