Photo: Craig CrossDo you know what the nicest sight in the world is? It’s walking over Waterloo Bridge in the wind and the rain and seeing the Strand Palace Hotel coming into view as you round the corner. They’ve even got a bowler-hatted gentleman on the door to hold it open for you.
The lobby is colossal. They’ve got four or five people standing behind the desk, a few restaurants coming off the side, a jewellery shop and a cafe, bar, an obligatory aquarium, and a few computers for surfing the net.
Inside a room at the Strand Palace
Photo: Craig CrossThe room has all the usual stuff that you’d expect to find in a 4-star hotel: TV, telephone, desk, safe, hairdryer and free Wi-Fi. It also has a bin, a window, some carpet, four walls and a door (I like to be thorough).
The bathroom is quite roomy with a shower and a bath, but I know from my previous visits that not all of the rooms have a bath, so you might want to make a point of asking for one on your booking.
One thing that I find quite handy is the vending machine on every floor. Not a lot of hotels do this, and maybe you think having a Coke and crisp machine in the corridor is a bit downmarket for a 4-star hotel – but I can’t be bothered to go down to the bar every time I want a can of something.
Photo: Craig Cross
Photo: Craig CrossBar and restaurant at the Strand Palace
The bar is full of businessmen and old tourist couples squinting at the menu trying to work out what to eat. It’s the kind of place that sells a bottle of red wine for twenty quid. And there’s a nice bottle of champagne if you’ve got £55 burning a hole in your pocket. I don’t have anything to celebrate that’s worth 55 quid, so I just settle for a cup of coffee.
Breakfast is an all-you-can-eat, self-service type affair with baked beans, sausages, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheeses, cereals and fruit. And then there’s about a hundred different varieties of fruit juice, tea and coffee.
Hotel’s location near Covent Garden
One of the best things about the Strand Palace Hotel is its location. Covent Garden is literally right around the corner and Trafalgar Square is only five minutes down the road. You can easily walk to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus. St. Paul’s is walkable if you put in a bit of effort, and there are about a bazillion buses right outside the front door which will take you just about anywhere in London.
So to sum it all up then… would I stay here again? Yes, I would. And I have! I’ve been to lots of London hotels and this is definitely one of my favourites.
The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon. This review was updated on
Your comments and questions
Ed Whats the checkin time? Can we dump our bags there at 8 AM because we've got an early train into Charing Cross
Craig Hi Ed. Check-in time is 2 PM. They do have a luggage room. They charge £5 if you want to leave your bags overnight but they don't mention anything about during the day, so you might want to check with them first - strandpalacehotel.co.uk/about/frequently-asked-questions/
Chaney Hi, i would like you to confirm if you think the hotel is centrally located? we plan to visit london for three days, with another day in cambridge, and dont want to spend too much time travelling around. thanks!
Craig Hi Chaney. It's about as central as you can get. Covent Garden is on your doorstep, Trafalgar Square is just down the road, and you can walk to places like the London Eye, Big Ben, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace and St Pauls easily enough (although St Paul's will require a bit of exercise). Places like the Tower of London, Oxford Street and the museums in South Kensington will require a bus or tube. But you can catch just about any bus you want outside the hotel because they all go down the Strand.
Pam We are a 60's something couple arriving Heathrow from the US and staying at the Strand Palace. We plan to take the Underground from Heathrow. We are fine to walk and will have carryon type luggage. Your advice? Take Picadilly line to Covent Garden and walk? to Holborn and walk? Or switch to District line at Hammersmith and get off at Embankment and then walk. ??
Craig Hi Pam. i would definitely get the piccadilly line and walk from Covent Garden. Its only a five minute walk, and you can walk through the centre of the piazza which will be nice. embankment is just as close, but changing trains would be a hassle. Although you would get a quick look at trafalgar square and nelsons column as you walk past charing cross
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