Bermonds Locke

At the funkier end of Bermondsey Street, right on Tower Bridge Road, this cool, contemporary apartment-hotel epitomizes the ‘Locke Living’ group’s vision of providing cool, affordable urban accommodation for those who often want to stay a bit longer, and offering all the amenities you need, to do so – including kitchen facilities, discounts for stays of a week or more, even a lobby that doubles as a co-working space. The hotel’s style is relaxed and self-consciously cool, but also very practical and budget-conscious, with a thoughtful approach to amenities – crisp, contemporary bathrooms with showers (no baths), well-thought-out kitchen facilities, Smart TVs and ‘Who Gives a Crap’ toilet paper.

The hotel’s 143 rooms are spread over 6 floors and are laid out as studio apartments, with kitchenettes incorporating a two-ring hob, oven and microwave, washing machine and (in most rooms) a dishwasher. They are bright, neat and clutter-free, with simple colour schemes ranging from coral on the lower floors to soothing blues higher up. The larger Locke Studio rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and can be set up as twins or doubles – it’s worth asking if they’re free as they are the same price as the slightly smaller Locke Studios.

As for food, the Shaman coffee bar in the lobby serves drinks and snacks during the day and turns into a regular bar in the evening, with DJs on weekends. On the other side of the lobby, Robin Gill’s Bermondsey Larder serves as the hotel’s in-house restaurant, offering a self-consciously farm-to-fork menu that changes regularly and takes in everything from monkfish ceviche to steak and chips.

The location is reasonably convenient, with London’s Bridge’s hub of transport connections just a ten-minute walk away, and any number of pubs, cafés and restaurants on Bermondsey Street and around. Plus you can say you stayed ‘sarf of the river’ and experienced the ‘Real London’ for once!