I try to arrange a couple of days break for my husband and myself, away from the children, every Easter holiday and we like to visit London and see the sites. If you are looking for reasonably priced accommodation in central London then Premier Travel Inn is probably your best bet. I considered three - County Hall, near the London Eye; London Bridge, north side of the bridge and Southwark. I have to admit that I didn't know where Southwark was until I looked on a map and I was surprised to find out how central to everything it was, so I chose to stay here.
The Premier Travel Inn Southwark is about eight minutes walk from London Bridge Underground Station - so make sure that your luggage has wheels! I
struggled but had a rest in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral at the halfway point. Doctor Who fans may remember the episode featuring Southwark Cathedral - Shakespearean times. The Globe theatre is five minutes walk from the hotel and the Golden Hind nearby and Vinopolis - wine tasting and restaurant - opposite.
The whole area, which includes the well-known Borough Market, is very atmospheric and you can easily imagine yourself back in old London. The Anchor Inn adjacent to the hotel is where Samuel Peeps sat to watch the Great Fire of London. It's one of the oldest pubs in the area and is used to serve breakfast to hotel guests in the morning. We had a full cooked breakfast, which was delicious and set us up for the day - didn't need lunch!
The hotel itself was pretty standard with 56 rooms, perhaps one step up from a Travel Lodge. The rooms here were large, clean and had a kingsize bed. We had a quiet room on the top floor which had air conditioning and a television. The bathroom with shower was as you would expect and very clean. The room opened with a key card which timed itself out before we were ready to leave on the last day, so we couldn't get back in to back. This was annoying but soon sorted out by a very friendly and efficient receptionist. Reception available 24hrs but no room service.
We didn't eat at the Anchor Inn in the evenings, as it was very busy with drinkers spilling out onto the river bank. This seems to be a very popular area in the evenings. We walked further into Southwark and ate in a Turkish restaurant on the first night and on the second night we walked to Pizza Express - about 5 minutes walk along the river bank towards the London Eye.
We did actually trek down to the London Eye one evening and it took us about 20 minutes to get there. It was quite late but there were alot of people about so felt fairly safe. On the way you pass the Globe Theatre, Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern and the Festival Hall. The views across the river in the evenings are spectacular. There are plenty of places to stop and eat or have a drink. Walk in the opposite direction towards Tower Bridge and past it and you see the Tower of London and Butlers Wharf with lots of shops, bars and restaurants. A trip up into the walkways and engine rooms of Tower Bridge was one of the highlights of our stay. The Tower of London is a huge tourist magnet and very crowded, so best avoided in the busy season unless you are happy to join the throng.
You can avoid sore feet by buying a river boat day pass which gives you a choice of many drop off points at sites along the river. We took a boat tour past the Docklands to Greenwich, which was very interesting.
Back to the hotel, we had a good nights sleep both nights with very little noise from the corridors or outside. The view out of our window wasn't very inspiring but for the price we paid - £85 per night - it didn't really matter. There is a small car park but I wouldn't recommend driving here. The hotel does have family rooms and I could see nothing to deter me from bringing children to the hotel - there were quite a few little ones at breakfast. There is a lift and the corridors and entrances are very accessible.
To sum up, I would love to stay here again and I think the hotel offered excellent value for money, good service and there was more than enough to see and do in the immediate vicinity. I highly recommend a stay here.
nb. We stayed here at the beginning of April for two nights over the Easter weekend.
I've noticed that prices have increased since our stay and you would now pay £95 per room with £7.50 per head for breakfast.
For full details and prices please visit www.premierinn.com.
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Next to the Thames on the South Bank, this Premier Inn hotel has family-friendly rooms and ... more
is an easy riverside walk from Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, London Dungeon and the London Eye.The Premier Inn London Southwark has a superb central location...
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