What do you look for when booking for accommodation?
Do you look for a spacious room, decent price range, strategic location, delicious breakfast spread or that aesthetic instagram corner?
When we travel, I'm always in charge of accommodation bookings (and 90% of the planning too) and I'd like to take that task very seriously. It has become my mission to look for beautiful hotels/places that still fall within our budget.
So when we moved to London last September from Vancouver, we needed a temporary place to stay to self-isolate for at least 14 days, and potentially more as we are looking for a permanent one.
We were looking for a place with:
1. A kitchen and, ideally, a washer, because we couldn't afford to eat takeouts everyday and needed to wash our clothes at some point.
2. A decent size of room, because we were gonna spend 14 days quarantine so we needed some space to move around and to store our 8 luggages.
3. An easily accessible tube connection.
4. A reasonable and affordable price point.
So initially we looked at Airbnb, because that's usually the go-to site when you book for long-term stay, right? However, when we compared to other hotel sites, the properties that tick our criteria above is not within our budget.
So imagine our surprise when we found a hotel that ticks all the criteria and is cheaper than the Airbnb properties that we found! *and instagrammable too!*
Leman Locke Review
This boutique hotel style property is called Leman Locke, opened in 2016 and it is the original Locke, a part of Locke Hotels. All their rooms are fully equipped and air-conditioned with a studio style. Check out our Hotel tour video if you like to see more visuals ;)
The Entrance
This property has 2 different entrances – you could access from the front side of the building which is actually the Shaman Coffee entrance and go through it by passing the elevator hall.
Now, the second entrance, which is their official Lobby entrance, is a bit hidden. It is located on the other side of the building. You could access it by turning to Buckle St and you will see a drop off spot on your left.
I wish we had known about the drop off spot beforehand, as it would have been way easier to carry our 8 luggages. But the reception was very helpful and he gave us a hand immediately and helped us carry our luggages using their trolley.
The Room
Leman Locke has a couple of options when it comes to room sizes – Micro Studio (19 sqm), Locke Studio (30 sqm), One Bedroom Suite (39 sqm). We chose the Locke Studio, which may seem small for a 14-day stay, but with its open plan living and big bright windows, the room feels way bigger than it is.
When you enter the room, on your right side, you'll see the sleeping area straight away consists of a king size bed, an open wardrobe and several drawers complete with a safe, ironing board, and yoga mat.
On the left side, you'll find a spacious bathroom with a walk in shower. However, I found that the shower glass is not wide enough to keep the water from splashing out.
Next to the sleeping area is my favourite area that might be one of the crucial factors why I booked this hotel. I mean, look at that colour of the wall and sofa! Yup, this is *that* spot.
On the opposite side you'll find the open plan kitchen and the dining table. We were quite surprised on how complete the kitchen equipment is. They have everything from pots and pans, roasting tray, toaster, kettle, plates, bowls, mugs, cutleries, even the dishwashing liquid and sponge.
The washer/dryer is sitting nicely inside one of the kitchen cupboards.
The marble top dining table is placed against the big bright window with two Scandinavian chairs. Smart TV is on the wall behind.
The Service
They understand the quarantine rules and were very accommodating, So when we needed a fresh set of bedsheets or toiletries, we would call the reception and they would place it in front of the door. That applies to deliveries and packages too.
Whenever we need to take out the trash we would just put it in front of our room and someone would come and collect it for us.
Overall
It was a really delightful stay and we ended up extending our stay to 25 days as we needed time to find our permanent place.
I would highly recommend staying here as it is not only pretty and instagrammable, it is also fully equipped, close to Tube station, and still affordable compared to other cute boutique hotels.
And check out all of their other Locke Hotels too, I swear they're just as pretty and instagrammable. I've definitely added those to my travel bucket list.
Stay safe!
Address:
15 Leman St, Whitechapel, London, E1 8EN
Price: GBP 70-80/night
Nearest tube station:
Aldgate East Underground Station - 1 minute walk | District, Hammersmith & City Line
Aldgate Underground Station - 5 minutes walk | Circle, Metropolitan Line
London Liverpool Street Station - 12 minutes walk | Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan Line
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