Review of The Hoxton

Disclaimer - please note that I was given a discounted price in return for an honest review

Regular readers of my blog will know that I have wanted to stay at the The Hoxton for a long time. I blame my friend who told me all about her lovely weekend at the über trendy Hoxton hotel. Since then I have been lusting after The Hoxton. However, children came along and then we moved to Jersey. Then I started this blog and BML16 and the BiBs gave me the perfect excuse to stay at The Hoxton. Finally, I was going to be staying at the hippest hotel in London and therefore be cool through association. One can dream 😉 .

The Location

I don’t often have an excuse to visit London so I was very excited. However, the Brexit result had been announced that very morning and as a result I was feeling a little sad. The Hoxton proved to be the perfect tonic to this madness. I managed to find the hotel easily. Anyone that knows me will realise what a massive achievement this is. I am the girl who can get lost on a short one-way street. But give me London and a friendly policeman and I can survive just fine. I love Shoreditch because it has a really friendly and laid back vibe about it. The streets are littered with creative types and you can’t help but feel really energised as soon as your feet hit the Shoreditch pavements. The hotel was just a short stroll from the tube station and check-in was smooth and efficient. I was immediately impressed. I knew then that The Hoxton was not going to let me down. It was going to be just as great as I had hoped. The problem with wanting to stay somewhere for so long is that it might not live up to your expectations. I need not have worried. On arriving at the hotel I had about 30 minutes before I was meeting two of my lovely fellow bloggers, Sarah from Mumzilla, and Bridie from Bridie by the Sea. We were meeting for drinks in the hotel bar.

The Room

On arriving onto the corridor I fell in love. The pink lighting! I need that in my life, it was super flattering on my pale and pasty skin. I wasn’t feeling on top form so this nice subdued and warm lighting was very welcoming. In fact at that point I was very tempted to go to sleep in the corridor. However, I decided that the room might be a wiser choice. I then struggled to locate my room. I know! Can you see how clearly they are marked?! The numbers couldn’t be any bigger. I blame the tiredness. A very kind lady showed me to my room. It wasn’t hard because I was stood right next to it. Slightly mortifying and no wonder she couldn’t stop laughing.

My first impression of the room was - ‘wow’. I had booked to stay in a ‘Cosy’ room. I had taken this to mean that it wouldn’t be big enough to swing a cat in it. I was wrong! This is just clever marketing from The Hoxton. You arrive expecting a shoebox and then you find that you have been given a glorious and very stylish hotel room. There was nothing small about it. It was cosy in that it felt like a lovely retreat. I was impressed by the size of it. I have stayed in far smaller hotel rooms in London.

The room is really cleverly designed with attention paid to the smaller details. Look at the size of the hotel mirror! Massive! Perfect for bouncing light around the room and helping make the room seem even bigger. Also perfect for checking out my outfit for the BML16 reception. I may have taken my first selfie stood in front of that mirror. I wanted to check out how my outfit looked. Let’s just say that I will never be sharing that selfie. Never.

I loved the layout of the room. At the bottom end of the bed was a little office area, perfect for a blogger. The top of the desk lifted up to reveal yet more clever storage. There was also a book shelf crammed full with a whole array of books. Next to this was a coffee-making area, TV, a very cool radio, and one of the best hotel hairdyers I have ever used. It actually dried your hair quickly.

The bedroom was made for Instagram. I had to resist trying to Instagram everything as I had to get ready. However, I couldn’t resist sharing a picture of the very lovely armchair. I really wanted to curl up on it with a good book. I had to settle for sharing a picture of it.

*Sigh* It is a beautiful chair. By the way that handbag is from Joules. I love it. It is perfect for the summer and perfect for me and all the junk I have to cart around.

I just had enough time for a shower before I had to dash downstairs. The bathroom is equally glorious. Sleek and sophisticated with a monsoon shower. An amazing monsoon shower, big enough to dance in. I resisted the temptation to spend the evening stood/dancing under the shower, and I hurtled downstairs to meet the others.

The bar and lobby

When I arrived downstairs it was busy with people meeting for after work drinks. There really was a buzz about the place. I liked to think that I was now channeling Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex and the City. Here I was off the island and in a very fashionable bar. In my head I was telling myself to act laid-back. I was trying to resist the temptation to run around screaming

“This is soooooooo amazing!”

However, it was seriously cool. There were comfortable seats to lounge on, a friendly laid-back vibe and an awesome cocktail list! The Hoxton is the perfect destination for drinks.

There were groups drinking as well as couples squirreled away in private corners. I met the others and we sat down and enjoyed a drink. I am very happy to report that Sarah and Bridie are very lovely in real life! We had a brilliant natter and I pretended to be composed. I refrained from grabbing them both and shouting -

“I’m in London! Laaaaanaaaaandon! In this fabulous bar! Me! Emma!”

I was very poised. Let’s not talk about later. We won’t mention how I lost all sense of self-composure, and how I started shrieking at fellow bloggers. Nope, I am not mentioning that again.

We were reluctant to leave but we had the BML16 reception to attend. Later that night I arrived back at The Hoxton to find a very lively bar/clubbing scene. Cool tunes were being pumped out and the bar was really busy. I was very tempted to pull a stool up at the bar. Next time.

Did The Hoxton live up to my high expectations?

Absolutely! It was perfect in every way! Mr C was hoping that this would stop me nagging about wanting to stay in The Hoxton. However, now I will be nagging about returning. I was unable to really enjoy the trendy bar scene this time. Therefore, it is only fair that I return so I can finish my review 😉 . What do you say Mr C? Next time - me and you? A romantic trip for two?

The Hoxton is fantastic value for money and they often have really good deals on. To find the best deals follow their website and then you will have their amazing offers delivered straight into your inbox!

If you would like to book a room then you can do so at The Hoxton website

Ps The Hoxton is my new lucky charm as I only went and won the award for Fresh Voice in the BiBs. Another very valid reason for making sure that I return to The Hoxton.

PPS - When I first drafted this post I realised I had used the word - ‘cool’ about a million times. However, there is no other word to describe The Hoxton. It is one seriously cool hotel!

Disclaimer - Please note that I was very lucky to receive a discount on my room. However, all words are my own. This hotel really does ROCK!