great northern hotel london

The Great Northern Hotel is not like any other hotel. Aside from being one of the finest luxury boutique hotels in London, it has an extraordinary location. It literally sits within the Western concourse of Kings Cross station, metres away from St Pancras International, and above the intersection of six London underground lines. It simply does not get more convenient than that.

The hotel first opened its doors in 1854 and was one of the iconic structures designed by the great Victorian architect Lewis Cubitt.  The building was left empty for many years and has now been magnificently renovated into what it is today.

I arrived via the Picaddilly line, rolled my (very heavy) suitcase up the escalator and directly into this exquisitely decorated hotel, suddenly separated from the hustle and bustle of a very busy Station. I was ridiculously thrilled to have been invited to stay in one of the ninety-one luxury rooms with ceiling to floor windows and hand crafted furnishings for a night while I was in  London last week.

There are a few other fabulous things going on there. The hotel offers Free Wi-Fi to all its guests, 500 thread count cotton linen and a convenient refreshment room at the end of every corridor where you can make a cup of tea, a proper cup of coffee, read the newspapers or help yourself to a slice of fresh cake of the day.

The GNH bar downstairs is a trendy meeting spot for after work drinks with a DJ to create a vibe, and I regretted not having the time to stop for a cocktail.

I also regretted not having the opportunity to dine in the restaurant Plum + Spilt Milk and sample one of chef Mark Sargeant’s delicious sounding  dishes. The restaurant is one of the most impressive rooms I have seen in a while, with exquisite light finishings, and I felt like I could have been in Paris. Masses of natural light with views onto the face brick of St Pancras, it’s the kind of restaurant you just want to hang out in. My breakfast of Eggs Benedict and tea, was utterly perfect.

I am more of a visual storyteller, so hopefully I have captured the essence of this truly unique pocket of luxury in London. And in case you were wondering, great lengths have been taken to sound proof the building, so expect a perfect nights sleep.

If you don’t get a chance to stay, but happen to be in the area, check out he KIOSK which is a hole in the wall gourmet take out. Buy a hugely generous hot roast meat sandwich in artisan bread, beautifully packaged for your travels.

Things to do in the area (other than catching a train):

Kerb – a London street food market

The British Library

The Regeants Canal – London”s other waterway

Shrimpy’s – American dining in a filling station

You can find all my photographs of the hotel on my Facebook page.

Great Northern Hotel | Kings Cross – St Pancras Station, Pancras Road, London, N1C4TB | 020 3388 0800 | [email protected]

*Disclaimer – I was invited to stay at the Great Northern Hotel.

I look forward to connecting with you again in the future.

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