On my last business trip to London I was required to travel a lot, both within and outside London. So I decided to stay close to King’s Cross station. I started to look online for a comfortable yet reasonably priced hotel in the area, and the more I researched the more positive reviews I found of The Jesmond Dene, a Kings Cross Hotel in London. Every review I read raved about the place and its services, so I decided to check it out for myself this time.
The Jesmond Dene hotel– Firstly the location, it is absolutely the best I could have asked for. Only a short walk away (just a couple of minutes) are not only the three major rail terminals, namely the King’s Cross, St. Pancras and Euston, but the area is also connected by a vast network or bus routes and tube lines, which connect it to some of the major airports. As I was supposed to travel extensively, this was the best option for me. But proximity to transport route is not all that this hotel had to offer. This Victorian guest house is a bed and breakfast hotel with the friendliest staff. Not only will they help make your stay comfortable at the hotel with regular housekeeping, wake up calls etc., they can also provide you with currency exchange, tour ticket assistance, a safe deposit box and a host of other facilities. In fact, for those visitors who are not comfortable with speaking in English, this hotel offers a multilingual staff. The free wifi at the public area and the fact that the entire hotel is a smoke-free zone put the ‘cherry on the top’ for me. Besides, the room and bathroom were not very spacious, yet they were organized neatly and cleaned every single day. The breakfast selection was pretty basic but was effectively served and quite palatable. In short, I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone who is visiting London and looking for a hotel within budget.
Places to visit close to the hotel
The hotel is also close to many tourist areas like the British Library, London Senate House Library Russell Square, Trafalgar Square and King’s Place (canals). Being on a work trip I could not visit all of them but I was pleasantly surprised to find that King’s Cross, which I had always associated with the railway station and only that, has now turned out to be a cultural and tourist hub.
On my time off, I visited the Trafalgar square, The National Gallery and being once a ‘potterhead’ myself, I had to check out “Platform 9¾”, before I left London. Trafalgar Square was as picturesque as I had imagined it to be while the National Gallery let me closely experience one of the greatest collections of European art. It was a delightful experience, to be so close to one of the most extensive and historical art collection, the hours drifted by easily; also the display was backed by highly informative plaques explaining the works. Contrastingly, Platform 9¾, was though not a historical work of art, had a sentimental value for me. I had grown up with the Harry Potter series, stood in long winding lines for the releases of the last few books, so I could not think of leaving without paying a visit to the wall beyond which stood the promise of the ‘Hogwarts Express’.
Even though it had been years since I read the last book, this trip reminded me of a better and uncomplicated time and my trip worthwhile.
