Southwark Rose Hotel, London > Reviews > Good quality budget hotel in historic Southwark

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Quality of Rooms	Good
Standard of Service	Good
Quality of Food & Drink	Average
Cleanliness	Excellent

Advantages:	Affordable, modern, stylish, quiet situation, good decor, friendly staff
Disadvantages:	Compact rooms, average rooms, away from West End

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Southwark Rose Hotel is a modern hotel on Southwark Bridge Road just across the Thames from the heart of the City of London. It used to describe itself as London's first budget boutique hotel, but although more attention might have been paid to the decor in the bedrooms and the common areas than in other hotels of a comparable standard, I think 'boutique' is going a bit far.

The hotel is conveniently placed for business people working in Southwark/London Bridge areas or in the heart of the City - the Bank of England is about 10 minutes brisk walk away. The hotel does have the added advantage of a car park, which is usually fairly empty. Possibly the fee charged is quite high.

For tourists, the hotel is one of the closest to Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe. There is a very interesting walk through the old dock buildings past the original Clink prison to Southwark Cathedrl and Borough Market - where Bridget Jones and Harry Potter movies have been filmed. Probably good idea to ask for directions.

For accessing the rest of London, the Borough High Street entrance of London Bridge underground station is about 5 minutes walk away, and Mansion House isn't much further awya over the river. The RV1 tourist bus that connects the Tower and Covent Garden via all the South Bank sites stops nearby.

The bedrooms are compact, but well designed and nicely decorated. Only the disabled rooms and the handful of suites have proper bathrooms, with the majority of rooms having only a shower. The in-room safes contain a power point, so you can lock up your laptop, phone or camera whilst it is charging.

Watch out for the electrically operated blinds. It is a good idea to check that they work properly when you check in. Some fellow guests have complained of waking up early in the mornings as the blinds let in more light than curtains, but it didn't cause me any problems.

The restaurant on the top floor is good for a reasonably priced breakfast, but in the evening the food is pretty average. However if you have had a hard day at the office or trudging round the sights of London it is an OK alternative to heading out again. Certainly the staff are generally very friendly.