It is no secret that even though I love hotels, I also love staying in apartments. They provide a whole different experience to your trip, it’s practical and you still can save a lot. That’s why when I was invited I couldn’t pass the opportunity of staying in London with Marlin Apartments.
Modern apartments, strategic locations and great service and price, Marlin Apartments offers not only opportunities for short stays like mine, but also for long-term, which is very handy if you need to stay in town for a couple of months or even 1 year or more. At the same time they have no requirements for minimum stays, which means you can stay one night, there is concierge 24/7 and you still get someone to clean the apartment for you.
I stayed at one of their apartments near London Bridge, Empire Square, for 2 nights. It is a very modern building, and my apartment had 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a very spacious living room connected with the kitchen, a very large balcony, and a great view to the Shard.
- View from the living room
The Location
What’s more practical than staying in London with an underground station just a few meters away from your accommodation? That was my case. The Borough station is probably less than 200m from the building, there are also pubs and restaurants just around the corner, and a supermarket steps away from the entrance – just under the building to be more precise.
From the Empire Square building you can walk to the Borough Market, London Tower, the Shard, and Tower Bridge. With the underground you have great connections to other parts of town, and there are also buses stopping close by, a great and central location in London.
Living Room
I was mesmerized when I entered the living room, wow! Even with the dull weather in London, the apartment was so bright, all because of the huge glass windows. It also had a TV, couch, small table, round table and chairs, and a door to the balcony, which was huge.
The Kitchen
The kitchen was connected to the living room and was also very spacious. It had a fridge, dish washer, washing machine, oven and stove, sink, cupboard, space to storage food, all types of pans you might need, plates, cups and glasses, toaster, microwave and much more.
In case you are wondering, yes, we did use the kitchen. W and I love to cook together, and this time we decided to make spaghetti bolognese, his specialty and my favourite dish ever. We went down the supermarket, bought the essential ingredients and while W was cooking, I was photographing – no help from me this time. And well the food was amazing as always, and the kitchen proved to be great and met our needs.
The Bedroom
The bedroom had a great size for us, with a big mirror, bedside tables, window and a very spacious closet.
Bathroom
The bathroom was separated from the bedroom, spacious, good shower, with towels and L’Occitane toiletries, which I loved.
The Service
The attention we got at the reception was very friendly and helpful. The guy who greeted us explained everything about the apartment, like Wi-Fi, how to lock the door, how to enter the building, etc. He also gave us some London advices.
A little bit of honesty
I thought it could be very handy if in the kitchen already had the basics, like salt and sugar. However, later on they told me it is possible to ask for them at the reception desk, which is great, so you don’t have to buy a whole package of salt while staying a couple days, and leave it behind.
I suggested that they arrange a wooden spoon for the kitchen, so the pans don’t get scratched.
Details
- Check-in can be made at 3pm;
- There is free Wi-Fi;
- Parking is possible, but paid;
- At the Empire Square building where I stayed there was a gym and a créche, though I haven’t used them;
- I thought that the building is very safe when it comes to the entrance, you need to use your key in a machine near the door to open it;
- I was very happy that they also have a hair dryer, as I didn’t bring mine;
- The apartment had an iron and a table ironing board;
- They have their own personalized mugs and city maps.
My thoughts
I was very happy with their service and apartment. It was like staying at a hotel, but at the same time having much more space, freedom, privacy and a kitchen to cook. It is certainly ideal not only for long stays in London, but also for short stays too. It’s definitely a service I would use when in town again.
Marlin Apartments has over 700 apartments across London, the biggest owner-operator of serviced apartments in the UK. They have properties in Stratford, Limehouse, at Queen Street St. Paul’s, Canary Wharf, London Bridge and Tower Bridge.
Prices start at £80 per studio apartment and per night based on two people. Some apartments can have up to 8 people with different sleeping configurations. They often have special offers and great discounts, like 20% when booking in advance, check out their website for more information.
Disclosure: I was offered a one-night stay at the Empire Square building of Marlin Apartments, and paid for a second one with discount. Thank you Marlin Apartments for having us.
