There's something about a night away at a hotel (even in your own city!). An evening to actually escape - because you're not surrounded by everything and anything which will remind you of the dreaded 'to-do list'. An opportunity to explore the surrounding area a little more. A night just you - or the two of you - to do you. And it can feel pretty lavish too. Even without costing the earth. We recently stayed at newly refurbished budget hotel, Point A Hotel in Liverpool Street and had a fab night. It's such a cool area too, just on the edge of Shoreditch.
So for those of you looking to explore a new area, or just do a little more, and plan a night away too, here's a roundup of the great things in the area. And a little on our stay too, because we really did have a great stay - and the breakfast choice was dreamy!
The Area...
Liverpool Street is in the heart of the city. Home to Britain's third busiest railway station and right on the edge of quirky Shoreditch, it's a busy area with both business-types and tourists, and there's always plenty to do, eat and drink....
Where to go for drinks...
The Allegory
We actually pretty much stumbled across this. As in, The Allegory was one of the closest bars to the hotel, according to Google. Literally 2 mins away, just over the main road. It looked cool and edgy inside, with graffiti style art over the walls, yet had a touch of class. Service was quick, drinks were pretty reasonably priced (~£8 for a cocktail). We managed to get a seat too. Music was throwing it back to some pop and RnB classics, to which a group in front of us at one point were enjoying very much. It's definitely a spot you could spend most of the evening in! The Negroni we had was fab - really smooth. Whilst the Espresso Martini was a little frothier than others, but still great!
Dirty Martini
I love a Dirty Martini bar! It's a fab spot for cocktails, especially during the daily happy hour. And there's one right opposite Liverpool Street station. The cocktail menu is extensive - they even have a mood map to help you pick one!! But they do have other options too including plenty of wine and beers. I'd definitely recommend starting the evening here and making the most of the offers!
The Eats...
Pizza Union
I love Pizza Union. For anyone who hasn't been yet, it's a super casual canteen-style spot. You order at the front, take your buzzer, find a seat and collect when ready. Pizzas are super thin and crispy, and are so cheap - prices between £3.95 and £6.50. There are some great topping options on the menu, and you can add extras too. The Milano, a white pizza with gorgonzola, mushrooms and pancetta was absolutely delicious. A must order. The Pollo with mozzarella, chicken, peppers and thyme was a pretty good chicken pizza too. Although my mushroom one definitely won.
They also serve alcohol to accompany the pizza, so you can always carry on or opt for a softer choice.
Beigel Bake
This place is pretty famous. I can confirm it is raved about for good reason and the queues are totally worth it. The salt beef bagels are packed full of juicy, soft, super tasty beef. With pickles and mustard too, they're dreamy. The cakes are great too. Best bit, they're really affordable!
Dinerama
Dinerama is a partially covered street food market from the guys behind Street Feast. There are roughly ten food traders, always with some awesome options. Traders include the likes of Club Mexicana, Fundi and Chin Chin Labs. There are also roughly ten bars or drink stops serving cocktails, craft beers, spirits and soft drinks. An awesome casual spot for catchups or even date night. Definitely try the food from a few places! One thing to note though is that it can get busy.
Where the fun happens...
Junkyard Golf
For a bit of fun, this is the one. Junkyard Golf is a cool basement crazy golf spot. It has four quirky courses all themed, and created from.. you guessed it.. parts from the junkyard. The holes are so creative and funny. It sure brings on a laugh.. and maybe a little frustration. I've been a few times, but always keen to get back! At £12.50pp for a round on each course, it's not too badly priced either.
What's more, there a few bars on site with great cocktails and drinks options.
Musical Bingo
This is a sporadic event, but often held at the bar underneath Pizza East in Shoreditch.
Musical Bingo is a bingo game but forget numbers, it's all about naming the tunes the DJ plays. Each song is on from around 30seconds through to the whole song, dependent on how much of a tune it is - you can't cut off the hits right?! For each game, you get a grid of 9 songs to match. Prizes are given for first to 1 line, 2 lines, 3 lines and a full house. Introducing and presenting the game night are two hilarious guys. One disappearing behind the DJ decks to play the tunes, and check the sheets. Often popping out with the confetti canon. Which he used as an air guitar once or twice (or maybe a few more times). The other presenting, cracking jokes and dancing on stage. All the dancing. They were both great and totally made the night.
It really does start the night off with so much fun, and I'd definitely recommend checking out if they're hosting a bingo night when you're in the area - or even travelling to Liverpool Street just for this!
And the markets/shopping...
Spitalfields market
Spitalfields Market is a popular Victorian Market which has been running since 1876. It's host to fashion, art and crafts sellers, and is surrounded by pop-up eateries and restaurants, including Bleecker burger, Le Swine and Crosstown Doughnuts. It's a great location to do a bit of relaxed shopping (or window shopping and exploring) and then settling in for lunch and a drink.
Box park
Box Park started as a "pop-up mall for independent and global, fashion and lifestyle stores in Shoreditch", evolving to include food & drink too. It's right next to Shoreditch High Street station and includes plenty of boutique retailers, as well as awesome food pop-ups, including PieMinster, What the Pitta and Soft Serve Society. There are regularly pop-up events hosted there too so do check out what might be appearing.
It's a great spot for taking an afternoon stroll through, admiring the boutique buys and even treating yourself to one or two.
Where to stay near Liverpool Street after a day/evening exploring...
Point A Hotel is definitely THE place to stay if you're looking for somewhere in this area.
This budget hotel is fantastic. With rooms priced from £69pp we were pleasantly surprised at just how good it is.
From the moment you enter and are greeted service is friendly and helpful. The lobby interior looks modern and pretty sophisticated/cool with bright colours and printed fabrics.
The interior continued to the rooms which were spacious and contemporary, with dark fabrics and pops of colour. Our room was a pretty reasonable size, with plenty of space around the double bed, and a standard-sized bathroom. It wasn't as private as it could be, with a frosted door but for couples/close friends we thought it was ok. Every room has linen, towels, a TV, toiletries on the wall and a hairdryer. There's no iron, however, they have a full-on ironing room on the first floor! We also noticed that there weren't the usual coffee/tea making equipment you'd usually get. We did miss this when we first woke, but it just made us go down for breakfast sooner.
The windows were large letting in lots of natural light, and the views weren't too bad either! The lighting in the room, for when it got dark, worked through a super cool touchpad system - in fact so did the temperature control for the aircon/heater. It was so tech-y and modern. There was even mood lighting along the top of the white curtains which I had fun playing with - although you could leave it to go full cycle in colours by itself too!
The bed was pretty firm, but not too hard. It was comfortable and we got a great night sleep! We woke refreshed, with a slow start and a little TV before heading down for breakfast.
The Breakfast...
Point A Hotel offers an unlimited continental breakfast for £9pp and the range on offer is incredible. There were so many pastry options (including savoury ones I've never seen on a breakfast buffet before). There are yoghurts, cereals, fresh fruit, muffins, bread rolls and condiments as well as boiled eggs and cheese. Unlimited juice is on tap, and you can order a tea coffee to accompany your breakfast too.
We had such a breakfast feast on our little table for two. There's a large dining area, so we probably should have sat at a larger table or one of the bar areas, but we quite liked our little spot in the corner. There's also a garden coffee area, which we thought would be lovely in the summer months.
The fresh fruit was juicy and delicious. The pastries all went down a treat, and the blueberry muffins were so fluffy and tasty. The yoghurt was fantastic and really creamy, and the muesli was great. I did enjoy my coffee too! A great end to a fabulous stay.
We truly would recommend a stay at Point A Hotel. Not only is it affordable, but it's also comfortable, contemporary, friendly and welcoming. It's in a fab area too.
Which is your favourite area in London? Where do you like to explore or where's next on your list?
Chloe xx
