Image courtesy of Ennismore |
During the Easter holidays, we had a lovely child-free weekend in London. I used the afternoon tea voucher I’d received for Christmas (post coming soon), and we decided to stay in London for the night – before the reality of returning to work and school set in. We chose The Hoxton, based upon the location and because I’d uploaded several London hotels at work and loved the look of it.
The Hotel
The Hoxton in
Shoreditch is the OG Hoxton hotel and was opened in 2006. There’s actually four
in the capital (Holborn, Shepherds Bush, and Southwark, btw), as well as 10
others, to date, in cities across Europe and the US. All Hoxton hotels have a
similar vibe, bringing the outside in, and with an open-house policy which
means that even non-residents enter and linger. The lobbies are very much the
central point, where it’s all about relaxing, socialising and even working –
there’s a constant buzz.
What I loved: All the hotels have an interesting backstory – for example, the Shoreditch Hoxton was formerly a car park and there’s even a sign on the first floor, near the lift about it
The Location
The Hoxton Shoreditch
is on Great Eastern Street, which is just off Commercial streets in the heart of
hipster heaven. You’re surrounded by independent shops, bars, and quirky cafés,
as well as the street art of Shoreditch. Within a 10-minute walk, you’ll find
La La Land (formerly: Dinerama), Junk Yard Golf, Ballie Ballerson, and of
course, the curry houses of Brick Lane. We enjoyed walking to Spitalfields
Market (around 15 minutes’ away), and there’s plenty to do and see – while it’s
super-easy to get into the city, with great transport links.
Arriving by train? We took the C2C from West Horndon to Fenchurch Street and ended up walking from there to the hotel (20 minutes). However, it’s a 15-minute walk from Liverpool Street and the nearest tube station is Old Street (5 minutes).
The Décor
Think Art-Deco
glamour, combined with modern playful touches and mismatched fabrics/furnishings.
The lobby had exposed brickwork and large squashy sofas – perfect for sitting
back and sipping a coffee, smoothie, or wine (or your drink of preference), while
the reception desk was out of the way, quite far back and to the left of the
entrance.
The Hoxton
Grill restaurant had an American diner vibe, with red banquette seating and an
all-day menu, while the bar had high tables and bar stools. Colours throughout
are quite dark, nowhere more so than the rooms, which have black-tiled bathrooms,
dark walls, and parquet flooring in the bedrooms. You’ll find plenty of artworks
on the walls.
What I loved: the décor and vibe was representative of the area, but elegant touches (like the lit porthole mirrors in bedrooms) were welcomed
The Facilities
- Restaurants
- Bar
- Lobby lounge
- Shop
- Meeting rooms
- Room service
- Free Wi-Fi
The Hoxton has
two restaurants: Hoxton Grill on the ground floor and Maya, a new rooftop
restaurant, specialising in Mexican cuisine. We had breakfast at the Hoxton
Grill, which was nice – there was plenty of choice, including lighter options,
should you not wish to have a full English. I had the chia seed bowl which was
lush, and we shared a fruit plate. We didn’t eat lunch or dinner, so I can’t
comment on that, but the restaurant offers all-day dining. We were unable to
get onto the rooftop, which was a shame. There’s also an indoor terrace, which
was shut during out stay.
The bar was
also decent, although drinks were on the pricy side (£14 for an aperol spritz,
for example) and the only seating we could find was directly at the bar (I
think this was due to non-residents chilling in the lobby).
The room
We stayed in a Cosy
double, which was anything but – it was a really good size and had everything
we needed during our stay. As I mentioned earlier, both the room and ensuite
were quite dark, but luckily there was plenty of mood lighting to create an
ambience.
A small fridge
contained a bottle of fresh milk and two cartons of water, while we had Clipper
tea bags, regular and decaf coffee bags and a selection of mugs and glasses.
The desk had clever storage, containing everything from the TV remote to a
bottle opener, and even a small map of the local area. As well as the TV, there
was a Roberts Radio and a (rather random) selection of books. A large leather armchair
sat in one corner of the room.
Room types: Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy, Concept
Standard amenities: toiletries, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, mini fridge, TV, Roberts Radio, telephone, mini fridge, free Wi-Fi
The verdict
I’d give The
Hoxton Shoreditch a solid 8/10. The location was great, and the vibe was warm
and buzzy. Marks are lost for the lack of seating for guests (due to
non-residents) and the overall value-for-money factor (for context, a round of
drinks was £20 and breakfast was in excess of £40). I’d definitely stay at a Hoxton
again, though!
Love, Lucy xx
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Love, Lucy xx