Feeling at Home in London East End

Apartments can be a great option, especially for families and small groups of friends. To spend less, and feel like ‘at home’.

London, the Vibrant Brick Lane

I’m going quite often to London and finding a hotel offering a good value-for-money can be sometimes a tough task. Indeed, this happens in almost all big cities, especially in the peak season or hot periods when there are big fairs.

I must also say that I am not a big fan of huge hotels with hundreds of rooms and usually prefer little and cozier hotels, furthermore if they have a character. But again, finding a good bargain can be tricky.

That’s why I was so pleased when Roomorama offered me, and a group of other travel bloggers, an apartment for our stay in London during the World Travel Market 2011.

While hotels offer without doubts some advantages – first of all having a broad range of services right at hand – apartments are more intimate and provide a different experience. One can feel more ‘at home’ and, in some way, part of the local community, if only for a few days.

Our apartment, 2 bedrooms and a large sitting/dining room with open kitchen and all amenities, was in Brick Lane, one of my favorite areas in London. Although I had the chance to discover London East End only recently, I felt immediately wild about its vibrant life and atmosphere. Lots of vintage shops, little cafés with an alternative flavor and colorful street art, almost everywhere.

I fell in love with Brick Lane, its vibrant life and the ubiquitous colorful street art.

Colorful Street Art in Brick Lane

Staying in an apartment is also a great way to keep down expenses by cooking your own food, as the flat is fully equipped. Unfortunately, since we were all visiting London for business, there was little time for preparing any delicacy.

Notwithstanding, we took the chance to explore the surrounding area and soon found out a lovely café, close to our apartment, to have breakfast. For a travel blogger, can you imagine anything better than sipping coffee and eating a croissant in front of a table with an old world map?

Another important advantage of our apartment was the free, high-speed wi-fi. Being all writers and social media addicts, the ability to be connected is vital.

The downsides? Not many, indeed, at least in my opinion. One thing that would surely have been useful is a couple of additional keys. When you’re a group of friends with different habits, interests and schedules, having to take preliminary arrangements to keep sure that everyone will be able to come back without possibly waking up the ones sleeping, proved to be a bit tricky.

Bloggers at work...

Apart from that, everything went very smoothly, from the communications before our stay to the arrangements for the check-in (another positive score, as we did not expect to be able to enter the apartment so early – at 11 a.m.). All in all, I truly enjoyed my stay in the Brick Lane apartment, indulging on the sofa with my laptop, wandering in the narrow streets to admire and take pictures of the ubiquitous street art.

Another stay in a Roomorama apartment in a different city? Why not? For sure, I’d like to repeat the experience.

Have you ever stayed in an apartment?

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Disclaimer: My stay in London Brick Lane Apartment was kindly offered by Roomorama. However, as always the article only reflects my own opinions. 

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