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I was staying in the Waldorf Hotel last week and I didn’t really warm to it, but then I came to this pokey little 3-star and liked it straight away. That’s why you should always think twice about spending a fortune on a 5-star hotel. I think it’s much better to stay in a less stuffy hotel, and then splash the savings you’ve made on restaurants and tourist attractions.
Photo: Craig Cross
Photo: Craig CrossYou tend to get more for your money at a 3-star hotel as well. I know that sounds a bit back-to-front, but you actually get more stuff when you spend less money. I had to pay an extra £26 quid for the Wi-Fi at the Waldorf, but in here it’s free.
The room is a lot nicer too. It’s all warm pines and burgundy reds, and the staff are just normal people instead of unsmiling supermodels. If you need a bathroom that’s bigger than a football pitch then go for a 5-star, otherwise you’ll be perfectly happy here.
Photo: Craig CrossDays Inn bar and restaurant
They’ve got a little bar and lounge downstairs but I get the impression that they’re not used very much. When I asked the guy for a coffee he almost had a panic attack because I don’t think he knew how to work the machine. After a bit of trial and error he got some coffee to come out, and when he realised that I actually had a room at the hotel he let me have it for free – you wouldn’t get that happening at the Waldorf.
The breakfast room is nice enough but it’s just a lot of yoghurts and hams, cheeses and toast. They have some of those fun-size cereal boxes as well.
Location near Paddington station
I personally don’t mind the streets around Paddington. A lot of the side streets are actually quite grand, but they can sometimes seem a little grotty if you catch them on a bad day. You do need to be comfortable catching a bus though, because you’ll rapidly tire of walking up from Marble Arch every day. You can catch buses to practically anywhere in the city from outside Paddington station, which is just a two-minute walk away.
