By Laura Porter
London Travel Expert, about.com
[post_ads_2]When I asked around about family-friendly London hotels, the four star Novotel London Waterloo was mentioned frequently. I heard about the family rooms that can accommodate two adults and two children, and the indoor children's play area.
This was enough for me to think it was time to visit with my nine year old daughter to test it out for ourselves.
Location[post_ads_2]
Novotel London Waterloo is a 15 minute walk from Waterloo station.
It's close to the River Thames (under a
minute away) and some rooms have views of major landmarks on the London
skyline such as the London Eye and Big Ben and towards St Paul's Cathedral and The City of London. It's easy to walk to the South Bank from the hotel where there's the London Dungeon, London Aquarium and London Eye.
While
this is a wonderfully central location it's also away from the late
night noise of the capital so you will get a peaceful night's sleep.
There are also many bus stops nearby and you can be at Piccadilly Circus (no.3 bus) in around 20 minutes.
Family-Friendly Hotel
Up to two children (under 16) can stay for free and each child receives a free welcome gift.
Children's
buffet breakfasts are also free when accompanying their parents/carers.
There's plenty of choice from hot and cold options too.
The rooms are spacious with complimentary wifi and satellite TV, and the safe is large enough for a laptop, plus tablets, etc.
The very large hotel lobby has an X-box games console for guest use – don't worry, it's not so loud as to disturb other guests.
There's also a small playroom for under 8s and a touch screen
table for playing games together. The hotel bar is close enough that you
can keep an eye on the kids and enjoy a drink at the same time.
The
hotel has a sauna and steam room which children can use with adults.
This isn't common in London as these type of facilities are usually not
available for under 16s.
The hotel check-in is from 2pm, which is
earlier than most London hotels, and the hotel check-out is at 12pm
midday, which is later than most, giving you a really long time to enjoy
the room. The hotel can also offer a late check-out of up to 5pm on
Sundays.
UK families will appreciate the secure on-site car park for up to 40 vehicles.
So, I went to stay for a night.
My Novotel London Waterloo Review[post_ads_2]
I stayed at Novotel London Waterloo for one night during a school holiday with my nine year old daughter. We received an excellent welcome at check-in and found all the staff we met to be welcoming to all the family. My daughter loved the free gift (she got a craft activity) and it kept her entertained throughout our stay and for the rest of the week.
I knew we'd entered somewhere family-friendly when I saw a
couple with a baby buggy coming out of the lift/elevator and some
toddlers playing the touch screen table with their parents.
My initial concerns that this would mean
'screaming baby' noises all night were unfounded as I never heard any
sounds from other children.
The guests we met came from many
countries so it was nice for the children to play together and know that
language skills aren't always needed to be happy. This reminded me of
childhood family holidays to Spain where I was free to 'chat' with all
the children I met within the hotel and my parents knew I was safe.
The
X-box was a draw for the older children and the free wifi throughout
the hotel meant I could check messages on my phone while my daughter
made a new friend.
We stayed in an Executive room on the fifth
floor. There was a large double bed and a sofa bed too. We had lots of
space with a 'lounge' area next to the bed, a desk area, a 'kitchen'
area with a Nespresso machine plus tea making facilities, a hallway with
with two wardrobes, plus a large en-suite bathroom. The room really did
feel spacious as the large desk area wasn't next to the bed or TV.
We were lucky as our room had views of Big Ben, the London Eye plus St Paul's Cathedral and the City of London. All seen over the top of Lambeth Palace and the palace grounds.
The
bathroom had a clear wall between the bathroom and bedroom so I could
see across to the window, on the other side of the bedroom, and see Big
Ben while in the shower!
My only negative point would be the lack
of bedside plug sockets for charging mobile phones but there were
outlets by the desk so this wasn't disastrous.
We enjoyed the buffet breakfast in the morning and my daughter enjoyed having a hot chocolate made for her.
We
managed to drag ourselves away from the X-box to try the sauna and
steam room in the basement. We didn't stay long but it nice to share
this with my daughter.
Conclusion[post_ads_2]
I now understand why this hotel was mentioned so often in conversations about family-friendly London hotels.
It's all those extras (the welcome gift, friendly staff, X-box,
playroom, free breakfast, etc) that make this is a really good choice
for families visiting London.
Contact Information
Address: Novotel London Waterloo, 113 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7LS
Tel: 020 7660 0674
Official Website: http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-1785-novotel-london-waterloo/
