Last updated on February 12th, 2019 at 07:34 pm
London is one of the top travel destinations in Europe, not to mention the world. There is so much to see and do in the incredibly historic city! With its enormous size, selection of cool neighborhoods, scads of attractions and activities, and hundreds if not thousands of hotel choices, it can be really hard to decide where to stay when planning a trip!
We had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in London recently, and we jumped at the chance to check out attractions we’d missed the last time we visited back in 2015.
We are budget travellers but that doesn’t mean we always go with the cheapest hotel option. We’ve learned that prioritizing a terrific location, convenient amenities, and excellent customer service are well worth spending more money on when it comes to a hotel stay.
In fact, in our experience those kinds of things can actually make opting for a higher priced hotel cost less overall than choosing to stay in a cheap hotel.
We found a great place to stay in London based on our priorities, located close to everything we needed and wanted to enjoy during our short stay in London, The East London Hotel.
Here’s why we it’s the best budget hotel in London!
The Location
Located in vibrant East London, The East London Hotel is delightfully close to an array of awesome restaurants and bars of trendy Shoreditch and Bethnal Green. It sits adjacent to Bethnal Green Tube Station, so Central London is easily accessible from the hotel as well.
With only 48 hours to spend in London we didn’t want to waste a lot of time and money getting to the things we wanted to see. We were able to do everything we wanted and didn’t need to spend a dime on cabs or Uber’s to get to anything staying at The East London Hotel!
There were scads of great restaurants, something to fit every budget, within easy walking distance from the hotel. Two highlights were:
The Kitchens at Spitalfields Market; a seven days a week foodie destination. There is delightful mix of affordable street food and contemporary dishes to be had in The Kitchens at the heart of this eclectic Market! We ate at Yum Bun- a purveyor of delicious hand made steamed buns
stuffed with fresh flavors!
Mak, our 9 year old Son deemed their free range fried chicken steamed bun “exceptional”. The fresh pizza at Sud Italia was easy on the wallet and pretty darn delicious too!
And, Beigel Bake; A beloved local institution that’s been serving up seriously cheap and delicious beigel sammies 24/7 since 1974! The salted beef bagels are a must try!
The Atmosphere at the East London Hotel
The quality of service at a hotel is just as important to us as location, cost, and cleanliness. Be it great or terrible, the service creates the atmosphere for any hotel stay. Every staff member we encountered at the East London Hotel was professional, genuinely warm, and accommodating. The feeling we had staying with this hotel; that our experience was important to them. The welcoming atmosphere at the East London Hotel set the tone for our short stay.
The service was complemented by the modern comfortable reception area. An unexpected friendly space with an all day cafe, comfortable seating, and overall “come in and relax” kind of feel.
The Rooms and Amenities
We understand that budget hotels most often skimp on space in their rooms to keep costs lower. This is where some affordable hotels do much better than others; and the East London Hotel is one that absolutely shines!
Our room was expertly appointed to maximize space and luxuriously outfitted with high end bedding, pillows, and finishings. We never felt cramped, in fact, the room felt quite spacious! The bathroom was particularly lovely- the Monsoon shower was incredible!
Other key features we enjoyed in our room were a Nespresso machine, custom mattresses made with silk and lambswool (so comfortable), and multiple USB charging ports.
We see a lot of value in hotels that offer affordable breakfast choices. The East London Hotel has a breakfast menu to suit every type of preference and dietary requirement. I’m allergic to wheat so finding something delicious and substantial to eat is usually impossible for me when it comes to breakfast options at most hotels. Not so at the East London Hotel! They offer a variety of options that are gluten free, vegetarian and vegan as well.
The all day cafe offers breakfast, lunch, and snacks all day. All menu items can be eaten in or packed up to take away. Super convenient, high quality locally sourced food that’s affordable was another highlight with this hotel stay!
Here’s Why We Think The East London Hotel is The Best Budget Hotel in London
It’s challenging and extremely important to us to find great value for money hotels; particularly for short stays. The East London Hotel checked all the boxes for a great hotel stay for us. Location, service, amenities, and cost all play a part in how we decide where to stay.
Cost per night for a family of 3 can be as low as $90 USD a night. Plus the convenient location, museums, shopping, and many quality low cost food options on site and in the surrounding area gets the East London Hotel top marks for value for money by our standards!
Alex Howell
I have planned a trip throughout Europe, so one of my obligatory visits is to London, I will consider this hotel. Good recommendation.