Hoxton v. Camden Town at X-mas
 

I'm looking for something cheap, clean, and convenient to St Pancras station for a 3-night stay in London in late December, the last weekend before x-mas (I've already been bidding on Priceline without success, hoping for the St Pancras Novotel).

Any experiences or thoughts to share on these hotels?

...the Hoxton Hotel (Old Street tube station) for &66/night, incl. breakfast & taxes

...on Hotwire, what I *think* is the Holiday Inn Camden Lock for US$69/night, not incl. taxes & fees

What I'm actually wondering about is the atmosphere- my worry is they will be full of annoying wankers who want to rock and roll all night and party every day.

Would a lazy girl who's by herself go mad in either of these hotels? I'm not planing to do much except browse shops and walk around aimlessly. Maybe hole up in a museum if the weather's awful. I'll be alone and won't be going out at night.

I can't make a decision. I don't have the patience for Priceline. I'll already be spending a week in an apartment in Archway in October. I live in Toronto so I'm used to the cold. I'll be flying into Heathrow in December. I hate south Kensington. After London I'll be heading north for x-mas then down to Rome for a week. Where should I stay?

On the weekend before Christmas, I'd expect "The City" location of the Hoxton Hotel to be quite dead (as indeed it would be on any weekend). So I think I'd choose the HI Camden Lock. Is there any indication that the hotel is bothered by enormous noise problems?

That weekend, this year, will be the last few days before London's feckless youth take their dirty laundry back to mum's to get it washed and spend the rest of their time texting each other about BORING life with the aged p's is.

So the clubs around both hotels, if you've guessed right, will be full of office parties (Fri and Mon), general debauchery (Sat) and not a lot (Sun).

Neither hotel will be particularly stuffed wth clubbers: London's not a big centre for stags or hens, and the debauchers just stagger off to their - or their pick up's - flats. Our weather usually guarantees little overflow onto the streets, except at chucking out time. Depending a bit on the precise topography of your room and the hotel, you might be kept awake by clubbers leaving, or at Camden Lock by the clubs themselves (but only till 11-12 pm).

There'll be a fairly frenetic atmosphere around the Camden Lock hotel while the market's trading, but that never seems to spill much into the hotel, while Gt Eastern St will be completely tomb-like all day Saturday and Sunday: it's sort of boringly bustly (lots of traffic passing, but not much going on) during weekday days.

Taking what you've written literally, I'd go for Hoxton. The City at weekends is marvellous for walking, and this is THE best value on the City's doorstep. However, most people would probably prefer Camden Lock: the walk from Old St tube to the Hoxton after dark, while safe, is pretty dispiriting (not to say downright intimidating), and unless you really like the aching trendiness of Hoxton itself, there's not a lot by way of restaurants grown ups can eat in nearby, so you really might feel slightly imprisoned in the hotel at night. Camden Town, OTOH, is a proper gentrified urban neighbourhood, with art house cinemas, jazz cafes and all the other essentials of Peter Pan middle age. VERY pleasant place for someone by themselves to spend an evening in.

Just to clarify:

The area round The Hoxton (sometimes, with a touch of inaccuracy, called Hoxton) is dead by day at weekends, but not so on Fri or Sat nights. The clubs etc are a lot less busy on Sun nights, but there's still action going on.

As I said above, little normally spills onto the streets on December nights.

Thank you both. I'm not too too concerned about noise, it's more the idea of running into chavified Nathan Barley or Pete Doherty wannabes at every turn inside the hotel (I'm still pretty young but I get enough wankers in my everyday life)

It's still a toss up, I'm sort of leaning towards the Hoxton because I love the City but then Camden Lock itself looks so pretty and I know the area is more of a real neighbourhood, instead of just clubs.

One or two reviewers of HI Camden Lock on trip advisor say they found the area "intimidating" at night but I suspect that's just people who balk at anything like a homeless person or a kid with a mohawk.

flanneruk, when you say the walk from Old street station to the Hoxton is intimidating, do you mean because it's deserted or because of the people about?

Hi, if you want something cheap, clean and convenient to St Pancras, what about the Premier Inn at Kings Cross? We stayed there a few months ago and were pleasantly surprised. It's all new inside, rooms were fine though a little dark at night (bad lighting, like all hotels - do they think no one reads?).

It's about 5 min walk from Kings Cross station and there is a Costa Coffee and a Tesco almost next door.

I just checked and we booked through www.londontown.com who we have always found good to deal with -
'Premier Inn King's Cross St Pancras Hotel'.

Kay

Camden Town isn't really full of Nathans and P-Dos. Well not since the Hawley Arms burnt down (shame that).

It is full of goffs drinking snakebite, two bob "dope" dealers and under the bridge near your hotel, crackheads.

Hoxton is crammed with wankers fullstop.

If I had to choose I would plump for Camden Town as it is possible to get away from the knobheads, whereas it's damned near imposible in Hoxton.

Camden has some tolerable pubs and restaurants that keep the riff raf out.

It also has the Engineer. A circle of hell that would make Dante blanch.

I'm in agreement with Cholmondley. Camden would definitely be the lesser of two evils.

As well as the usual wankers in Hoxton (it's not for nothing that there was a short-lived magazine called Shoreditch Twat) it has also started to attract groups of Essex girls and lads who fancy a big night out in town, so you can no doubt imagine the levels of all-encompassing wankery that now pass for nightlife in Hoxton and its environs.

As Cholmondley says, in Camden it's easily avoidable, in Hoxton not so much...

I also stayed at the Premier Inn in Kings Cross & I was very suprised by the quality. Really good location as kings cross is as the intersection of many tube & overland lines

At about $190.00 Canadian a night plus taxes, I would not consider Premier Inn King`s Cross St. Pancras "cheap"!

There are no decent hotels in London that are cheap. If you come to London, you either have to spend (lots) or stay somewhere pretty awful.

Kay

>>>...it has also started to attract groups of Essex girls and lads who fancy a big night out in town<<<

That is *exactly* what I meant. Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

I decided to go with the Holiday Inn Camden Lock. I got it on Hotwire- CND$255 for three nights, all taxes and fees included (ie CND$85/night)

For anyone interested, on Hotwire this hotel shows up as a Regents Park- Baker Street 4-star with fitness centre, restaurants, business centre, and high speed internet.

Trip Advisor reviews say the place is modern and well run, with spacious rooms and comfortable beds. I think I got a great price and am altogether quite happy about it- it's going to be total f&cking mexico.

((A))

The gaff you've gone for is more in Chalk Farm than Camden Town (and for this, be thankfull).

If you want to avoid the goffs, knobheads, Asbonauts, scuffers, scratters and dole moles; head up to primrose hill.

I used to drink in the Albert in Princess St. It used to be a decent boozer. It also used to be Robert Plant's local - which was a bit odd.

The Princess of Wales is nice too. (The pub not the dozy sloane).

Excellent quoting of Nathan Barley there Apres_Londee.

You'll blend right in ;)

My best friend is under strict orders to shoot me if I come home from Camden Lock looking or sounding like this:

http://tinyurl.com/6rfpab

Thanks again to everyone for your help.

It'll be well weapon.

Keep it foolish.

Apres_Londee -- where are you staying in Archway? We are in a f;lat there right now. Learned about it from VRBO. It's at 18 Elthorne Ct. Maybe the same place. If so, and you haven't been there before, I could answer questions if you have any.

That's well coincimental - I *am* going to be staying in the same flat!

I found it on vrbo as well and was attracted by the price, the photos, and the comments posted by previous renters. Also, Lynn has been great to work with.

Thank you for your offer - I *am* curious about a couple of things, if you don't mind taking the time...

I'm wondering about the tube and buses - things like how close the tube station is to the flat, whether the northern line lives up to its reputation for slowness and delays, how long it takes to get to say Leicester Square on the tube, whether the buses are faster or more convenient.

I do know the flat has a million stairs, and Archway isn't exactly glamorous or trendy, but the flat looks so nice in the photos and I think it will be refreshing to stay somewhere without any other tourists. How are you finding your stay so far, in general? Anything in particular, good or bad, that stands out?

Have a great time in London, sallyky! Keep it chopped out, yeah?

either one is fine. great happy hour at a bar just behind the HI in camden....they make very nice mojitos (i know, cliche) 2 for 1.

i used to have a place in hoxton once upon a time but i'm a right wanker (d-bag in int'l english).

nearby kingsland road has some great vietnamese food. i used to frequent dreambagsjaguarshoes before it became pedestrian.

i still go to hoxton sq on many sunday mornings to read the times...usually between 8-10. cw and flannerUK...feel free to meet me there. we can have words. i'll be the tosser wrapped in the st george's cross with the hoxton haircut.