London Calling

Last time we went to London was in 2003. We were there for only four days. I didn't have an itinerary planned so we just winged it and did all the usual tourist things. We used a travel agency *I'm surprised they are still around* to book our trip so we stayed at a corporate hotel with a room the size of a closet. We had two twin beds so Aimee had her own bed and Antz and I shared a twin size bed. Let me repeat that, the both of us are a few inches shy of six feet tall and WE SHARED A TWIN BED FOR FOUR NIGHTS!!! My cell phone ended up getting fried from the electrical outlet converter and we only had about $100 to spend while we were there. I hated every single restaurant we picked except for Yo Sushi!

This was the first time I ever tried eel. Now I love it!

We were pretty miserable yet still it was the most fun we ever had in our lives. The experience was incredible and the three of us bonded in a way that no one could ever understand. We were young and on a serious budget back then. I'm glad we did it but now I'm older and I want to really enjoy our trip. I was very picky when it came to booking our hotels *because I wanted comfort and not to get scabies again!* I looked for something with a mix of eclectic boutique vibe but also the assurance of full amenities and service that you get with the corporate hotels.

My list of Must-Haves

King size comfy bed
Shower
Room service
Wi-fi
Interesting lobby
Good location
Restaurant in hotel
Close to the tube
In our budget

I definitely did not want to stay in the tourist part of town. Here are a few of the cool hotels I considered.

W London Leicester Square

This was my first choice because I am a fan of the W hotels. I knew it would be the perfect mix of corporate and boutique with incredible style. Here's the problem, the location is smack in the middle of tourist central. I have to admit, this isn't the most child-friendly option and the price was much too steep at £339 per night.

The Sanderson

They have a Mad Hatter Tea *we may take Liv time permitting*

This hotel is so posh. I think it's beautiful but it was booked for our nights and it's very sexy. I'm not sexy enough to handle it. Onwards...

The & *Ampersand*

I am a big fan of ampersands and I thought this place was very stylish but even I think this place is too much. It seemed like it would be stuffy and so grown up. My Goldilocks syndrome was in full effect. I searched tons of places on Hotels.com. Most places were in our price range but had poor ratings, looked bloody boring or the rooms looked no bigger than a bread bin.

Yotel This place is located in at the airport. You can book it for a few hours just to nap, Genius!!!

The winner ended up being a familiar place with all the amenities and space I wanted. I got a good deal on the room since I bundled it with our airfare package from Expedia and I am stoked about the location. It's definitely in a more authentic London side of town. I'm sure I will bump into Sir Banksy himself!