Travel

A summer stay in London is chicer and more convenient than ever when you pick the right hotel

YOU really cannot beat London in the summer.

Parks, museums, galleries, historic buildings, the capital has it all and when the days are long and the sun is shining if you are out and about in town you simply don’t want to leave.

Of course you don’t really have to, as there are plenty of hotel offerings around, but there is one in particular which offers a perfect base from which to explore the city.

London's Page8 hotel is perfectly placed to explore the city

Situated right smack in the heart of the action, on St Martin’s Lane, a stone’s throw from Trafalgar Square, is the Page 8 hotel.

Opened in December 2019, the 138-room venue is the sister venue to the brand’s original offering Page 148, which opened in Hong Kong in January 2019.

We stayed at the stylish yet unassuming boutique London bolthole this month, which proved the perfect spot from which to experience the best of the city in a short space of time.

This is a hotel which offers luxurious rooms, with chic yet comfortable finishes, but there are minimal communal areas, no leisure facilities and no entertainment.

Chic yet comfortable finishes at Page8 Hotel

Instead, it boasts a very welcoming coffee bar on the ground floor – which also doubles as the reception (and breakfast) area – and a rooftop restaurant which is accessed outside the building.

But what this hotel truly prides itself on is its high-end postcode and the beauty of Page 8 is its simplicity and its ‘urban exploration’ mantra.

They are happy to host you in the city, but they fully expect you to get out there and explore it.

Even just a cursory glance outside the entrance reveals just why you have no business sitting inside the hotel all day, or evening for that matter.

Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, St Martin in the Fields, the National Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden and London’s theatre district are all on the doorstep.

There is plenty right on your doorstep at Page8 - the only question is where to start?

Add in multiple restaurants, bars, cafes and shops and your every whim is pretty much catered for.

You are literally surrounding by so many of the city’s highlights that you would struggle to fit it all in in one week, let alone on our overnight stay.

Here are the main attractions and why they are well worth a visit when you are next in the capital….

TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Family-friendly events are held at Trafalgar Square all year round.

Many of you will have already enjoyed the craic at the historic site which is the location for the Mayor of London’s annual St Patrick’s Day parade.

But the area itself is well worth a visit even when there are no festivities planned.

Located in the heart of London, it features that unmistakable landmark Nelson’s Column.

Erected in 1805, the towering monument honours Admiral Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and includes a 16ft statue of the British naval hero.

NATIONAL GALLERY

The National Gallery in London is home to some of the most prized works of art in the world.

Works by Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Lonardo Da Vinci, Cezanne and Monet all hang in its historic halls.

Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is also there – decorating those eye-wateringly expensive walls.

Entry is free so there really is no reason not to visit and explore the collection, which is deemed one of the best in the world.

“The National Gallery, London is home to one of the greatest collections of paintings in the world,” the organisation says.

“These pictures belong to the public and they are free for all to see,” add.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

What’s more impressive than a well-drawn portrait?

The ability to capture the likeness of a person on canvas is truly remarkable and the National Portrait Gallery has more than 12,000 examples of the absolute best of them.

The gallery’s primary collection contains more than 12,700 portraits.

Of these, over 4,100 are paintings, sculptures and miniatures.

In addition, there are over 8,500 light-sensitive works on paper, shown on a rotating basis to avoid excessive light exposure and thus to minimise deterioration and fading.

So there are thousands of reasons to pay a visit – as well as the fact that this venue is also free to enter.

What’s more, if you’re there anyway, you will find a more than welcoming rest and refreshment stop at the gallery’s Portrait Restaurant.

Opened by Westmeath born celebrity Irish chef Richard Corrigan in July 2023, the eatery boasts modern British and Irish fare, using only the best ingredients from land and sea.

ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS

This church is one of the best-known landmarks in London.

Its striking architecture and prominent location have kept it at the heart of the nation for centuries.

The present church was designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1726.

From offering London’s first free lending library to the nation’s first religious broadcast, over the years the Church of England site has broken new ground in defining what it means to be a church.

Today there are regular concerts held at the historic venue and all manner of other activities – in posing brass rubbing.

Entrance to the site itself is free although events may be ticketed.