Photo: londondrum.comUseful things to know before your stay
Star rating: ★★★★ Address: Thistle Holborn, 36-37 Bloomsbury Way, Bloomsbury WC1A 2SD. Telephone: 0207 523 5059. Website: thistle.com/holborn
Is the hotel a good base for sightseeing?
It’s pretty good. You’ll have to catch a bus or tube train to places like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, but attractions within a 15 minute walk include British Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Hunterian Museum, Covent Garden and Transport Museum. And the surrounding streets in Bloomsbury are very nice.
How much does it cost to stay at the hotel?
Prices can change from day to day depending on availability, but a rough guide for single rooms is £178 to £323, and for double rooms it’s £186 to £333 per night.
How many rooms does it have?
Thistle Holborn has 129 rooms.
What facilities does the hotel have?
The hotel has a bar, a restaurant, and a 24-hour front desk with laundry and luggage storage services.
What facilities are in the rooms?
A standard room provides tea & coffee making facilities, a TV, telephone, desk and wi-fi, a personal safe, and an ensuite bathroom with a hairdryer, iron and air-conditioning.
What time is check-in, and check-out?
Check-in is from 3 PM and check-out is by 11 AM.
Which buses go to Thistle Holborn?
Bus routes 8, 26, 35, 42, 47, 48, 78, 135, 149, 205, 242, 344 and 388 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Holborn, which connects with the Central and Piccadilly lines. It only takes four minutes to walk to Thistle Holborn.
Does the hotel have its own car park?
No. But here’s a list of car parks near Holborn.
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Email My review of Thistle Holborn
I’ve just checked into the Thistle Holborn and it’s quite posh. Or maybe it’s not posh, because I don’t really go anywhere that’s posh. But by my lowly standards it’s posh. When you step inside there’s a little desk beside the door and the concierge smiles and says hello… even the cleaner I met in the corridor is nice and polite and posh. Every time you pass a member of staff they smile and say hello like they’ve met you ten times before.
The decor is certainly plush. It’s all purple carpet and dangling chandeliers – they’ve even put some little flickering candles on the stairs.
Photo: londondrum.comUnfortunately the room is pretty pokey. It’s no bigger than some of the 3-stars I’ve stayed at, but it has all the usual stuff inside: free Wi-Fi, a big TV, a kettle and tea bags… but this always winds me up… this is my number one pet hate in a hotel… they give you loads of tea bags and coffee sachets but only two milks! How are you supposed to use all of those other tea bags when you’ve only got two milks? If I ever own a hotel then that’s the first thing I’ll do – I’ll supply a load of extra milks to the rooms. They give you a piddly little biscuit as well. It’s like a fun-size biscuit. Have you ever seen those little fun-size cans of Coke which are about as much fun as a thimble? Well, I never knew before today that it was possible to buy a fun-size biscuit, but here it is… the crumbs are bigger than the biscuit.
Photo: londondrum.comThe bathroom is a good example of how posh this place is – they give you a bar of green tea and ginger soap. Green tea soap? What is that all about? I might try and melt it in the teapot once I’ve used up all the milks. They even provide you with a flannel. I’ve never been to a hotel that gives you a flannel before. Usually you get two towels that are about the same size as a flannel, but this place gives you a few towels plus a flannel. Luxury!
When you open the wardrobe a little light comes on, like it does in the fridge. That’s what separates the working class from the upper class… the working class light up their food and the upper class light up their clothes. You also get a snazzy white dressing gown, a pair of flip-flop slippers and a full-sized ironing board (I’m a lazy bloke so that’s completely wasted on me). The hairdryer hasn’t been bolted to the wall either. Normally you need a screwdriver to get them off but this one can be sneaked into your suitcase nice and easy.
Photo: londondrum.comI’m sitting in the downstairs bar now. The kind of pubs that I normally frequent have a bowl of peanuts on the bar, but in here it’s a bowl of banana chips. I asked for a “cup of coffee” but I can’t have that apparently. They only do mocha-choca-lattes and some other complicated coffee concoctions that everyone knows are basically just coffees with more bubbles in them. And she doesn’t want my money either. I have to sit down and then she’ll bring it over later. Jesus Christ what a palaver! I suppose they must trust the customers that come in here. The kind of people who stay at the Thistle don’t run off without paying their bill. At the Premier Inn they want the money up front. No money, no coffee! When she finally takes payment she brings me the change on a little silver platter like she’s serving up a slice of cake. I take the 5p and give her the tray back. Then she takes it out the back and probably has to put it in the dishwasher.
Breakfast is a self-serve affair with bacon, baked beans, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, toast, muesli, cereal, fruit… whatever you want.
The location is pretty great. If you walk along the road then it will take you all the way down Shaftesbury Avenue to Piccadilly Circus in 12-15 minutes. Leicester Square is just as close and Covent Garden is within stagger distance. St. Paul’s and Big Ben are probably at the absolute limit of where I’d want to walk to (30 mins at my pace)… any further than that and I’d plump for the bus.
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Things to do in Holborn
Save up to 41%Avenue Q - The Tony Award-winning comedy musical
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S Mulholland We certainly recommend this hotel based on our experience. The inside is lovely and the staff were wonderful and couldn’t have been more friendly to us. Thank you. (reply)
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