Great hotel. Pros: super clean and modern…read moreSafe Everything worked! Super affordable. Breakfast was delicious and great spread. Close to tube stop Friendly staff Cons: we reserved a double bed and was given a pullout sofa bed super uncomfortable. The did kind of fixed the situation with an extra comforter. Which was greatly appreciated. Wifi sucks! Tips There's a small convenient store open til late with reasonable prices. Go across the street for wifi.

Location, value, and excellent customer service. By reserving through a travel website, we paid a…read morethird of the posted rack rate of 275 pounds per night, so it pays to shop around. Clean rooms, good linens. Our room faced away from Finchley so was very quiet. Amazing buffet breakfast, free wifi, and the manager gave us late check-out (12:30) for free. Tube station across the street. My new favorite place to crash in London.

Dalston Roof Park feels like a tiny, well-kept secret. It sort of is. To get here, one has to…read morenavigate a confusing warren of hallways and elevators through what feels like a building full of NGO and charity offices, cross some fire escapes, and then emerge onto the roof. I'd give you directions but I've already forgotten the way. Still, it was a fun adventure, and it yielded a neat London space. There are nice views out across Dalston, south over Haggerston, east to Hackney and London Fields, and north toward Stokey. The roof itself is covered with astroturf and has little planter boxes of herbs and veggies, and a ramshackle bar with an enticing cocktail menu. There are quite a few places to sit and enjoy the fresh air and views. I went in the middle of December with a friend who was ill, so staying to hang out for a while wasn't an option, but I will definitely be back in summer!

Drinks: 5/5 Service: 5/5…read moreCleanliness: 5/5 Decor & Style: 5/5 Great view at night and very casual, relaxed environment to chill with a group of friends. I still recommend going early so you can grab a table. Large selection of drinks and the service is quick! Great open area where you can sit on the ground as well for the ones that want to truly relax and even laydown! Very different rooftop bar from what I am used to. See the great view of the pic I took at night time.

I really enjoyed my visit to The Banqueting House recently. On a scorching hot day in London, I was…read moredesperate to find an air conditioned place to hang out for a few hours so I decided to visit The Banqueting House and I am so glad that I did! It's a small place, but full of so much history. You will enter downstairs where you can pick up an audioguide to use throughout your visit. Once that's sorted, you move into an undercroft area where you can watch a film about the history of the house, which was quite interesting. The house was used as a performance space for royalty, so there is a small exhibition about these performances and the beautiful historic sets and costumes. I visited in the summer following Pride Month, so there was also a small exhibit about LGBT kings which was interesting as it's not something I've seen at a museum or palace before. The real magic happens when you finish in the undercroft and move upstairs where you encounter the breathtaking Rubens ceiling. It's stunning! Here you can use your audioguide which takes you through the history of the palace and the symbolism of the painting. Try and snag a spot on a beanbag so you can lay down and really get a good look. Overall, I had a great time here. The staff were so polite, the history was fascinating and well presented, and there are sparkling clean bathrooms and air conditioning, so it's the perfect place to spend an hour or two on your visit to London.

This museum is small and doesn't take long to visit. If you love history, architecture, and art…read more You will enjoy your visit. This is home to the only surviving in-situ ceiling painting by Flemish artist, Sir Peter Paul Rubens (and it is impressive!). If you only have a short time in London. I probably wouldn't put this on your top 10 list. But, if you have some extra time, I would definitely recommend a stop. When you first enter you can watch a short video on the history of the space. Then climb the stairs to the banqueting room. The ceiling painting is mind-blowing. They have bean bags you can lay in to take in the expansive beauty of the painting. The Banqueting House was built between 1619-1622 and designed by Inigo Jones. It was the first structure in England to be completed in a neo-classical style. Also, it is the only surviving banqueting house in England and the only remaining structure of the Palace of Whitehall. At the time banqueting houses were used to entertain (not just eat). Royalty would attend royal receptions, ceremonies, mosques in these grand buildings. The Banqueting House was also the last place Charles I walked through on his way to be executed just outside.

Battlebridge Basin is one of the larger basins on the Regent's Canal, located just north of King's…read moreCross station. It's home to the London Canal Museum, housing and offices, as well as the brand new 'Kings Place' office and cultural centre. The Regents Canal opened from Paddington to Camden in 1816 and throughout to the basin at Limehouse in 1820. Battlebridge Basin, originally called Horsfall Basin, was opened in 1822. Like the other basins, it was originally intended for the trans-shipment of goods to and from the canals. Among the unusual cargoes carried were ice - imported from Norway from the 1820s - used for making (among other things) ice cream. The former ice warehouse is now the London Canal Museum. Over the years, goods traffic declined, due largely to competition from the railways and then the roads, although some traffic continued until the late 1960s. The canal basin was privately owned until 2000 when it was purchased by British Waterways. The basin has since been redeveloped and gentrified, and provides moorings as well as an attractive urban space. Since 1989 it has been the home of the London Canal Museum, and in 2008 the Kings Place development opened, with a cafe, restaurant, art gallery space and two auditoriums for music recitals and concerts. NB: The main towpath is on the other side of the canal from the basin. Access (except by boat) is easiest via the Canal Museum, as most of the moorings are private. For information about boat moorings, contact British Waterways' London Office on (020) 7985 7200. The museum itself opened in 1992 and is based in a former ice warehouse, dating from the 1860s. The main hall includes a view down into one of the two large circular ice stores. The museum tells the story of canals in general, and in particular how the canal network developed around London. There's a small section of a narrow boat which illustrates how the canal families lived, a small tractor used from the 1940s onwards in place of horses on some of the London canals, and a wide range of smaller canal items. The upstairs is largely given over to exhibition space, showing newsreels from the 1920s-50s depicting canal life in London, wildlife in canals and the story of canal restoration. Downstairs there's access to the side of the Battlebridge Basin, from where the museum runs canal trips in the summer. By the entrance there's a small shop selling books and souvenirs. Staff a friendly and very knowledgable. A diverting hour or so if you are in the Kings Cross area.

I'm glad we stopped in this museum. It was very interesting! Bonus points for the opportunity to…read morestep outside onto the canal walk. Make sure you watch the video upstairs for some rare peeks at the canal and area long ago (humor included).

We attended the business awards here this week and the venue was stunning. It has multiple to a for…read morefunctions but can't recall which room we got in but it was huge and lovely. Gorgeous cobblestones on to be way in tot he venue with a lot of security and people to guide you in as it's like a maze. Staff are very helpful and at the end of the night when a huge amount of people left at the same time we got a cab within minutes by a consierge type person. Great night and a nice little surprise seen Denise Van Outen presenting the awards :).

I've been to The Brewery on a number of occasions mainly, of course, for business reasons, i.e…read more events and seminars. The Brewery location is just on the edge of the city so easy to get to by train, tube or train. (close to Liverpool Street and Moorgate). There is a top hatted and tailed man to great you as you get to the gates and point you in the right direction. The seminar rooms are clean and tidy with the necessary things in place for presentations, etc. As with all of these places, air con can be a bit hit and miss. Our breakfast bites were tasty (I think these are provided by The Brewery). If you are looking for somewhere to hold an event in the city, this is a great place.

A small, independent 'Off West End' theatre just a few minutes walk from Notting Hill Tube,…read moresituated over a pub. Watching a play in a more intimate space like the Gate is a different experience from being in a large theatre. It seats probably less than 100 people so you are close to the actors and the stage. Good opportunity to see emerging or established talent with new plays and different themes than you might see in the West End and tickets are good value for money.

I was here for one of the Christmas fairs in late November, and I have to say, considering they…read morecharge you 5 pounds just for going in, it was quite disppointing. The vendors seemed to specialize only in vintage-looking accessories and baby items, and the food was too scarce to mention. The only potent memory I have is the mulled wine; and that's only because it was quite potent. The house itself is nice, though. It has a very old-fashioned look and feel, and considering all the different events it holds throughout the year, it does hold promise for a memorable experience. If you do go to one of the Christmas fairs, wait until mid-December as there are usually more vendors the later in the month it gets. Do be forewarned: While the gifts you can find here are all handmade and unique, they're also quite limited in their style and only appeal to certain tastes.

Sutton House is a small piece of English heritage in the heart of Homerton. Walking into a building…read moreso antiquated and ornate meant that it would be rude not to ask how long the building had been around for. It's the oldest building in East London was the response I got from one of the staff working in the souvenir shop. No one was able to tell me exactly when it was built, but the tudor beams and furniture was a dead giveaway; having a peek on their site later on in the day also confirmed the period in which this beautiful artwork of a location was made. For anyone who's been to Homerton and noticed that it's awash in ramshackle converted warehouses, convenience stores, scaffolding and old factories, you'll notice how much Sutton House stands out, with its moss covered walls, and creeping vines and serene, distinctly 'stately home' appearance. One thing I couldn't quite get over is how small people must have been in Tudor times. The tables are low, as are the ceilings and the passageways were in some places unforgivingly narrow. If you've eaten a lot post-Christmas, you might want to consider a few sessions at the gym before investigating the place. I'm not sure what you'd do if you were a 7ft basketball player. They have a brilliant programme of events here: I went to a series of talks about Black history writer S.I. Martin (they have a great Black History Month programme here in October), but even for non-history buffs they have plenty to offer, including monthly family days, Halloween ghost tours, Christmas carol concerts and guided tours. It's used by local community groups, which means you can hire it too. Standard Admission: £2.80, child 70p, family £6.30. Groups £2.40

Attended a conference here recently and gotta point out the following: know what's quite poorly…read moredesigned at the Business Design Centre? The ladies restroom, and that's a problem, especially when it impacts a 3000+ attendee, multi day event. The restroom door swings in, guaranteed to hit anyone waiting for one of the handful of stalls inside. The hand dryer is located directly outside the stall closest to the door. Worst case scenario, a person is drying their hands and gets bumped from one side by someone trying to exit the far stall and sandwiched by another someone waiting in line who's just been shoved forward by someone else trying to open the entry door. Aside from the ladies bathroom design fiasco, the space itself was adequate for the event, on site food was decent, and public transportation as well as lodging are conveniently located.

The BDC is a really spacious venue, but can be a little touch and go. I've been to a couple of…read morewine shows here that have been amazing, really taking advantage of the tiered leveling and space, and I've heard stories about events that crammed too much into too little and they fell short, so I guess it'll depend on who's organizing what you're going to! I think it suits well for smaller and medium sized shows, but the centre itself is in a great location on Upper St, allowing for some great places to meet & mingle before and after your conference. There's also some hotel accommodations nearby if you're just in for the occasion. I was quite impressed with the potential of the BDC, and have had some great times here! It's got a good range from professional-to-social gatherings.