Viral Vacay is our holiday feature where we track down holidays (or meals!) that have gone viral, find out how much it actually costs and if needs be, suggest a cheaper alternative 🕵️♀️
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Viray Vacay: London Piccadilly Circus Stay
This five-star hotel in London’s West End has stunning views of Piccadilly Circus. The Grand Regent Suites are beautifully designed and have direct views of the hustle and bustle of this iconic part of town.
Hotel Cafe Royal, Westminster
Hotel Cafe Royal is a seriously swanky hotel smack bang in the centre of London town.
As you’d expect from a luxury establishment, they have a range of rooms and suites to choose from – but plump for a Grand Regent Suite and you’ll have a front row seat to the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus, right down below.
The suites are all cool clean lines and high end design touches, with neutral furnishings for the ultra-expensive look, and a bathroom decorated entirely in marble.
How viral? This reel from @chrisolsen showing his room upgrade has almost 500k views.
How much? A Grand Regent Suite costs from an unbelievable £2,416 per night (which doesn’t even include breakfast!). For a little less, you can get a killer view from one of the Westminster Suites – it’s just not guaranteed to be of the Circus itself; that’ll cost you from £1,750 per night.
Now let’s face it – with those prices, we’ll only be staying there in our dreams. But don’t worry, we’ve got some options for a budget-friendly Piccadilly Circus stay.
Fancy a cheaper alternative?
Zedwell Hotel Piccadilly Circus
Zedwell’s outpost at Piccadilly Circus has an amazing location – right in the midst of it all with the capital’s shopping streets, world-class restaurants and theatres just a stone’s throw away.
The price is pretty amazing considering it’s practically on the Circus itself – we found several nights where the price dips below £100 for a double room.
Zedwell hotels are known for being budget friendly and offering ‘cocoon’ rooms which don’t have windows. The most basic ones are super-compact, with just a double bed, mirror, small storage bench and ensuite bathroom.
There are loads of different cocoon types though, from single and twin rooms to dorm-style ones that can sleep 6 or 8, and even ‘premium’ ones that are more like a suite with a living space (and even a window!).
Now you don’t get the view here – but hop over the road to Waterstone’s bookshop and head to 5th View on the top floor. It’s a bar and restaurant where you can grab a drink or meal and soak up the sights – and it’ll cost you a lot less than a suite at the Hotel Cafe Royal! They even do 2-4-1 cocktails daily between 5 and 8pm.
How much? A cocoon at Zedwell Hotel Piccadilly Circus costs from £93 per night.
What about even cheaper?
Zedwell Capsule Hotel Piccadilly Circus
Yep we’re sticking with Zedwell. They’ve gone one better than their affordable cocoons – and have a capsule hotel that’s even cheaper.
We’re big fans of a capsule hotel – when you’re on a city break with lots to see and a jam-packed schedule, you only really need somewhere to lay your head.
Zedwell Capsule Hotel Piccadilly Circus is more or less across the street from their other location. They just have one type of accommodation here – single sleep pods (they call them capsule cocoons) that just sleep one person, with bathrooms for sharing.
The capsules are arranged on two levels, and whilst they might be tiny, they get bonus points for being chic and cosy, with wood pannelling and ambient lighting.
Each capsule has a shutter for total privacy, and you can choose to stay in a mixed or female-only zone.
How much? A capsule cocoon at Zedwell Capsule Hotel Piccadilly Circus costs from £39 per night. These are individual pods, so if you’re travelling as a pair, you’ll need to book two.
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