16/2/2009

my travel agent hooked me up with this place. i admit that i was a skeptic--the whole sofabed thing put me off but i also knew that accommodation in london was very hit-or-miss unless you paid a fortune.

i'm glad to report that my skepticism was unfounded--the sofabed was actually comfortable (they usually have a lump in the middle but these seem to have that problem licked) . my apartment had the main room (which featured the sofabed, tables along both sides of the sofa, a coffee table, an upholstered chair, a desk (from which i used the free wired internet, which always worked well), a tv stand with a tv with tons of channels (important since i was there for the u.s. election day and wanted to watch the election coverage). There was also a full bathroom and a kitchenette (emphasis on the "ette" part--the floor space occupied by the kitchenette was about 2 sq m).

kitchenette was more than adequate for my needs (microwaved foods from the tesco down the street or the m&s around the corner, and refrigerator to store cold foods and insulin). bathroom had a shower inside the bathtub and it all worked well.

hotel staff were very helpful ... apartments rented weekly don't get daily housekeeping or linen/towel changes, but you can swap out towels for five pounds which i did after a few days.

the big win here, of course, is location. it's footsteps from trafalgar square, about as many footsteps in the other direction to the millennium bridge ... so much is within walking distance!  many tube stations within a few blocks' walking distance, too ...

i'm going back to london in the spring and i definitely plan to see if this place has room for me then.

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10/3/2009

The Citadines was a very serviceable business hotel that is very conveniently located with in walking distance to many great sites in London.  However, the rooms are quite small and the service ranged from slow to non-existent.  The towels are only refreshed once per week (unless you would like to pay extra) which is nothing major but its especially irritating when its a luxury I am used to when staying at a hotel (think: Airlines now charging to use the bathroom on flights!).  Plus the coin laundry machines in the building are relics and take FOREVER to dry laundry.  Note: Forever x 1 euro/15 minutes to dry your towels = a lot of money !

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27/6/2009

Can someone just tell the city of London to shut down this disgusting place?  Two things it has going for it: good breakfast and close to Trafalgar Square.  Let's see, the shower had the slickest tube ever and had a huge step, so not slipping out of the shower every morning was a challenge.  Maid service once a week?  Really?  When you offer customers the thinnest towels possible, not cool.  Oh and when I finally did get new towels, I opened it and found a HUGE brown spot in the center.  Trash gets taken out once a week = gross.  It was like musical chairs for my roommate and I to get ready every morning: ok lets move the wheel bed, put the suitcase in the kitchen, etc.  Seriously?  One set of shower gel and lotion for 2 people for 1 week?  Glad I brought extras, especially since my friend planned on us having plenty of hotel samples.  If I hadn't already paid for it, I would have checked out and headed back to the Bailey--STAT!  NEVER EVER STAY HERE.

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