European Hotel, London

...
I found The European Hotel whilst browsing ‘budget hotel’ websites for London. I needed a room for an over night trip, but wasn’t prepared to pay over the odds in a fancy hotel, when I only needed somewhere to rest my head, yet reluctant to go down the hostel route. The European stood out for me for its price, but moreoever it’s location. It was centimetres away (well, on google maps – not in reality, that would be silly) from Kings Cross! ...
...lobby is nothing fancy. The European is classed as a Budget hotel and you can sort of tell that when you step in. It has a hybrid feel of a weird European resort and a basic B&B. Nice creamy wallpaper adorned with Latin(?). There is a small desk to your right with a glass window, where sits behind; your receptionist. Out of the few times we had to speak to reception, something had gone wrong (just my luck), for example they put us in a double room, ... more

I go to London all the time and more often than not, need to come back home late at night…I always get really annoyed and frustrated as the trains either don’t run, or leave so early that a ‘night out’ would involve catching the 10:00pm home…which is fine, some might say. However, if I go to theatre – the shows don’t usually finish until around 10:00pm – so unless I turn into a superhero (which does happen occasionally) and get to the station in super sonic time, there is no way I’ll be able to get home…which leads me on to my quest for cheap accommodation to stay over night in London town.

I’m done with staying in youth hostels (unless I’m desperate) from travelling and my uni days and blah de blah – so finding a decent place to stay at a decent price doesn’t come that easy to find…unless you happen to be in the right place at the right time, and discover a super-duper deal where you can stay in London over for peanuts (*tries not to laugh at the idea of an economy based on different types of nuts*…I digress)

I found The European Hotel whilst browsing ‘budget hotel’ websites for London. I needed a room for an over night trip, but wasn’t prepared to pay over the odds in a fancy hotel, when I only needed somewhere to rest my head, yet reluctant to go down the hostel route. The European stood out for me for its price, but moreoever it’s location. It was centimetres away (well, on google maps – not in reality, that would be silly) from Kings Cross! It is a family run budget hotel that has been established for over 20 years. They also have 83 ‘interesingly’ decorated rooms.

I booked online at travelstay.com, had to pay a deposit of around £10, allowing me to settle the rest upon arrival or when checking out. I got a twin room, ensuite, breakfast included for £60. Not bad (but not as good as the deal I got at the Bonnington - check my other review).

Ok, so here’s the run down on the European…

LOCATION
********************************************************************************
This was easily the most convenient hotel, I personally, have ever stayed in. It’s so simple to get to. Just go to Kings Cross, go outside the front of the station, cross the road, go up a bit, then you are there...Magic! When you stand on the entrance of the Hotel, you can see the station. Ridiculously close.

As it is so close to Kings Cross, transport links couldn’t be better. Not just for the main tourist attractions (Trafalgar Square, Museums, South Bank, Theatres, Leicester Square, Oxford Street etc) but also for main line trains and airports. (Gatwick and Luton Airports trains run from Kings Cross. You can get to Heathrow by jumping on the Piccadilly line. For Stanstead you just have to get over to Liverpool Street – only a few underground stops away.)

Location rating: 10/10

THE LOBBY
********************************************************************************
Well, the lobby is nothing fancy. The European is classed as a Budget hotel and you can sort of tell that when you step in. It has a hybrid feel of a weird European resort and a basic B&B. Nice creamy wallpaper adorned with Latin(?). There is a small desk to your right with a glass window, where sits behind; your receptionist. Out of the few times we had to speak to reception, something had gone wrong (just my luck), for example they put us in a double room, for 2 nights – when I booked a twin for 1 night! Having explained and presented a print out of our confirmation, there wasn’t a problem. The reception is attended 24/7, which is good for a ‘budget’ hotel, no curfews (pheeew – can I hear the ‘glug glug’ of the wine in the bar up the road calling me for an all nighter?) so you can go out until the early hours and still get back in.

I can’t say that I felt particularly keen to hang around in the lobby, primarily because it was so small, and couldn’t house more than 6 guests at once...let alone the tourists with their enormous back packs!By the way, check in starts at 14:00 and you need be checked out by 11:00 on the day you are leaving.

Going beyond the lobby, is the best bit…it’s an adventure to find your room. It was actually quite hilarious, we had to go up many corridors, go through random doors (that had no signage), down stairs, up stairs, until we found our room. It felt like we were in the Crystal Maze, if only there was a bald man at the end to give us a cash prize for finding…!

Lobby rating: 5/10

ROOMS
**********************************************************************************
We eventually got into our room, to find a double and single bed, in a very teeny tiny and cramped room. Which wasn’t a problem, as we only needed a place to sleep, so it wouldn’t be fair to criticise. However, it would be fair to criticise the awful décor…the curtains and bedding were, um, interestingly patterned with floral designs (see pic below). The view was, um, also interesting…we looked out onto a metre squared courtyard surrounded by other hotel room windows…felt somewhat prison-esque!

We had a TV (as does every room), which was great after we got in having answered the call of the wine in the bar up the road and watched those crazy late night phone in quiz shows “…the answer is SCHPIDER-MAAN!” There was also a small kettle with tea and coffee placed on a small, rickety looking shelf at the end of the single bed. We didn’t use it, but can imagine it was of use to any caffeine addicts!! Also, we were told that hairdryers (handy) and irons (me? iron? Yeah right!) are available on request.

Bedroom rating: 5/10

Amenities in the room rating: 7/10

THE BATHROOM
**********************************************************************************
The Bathroom was about the size of two double wardrobes, side by side! The sink was miniscule and it all felt very cramped. It looked very dated, but all looked relatively clean. Small towels were provided, as was soap. The shower curtain was a muddy green colour and didn’t inspire much hope that there was no mould hiding with in it’s darkness. Wasn’t incredibly impressed…but it was ‘budget’…!

Bathroom rating: 5/10

BREAKFAST
**********************************************************************************
As with most budget hotels nowadays, breakfast was included. It wasn’t spectacular, but it was adequate. Again, we had fun trying to find the blummin restaurant at all. Our bedroom seemed to be at the back of the hotel and on our way round we heard the clatter of knives and forks through one of these random non-signed doors…so we went through and ended up in the dinning room, with looks of shock and horror from diners as if to say ‘how did you get through there?’ (…Wow, my superhero navigational skills are really on top form.) Breakfast consisted of bacon, sausage, eggs, beans, toast – the usual cooked affair. As well as cereal (advertised as ‘continental’ ah-hem), orange squash (urgh!) and tea or coffee. It was hot and relatively tasty – simple yet satisfying (although the ketchup was suspiciously spicy...hmm).

Food rating: 8/10

RESTAURANT
*********************************************************************************
The restaurant/dining room was basic. Make shift chairs and make shift tables. Foreign waitresses constantly ran backwards and forwards, leaving toast and coffee or tea on various tables. I said to my friend who I was with ‘Is it me, or does it feel like we’re at some random hotel restaurant in Europe?’ then I thought…BRILLIANT – we’re at the ‘European hotel’! Only right it should feel like that. Well done that hotel! Although, the décor, the flooring and general feel of the place, was run down…the ambience was that of an old fashioned European café somewhere. It is was…alright.

Restaurant rating (including staff): 6/10

PRICE
********************************************************************************
We paid £60 for one nights stay in a twin room, breakfast included. We actually had a double and a single bed, so we could have slept another in aswell and not tell the staff – making the room even cheaper – but that’s by the by and probably illegal. They take all cards from visa, to American express. For the location, it was well worth every penny.

Price rating: 8/10

>>GRAND TOTAL FOR THE EUROPEAN HOTEL: 6.75/10<<
(54/80 to be exact)

WOULD I STAY THERE AGAIN?
******************************************************************************
Quite frankly, yes I would…although I would try to find a better quality hotel at a ‘last minute deal’, to get a similar price. I know this is perfectly possible, as I have stayed in much nicer hotels at a similar price before. I was very content with the place…it seemed to be the ideal place for backpackers as they also have dormitories and shared bathroom facilities, lowering the price even more.

The European Hotel can be found on most websites that offer affordable accommodation in London.

11-15 Argyle Square
London, WC1H 8AS
United Kingdom

Thanks for reading :) 

...less