ROOM CHECK
Stephanie Holmes stays at the Mercure London Bridge
Location: Southwark St, London SE1. It's a premium spot for visitors as it's close to popular attractions the South Bank, The Globe Theatre, Borough Market, the Shard and excellent public transport links.
Style: Modern chain hotel with local flair
Price: From $256 per night
Perfect for: A few days getting around all the best spots in England's fabulous capital city.
First impressions: The hotel's location is top notch – less than 10 minutes' walk to the wonderful Borough Market where you can shop and eat to your heart's content. We passed the market on our short walk from London Bridge station and made a note to return.
On first glance, the lobby seems like any international chain hotel, but look a little closer and you'll find some lovely touches to orient it firmly in London – Union Jack motifs on cushions, London bus memorabilia, British bulldog lampstands, red telephone box souvenirs available for purchase. The hotel has street frontage and large windows in the lobby bar area, so you can sit and watch the busy London world go by.
Our check-in was seamless thanks to the excellent front desk team and we were in our room within five minutes of arriving.
Rooms: We were in a Junior Suite on the 7th floor – the top floor of the hotel. At 28m2, it was spacious and well-appointed, with an entranceway, separate toilet and living room leading to a main bedroom with ensuite bathroom.
There was plentiful storage space and the lounge featured a fold-out bed, great for if you are travelling with friends/kids.
Windows span the entire front wall of the suite, looking out to office buildings directly in front but a peek of the Shard to the right.
The bedroom area was comfortable and modern, with a huge plush velvet padded headboard as a main feature.
Bathroom: The walk-in shower had both rain head and standard attachments, however the latter was mounted very low so unless you're very short, you'd need to use it as a handheld attachment.
Toiletries were a brand called Elemental Herbology, and all were in reusable, wall-mounted fully-recyclable bottles.
Food and drink: The in-house restaurant is Marco's New York Italian – one of a chain belonging to enfant terrible celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 2pm-10pm, the menu features tasty Italian dishes and American classics, including pastas, pizzas, burgers and salads.
The hotel's buffet breakfast is also served here, with an excellent range of pastries, breads, eggs, bacon, pancakes and more. Don't over-indulge too much though, as there are many great cafes, bars and restaurants nearby that you'll want to try.
Facilities: Our room had two TVs, a small bar fridge, coffee machine and tea-making facilities. Wi-Fi was free and fast throughout the hotel. There's a gym on the lower ground floor, and a comfortable lounge bar area with TV and books if you want to relax away from your room.
In the neighbourhood: Within walking distance you'll find Borough Market, the Shard, the South Bank, London Eye, London Aquarium, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and other popular attractions. The hotel is equidistant between London Bridge and Southwark underground stations, and there are bus stops right outside the front entrance.
Family friendly: Family rooms are available, and in the summer months, there's an outdoor garden with table tennis and darts.
Accessibility: The front entrance to the hotel has stepped access, but there's a ramp entrance at the back, suitable for wheelchair users. There are five accessible rooms.
Sustainability: The hotel is a member of the Too Good To Go programme, which aims to combat the problem of food waste. Users can connect via an app to restaurants, hotels and food suppliers to find out what surplus, unsold food they have available each day and can then buy and collect the food for a third of the normal price.
Other measures include the use of eco-certified cleaning products, energy-efficient light bulbs, and funding tree-planting initiatives. They also provide recyclable cans of water in rooms, rather than single-use plastic bottles.
Contact: Go to all.accor.com and search for 'Mercure London Bridge'
Don't return from that long-awaited break feeling burnt out.