A few weeks back, we received an invite from Point A Hotel Liverpool Street, asking if we’d like to take a look around the newly refurbished premises. After having the chance to stay at Point A Hotel Shoreditch we jumped at the opportunity. There’s nothing like a London staycation, after all!
The thing we genuinely like about the two Point A Hotels in London that we’ve seen: the brand has reinvented what compact is. It’s easier than you might think to get totally ripped off by hotels in London – you’ll pay a fortune thinking you have somewhere nice reserved, only to find it’s run-down, uncomfortable and dowdy.
Our experience with Point A Hotels in London is that they make great use of space, opt for stylish tech and comfy beds.
Best things about Point A Hotel Liverpool Street
Point A Hotel Liverpool Street was one of the original hotels in the network. We experienced the totally refurbished version, and we’re thoroughly impressed! Point a Hotel Liverpool Street is about 5 to 7 minutes walk from the station. It’s just two minutes’ from Spitalfields, which has everything you could need for a stay in central London.
Outside of its very convenient location, there’s a spacious outdoor area that you can enjoy if the sun is out. Inside you’ll find a comfortable lounge / chill out space that is also where breakfast is served.
Like its sister property in Shoreditch, the rooms are compact but cleverly designed so that you feel like you’re in a cosy nook. There’s plenty of clever hiding space for luggage too. Topped off by fun mood lighting, black-out curtains and 43-inch Samsung Smart TV, you’ve got everything you need for a total getaway.
Find out more about Point A Liverpool Street Hotel’s refurb here.
Top 4 things to do near Liverpool Street
Old Spitalfields market
This east London hot-spot has seen market activity for over 350 years! Now, Spitalfields is a covered market, brimming with lovely eateries, lively places to have a beer and shops to browse. It’s definitely one of the best things to do near Liverpool Street, and it’s just a couple of minutes’ walk from this London Point A Hotel. There’s over 50 shops and stalls at Spitalfields.
What we like about the place is that the restaurants and bars are big. Plenty of space means a place to sit down. I even managed to get some work done so would add it to our list of fave London digital nomad working spots.
Salesforce Tower and Sushi Samba
Locals know this secret well. For one of the very best things to do near Liverpool Street, and a FREE view of London, head to Salesforce Tower (formerly Heron Tower). The glass lift is swift. That is, in less than 30 seconds you’ll be 39 floors high! The view is spectacular though.
It’s easy to pop into Sushi Samba for a drink on their outdoor deck. You’ll need a reservation to eat there though, or at the dining alternative at the top, The Duck and Waffle. The Drift is on the ground level, also another lovely venue.
Be mindful here, you’ll possibly need dress shoes to enter the building, but outside that, you can enjoy a fun free experience, just a short walk across the road from Liverpool Street.
Broadgate
Described as ‘a 32-acre central London neighbourhood’, Broadgate is the brand new precinct opened next to Liverpool Street station. We wandered through earlier this year just as it was opened. It’s built in a circle type shape, with beautiful restaurants and Instagrammable boutiques throughout.
This spot has everything from pubs to high-end sushi, beautiful meeting spots and table tennis. Read more here.
Bishopsgate road
Finally, if you’re after a bite to eat or a quick drink, there’s plenty of options along Bishopsgate road. This is the main road in front of Liverpool Street train station. Most of our high street eateries are here, including Wasabi, All Bar One, Dirty Martini… You won’t go hungry or thirsty in this part of London.
And when you’re done, head back to Point A for a dreamy sleep.
Point A Hotels are situated across the nation, so ideal for a value for money UK staycation escape. We were sponsored for this stay but the review is our own.
A couple of weeks ago we received some interesting survey results via Point A Hotels about ‘staycation London’ ideas and why 2019 is likely to be the year of the UK staycation. It all immediately resonated with me.
Like many others, Cooper and I have indeed adjusted travel plans because of apprehension over Brexit.
We’ve paid money for fast-track to get in and out of airports amid anticipated chaos; we have 2019 staycation London dates pencilled in the diary, and are considering more local UK travel (rather than heading to Europe).
Staycation London: value for money and a fun city break
The aforementioned survey results reflect our feelings about not letting Brexit stop us from travelling. But rather, we’re encouraged to reconsider our options, which is fine because we have strategies for exploring our own backyard!
So let me ask you a question. If you can’t jump on a plane to go on an adventure, what is it that you want to do on a Friday after a loooong week at work?
I suspect I’m not alone in wanting to grab a drink, put my feet up and chill out in comfort.
According to Point A’s survey, 76% of us also want to enjoy a fun city break. Admittedly, Cooper and I are beat by the weekend, so we miss out on all the cool London experiences we might take advantage of if we were in the thick of the action (read: little effort required).
Point A Hotels put us to the staycation London challenge by giving us a chance to experience their Shoreditch property last Friday night. As it turns out, it was right up our street.
The Shoreditch Point A Hotel is as cool as its neighbourhood. It’s situated just a short walk from Shoreditch High Street or Liverpool Street stations, so about as convenient as it gets.
Point A Shoreditch – the London staycation offering
I arrived a little earlier than Cooper so checked-in, eager to have a look around at our staycation London digs. My check-in experience was terrific. The staff were all lovely and offered helpful advice on what to do in the area and how to take advantage of the discounts associated with the hotel.
Zooming up to level 6, I noticed that the hotel’s tech seemed to be sleek and smooth – from the lighting to the elevator and automated options on the room doors, everything feels fresh and contemporary.
We like fresh and contemporary!
Our room, while compact, continued to impress throughout the stay. From the SMART TV to the [very] comfy bed, lighting options and importantly clear instructions on how to adjust heat, cold, brightness – everything felt nice and easy. Imperative for a short staycation.
To be honest, most London accommodation – even the expensive stuff – is small. We’ve stayed in rooms that were old and cramped yet still ridiculously over-priced. This we feel, is great value for money, and the design of the room made it feel bigger than it probably was.
Our room was compact, yet super stylish and offered clever storage options.
I really liked the offering on the television menu too – a digestible guide to the local area including bars, restaurants, shopping, attractions, coffee, culture and clubs. This helped us to not have to think too much about what to do or where to go.
Shoreditch is easy to walk around and explore. We’d forgotten how fun it is. We may have had a bit too much fun, if I’m honest, but that’s what a staycation in London is for, right?
Point A also offers a bundle of discounts and freebies to take advantage of during your London staycation, including local food and drink deals, and sometimes gym passes.
I’m not going to lie, there’s no way I was going to the gym. Not. A. Chance. It’s my staycation London time – to be treasured. Where’s the bar?
Staycation summary
We sum up our stay at Point A Hotel Shoreditch as being stylish, convenient, comfortable and contemporary. Cooper and I were both very impressed at the effort put in to bring the latest tech and style into the space.
We enjoyed the perfect Friday night and short stay in London – with a glass (maybe more) of wine, snuggly and chic place to chill out in, and a pampering offering far better than what we have on offer at home (sorry, Cooper :). Oh, and to top things off, the breakfast (a mix of healthy and naughty) was delicious too.
Point A Hotels are situated across the nation, so ideal for a value for money UK staycation escape. We were sponsored for this stay but the review is our own.
If the sun comes out we want for nothing more than to head to the seaside, and the beach at Whitstable is absolutely accessible by train from London to Whitstable for a day trip or weekend.
Whitstable is a quaint seaside destination in Kent. The train London to Whitstable is just over an hour’s ride from St Pancras (at Kings Cross).
Escape to the beach at Whitstable
A Whitstable day trip on the train from London means you can enjoy quirky shopping, seafood aplenty, oysters, oysters, oysters… and best of all, there are dogs everywhere!
Kent is a beautiful and accessible destination from London.
We love it because it’s easy to get to the beach in around an hour; the scenery, energy and vibe of similar beach-side destinations like Broadstairs and Botany Bay means that just one day away from the big city energises you! Well worth the time.
For those seeking swimming opportunities, do your research – the beach at Whitstable is great for paddling and water sports, as well as people watching and lounging about.
It’s not the sandiest of beaches, from what we saw, but it has the best of any seaside experience.
Beat the crowds on your Kent beach day trip
Our major travel tip is be to go early, because if you strike a lovely day, by around midday this little town (and others like it) is packed.
Whitstable is famous for its an annual mid-year Oyster festival.
To give you some idea of how popular this is, the town’s is population is around 32,000 and during this festival attracts an additional 40,000!
Take a look around at our Whitstable beach and seaside escape.
Hopefully you’ll be inspired to book your train from London to Whitstable next time the sun is out.
Got questions about travel in and around London? Or your own travel tips? Let us know in the comments…Â
This past week we had the chance to attend the summer launch party for Skylight rooftop bar at Tobacco Dock in east London.
We didn’t know Skylight rooftop bar existed but wow, what a venue! We’ll definitely be back. Spread across three huge levels, Skylight includes undercover spaces (for when London weather isn’t playing nice), games, comfortable seating and unbeatable views over London.
Summer in London is here, and it means our rooftop bars are beginning to open their doors again, just in time for May’s first long weekend. After a long cold winter, we are ready to play.
Take a look around Skylight …. see you soon for summer in London.
When Cooper said he was taking me to Walthamstow to explore a cool London secret he’d heard about called God’s Own Junkyard, well, I thought he’d slightly lost the plot!
But, as it turns out, this place is extraordinary. Housed in an unassuming warehouse, the immense collection of neon signs and vintage finds from old nightclubs, bars, film sets and abandoned stores really lights you up. It’s fascinating. There’s a bar and cafe too.
Take a look around God’s Own Junkyard with us…
Do you know somewhere quirky and cool we should visit in London? Drop us a line in the comments below.
Welcome! We are Sarah + Cooper, Aussie expats living in the UK with our Westie dog, London. We like to inspire on how to travel for longer and to live and work from anywhere. Our most popular content here is about seeing the world with your pet, remote working & digital nomadism, and house + pet sitting. Create a global life of your dreams at any age! Subscribe to find out more :)
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