London - the return

London 2016. Part 2. We had recently acquired a Two Together railcard so decided to go to London for a Christmas shopping trip (or so I thought!). We managed to get some really good priced train tickets especially for the return journey when first class was the cheapest option. Isn’t it odd when that happens but no complaints from us!

We decided to make a return trip to stay at the Citizen M Tower Hill hotel which we had first tried in the summer (see previous post). We had enjoyed the stay very much it really is a spectacularly quirky and very British hotel with the most amazing views from the 7th floor bar. It was the view and the location that drew us back – to see the Tower of London in a night time setting from a high viewpoint was all the excuse we needed! ​

The hotel is ideally situated right next to a tube station on main lines, directly across the road from the Tower, the Thames and Tower Bridge and surrounded by lovely places to walk and eat. As we stated in the previous post the rooms are very compact but luxurious and we really like the vibe and the atmosphere of the hotel. Overall the stay was once again very enjoyable – it is a very interesting hotel full of artwork and books, comfy seating, great food, lovely staff and the views from the bar are just amazing. We were surprised to find the bar was closed on the Sunday night but spent a lovely very quiet evening in it on the Monday. One thing that stood out to me was the friendliness of all the staff you encounter from the young lady who was polishing the lift doors on the morning we left to the gentlemen who was cleaning rooms on our floor. All the staff you meet have a friendly hello for you which is a credit to the training they receive. We would definitely return and maybe just time our breakfast better as there did seem a few issues on the Monday with a chaotic system for coffees and some empty plates on the buffet bar - but nothing too concerning.

We spent our days in London walking and photographing. The album of images is available on Flickr now. We ate at Borough Market – another on our wish list and went back to the wonderful Bodeans BBQ which we had discovered on our last visit. Their Bodean’s meat platter is delicious – especially the burnt ends and good old poutine fries. It’s rapidly becoming one of our favourite restaurants! http://bodeansbbq.com/tower-hill/

Strangely no Christmas shopping took place I think Chris managed to plan all walks avoiding the shops! We did visit the wonderful Liberty of London which is a magical place all year and especially so at Christmas. We were delighted to find the Wigan delicacy of Uncle Joe’s mintballs nestling amongst the Christmas decorations there but our wallets stayed shut and the bag we had taken to transport home our shopping was not needed! Still another tiring but good break – like all trips to London though I think we need another holiday to recover!
V