--Overview--

Crowne Plaza London City is one of the best located hotels in London. A stones throw from Blackfriars tube station, and a gentle walk from the west end this hotel is perfect if you are a theatre goer. My experience of this hotel was as part of a show and stay package. For £140 pp I got a night stay at this hotel including buffet breakfast plus a ticket to go see the Lion King.

---Getting there ---

As previously stated the hotel is right next to Blackfriars tube station. This is easily the best way to get the hotel. I arrived in London at London Euston and two tube transfers later I was at the hotel. The hotel is located within the Congestion Charge zone and does not include any parking so it is unadvisable to drive there.

---First Impressions -

From the outside the hotel looks really nice. Situated in a large white brick Georgian building, the hotel gives a good impression of style. As soon as you enter you notice everything is geared towards first impression. The interior is very stylish and contemporary. As you enter the reception area you notice all the furnishings, the large open fire, the flowers all over the place. I was very, very impressed.

--Facilities -

The crown plaza London City has the following facilities:
Sauna
Housekeeping
Dry Cleaners/Laundry
Airline Desk
Rental Car Desk
Tour Desk
Travel Agent Desk
Foreign Currency Exchange
Gym
Bar
Restaurants
Baby Sitters
Business Center
Photocopiers
Courier
Mobile Phone Rental
Private Limousine
High Speed Internet (£15.45 initial fee + fee related to data)
Concierge
Ice Machine

---The rooms -

The room I stayed in was a 2 bed room and featured 2 large double beds a large window with curtains, lots of lighting fixtures, bed side cabinets, a desk, cupboard, ironing board, large bathroom including shower toilet and sink and a television that included email and web access.

The view from the window wasn't impressive, All we could see was a wall opposite us, but it did offer plenty of natural light into the room. The beds were very comfortable and there were plenty of covers and pillows to make our stay very comfortable.

The bathroom was well stocked with towels of all sizes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, even a condom! The bath was large and the shower had a good strength and temperature range. There were also bathrobes that carried a £50 price tag should you "accidently" pack them.

As with all hotels there is the tempting mini fridge however read the instructions before you open this one. The items are all electronically monitored, as soon as you remove an item it is credited to your account. We didn't realise this until we had emptied most of the fridge to inspect the tiny bottles of rum, nuts and tubes of jelly beans. The items are typically over priced, a box of 3 condoms was about £4 and a bottle of vodka similarly priced. A small bottle of wine featuring 2 glasses worth would have set us back £12.

The rooms featured a welcome to the hotel guide which had a lot of very valuable information in, particularly about the local area which really helped us plan what we were going to do.

--Staff--

The reception staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. They gave us valuable information about the local area, what to do, where to find things etc and also wiped our mini bar fee when we explained our error. They also let us keep our bags safe while we explored London. In the restaurants the staff were just as friendly and helpful and really helped us to feel welcome. I can't think of a bad thing to say about them.

--Food--

Our package included breakfast and we ate out at night so I can't comment on the price of the food at all. The breakfast buffet, should you go for it, is ideal for stoking the fires for a long day exploring London. You get all you can eat and there is plenty to choose from; continental style croissants, buns and pastries with all sorts of jams. As many varieties of Cereal you could think off, full English breakfast, fruit, yoghurt, toast all sorts. I was very impressed with the breakfast and very full afterwards.

---Conclusion--

I really don't have a bad thing to say. We used this hotel as a base for going to the theatre and exploring London from and it was ideal. Cheap and very good value, I would most certainly stay again. I suppose the only negative would be the price of added extras such as the mini bar and the internet, but these prices are probably comparable to other London Hotels. The staffs are friendly, the food is really good and it is close to all of Londons attractions.