We love London! This year, we explored East London, and got to know why it is such an interesting and entertaining part of the city.
The Brick Lane Market happens every Sunday in East London
After our housesit in the converted convent in East Grinstead, we took the train to London Bridge and then the tube to Bethnal Green tube stop. We walked the short distance to The East London Hotel from there. We stayed 2 nights. In the interest of full disclosure, let me share that one night was free because we are writing about it. This hotel is a cool and hip place to stay in East London – everything is renovated and very new. Our room was tiny tiny tiny, but it was great! We paid £90 for one night (about $113 US), which for London, which is a pretty great value!
Beigel Bake is a must stop for a salted beef bagel!
We checked in and then just walked the neighborhood. We had so much fun exploring the area. We walked toward a restaurant Chelsea recommended to us called Bao – but before we got there we figured out that it was closed on Sunday. I had read about a Bagel place that served what looked like smoked meat – so we headed there and it was absolutely fantastic! Beigel Bake is amazing -- there was a line out the door! We each had a bagel with salted beef, mustard and a pickle. Yum.
There was a market on Brick Lane because it was Sunday. This is a super eclectic, hipster part of London. We loved wandering the streets and investigating all the little vendor’s tents in the market. We ended up at Spitalfields Market, which is quite a bit more upscale and also fabulous. We had been there before so we knew exactly what we wanted: fried soup dumplings. They were delicious. They are super hot, though! Note to self: you will burn your face off if you bite into these spectacular bites soon after you get them in your bowl. Next time, we need to wait longer for the insides to cool down!
We got a Brick Lane Beer in a cool and funky spot where there was a dance exercise class going on in the bar. How awesome is that?
More on the East London Hotel
This is a great hotel, at a reasonable price, especially for London. We enjoyed our stay very much. I tried to check in online but the system didn’t work properly. I was not able to get my room key before arrival. They were very helpful and accommodating at the front desk, though, and we were quickly checked in.
The rooms are completely updated and very modern. The bed is comfortable and the shower is hot, with great water pressure. Everything is very tightly organized in order to accommodate maximum comfort in a minimum amount of space. We did think that if some of our taller friends were staying there, it might be a tough squeeze for them, as the rooms are quite tiny, even by big city standards. But overall, we really enjoyed our stay.
The bed in our room was pushed up next to the window so the person sleeping on that side of the bed has to crawl over the other person in order to get out. This doesn’t bother us, but if that’s not OK in your situation, you would want to choose a larger room. They do have different sized rooms at different prices. There is even a lower priced room with no windows; but we opted for one with a view of the busy street below. We were happy with our choice.
The bathroom is compact but very stylish
The lobby is great. It provides a wonderful workspace, a nice place to have breakfast and a handy spot for a nightcap in the evening. We got breakfast at the hotel one morning, as it was included. Breakfast was good, but maybe not worth the £25 ($31 US) price if it’s not included. We got toast with avocado and eggs, fruit and a latte. If you just want plain coffee, it is £3, which seems high, even for London.
When we asked for restaurant recommendations on Sunday night after 9:30 pm, we were given very few suggestions. We wanted to get take out and eat it in the hotel lobby with a drink from their bar. It seems that a delivery service from local restaurants would have been reasonable information to provide, especially on a Sunday night when some places close early. One would think that in the city of London, there must be a Deliveroo service, or something similar, for this area. If not, it is an opportunity for someone! The suggestion at the front desk was to go to La Forchette – an Italian restaurant that was OK, but we were hoping for something better in this food paradise.
The hallway outside the elevators was often very dark and it seemed that the motion detector light was not working. Other than these observations, overall, it was a really great stay. Improving on these few items could make a stay at the East London Hotel even better.
Watching is as fun as eating!
Staying in East London is so interesting if you remain in the area and explore, but you really have all of London at your fingertips, as it is quite accessible. One evening, we took the tube to the Monument stop and went on a London Walks Ghost Walk. Our guide, Andy, was very good and we loved the walking tour. We went through some parts of London we have never been in before. We walked through LeadenHall Market which was fantastic – it has been used in lots of movies including Harry Potter. Can anyone say “Diangonal Alley”?
The next day we walked to Broadway Market. It’s a market only on Saturdays but the street is great even though the market wasn’t open when we were there! It’s very eclectic with lots and lots of great food options. We saw a shop with women making Turkish flatbread in the front window. They were cooking it on traditional curved ovens. It was so cool. They rolled out the dough on one board and then transferred it to the hot oven and fried it. We got one with cheese and spinach and shared it. It was very good – but not as flavorful as I wanted. I wish it had a spicy sauce or something. But it was still very good.
East London is amazing. We had a great stay at the East London Hotel. It’s a wonderful high value option in a fabulous part of town. We would gladly go back again! If you would like to book a room here, or at any other hotel anywhere in the world, we would love it if you use the following link: https://www.eurotravelcoach.com/bookingcom-search Booking.com has a great inventory of properties, lots of helpful reviews, and an easy booking system. If you use this link, we will receive a very small commission. Every little bit helps! Thanks so much for your support!
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