A hotel with Connections
Aparthotel Adagio London Stratford offers comfort and thrills, says
It’s quite a striking view from our room, looking back west to an impressive host of London’s skyscrapers, lights twinkling everbrighter as the sun goes down. And in the foreground, we can see a glimpse of what is now known as London Stadium, which was built to serve a key role in the 2012 Olympics.
The panoramic view encapsulates the appealing location of Aparthotel Adagio London Stratford, which is within very easy reach of central London but also the many attractions on its doorstep in what is an appealing and growing borough in its own right. Indeed, the hotel brand said on launching the branch only months ago that Stratford was “fast becoming one of the UK’S most exciting and dynamic metropolitan districts”.
I arrive with my friend Fiona, having travelled down to the Big Smoke together, and our hotel stay lets us be East End Girls for the evening. We make our way to Stratford station, which serves several Tube lines and train routes. The hotel is also not far from London City Airport and the O2 entertainment venue.
We head to the hotel on foot, on what is a shortish and straightforward walk first past retail and leisure metropolis Westfield
Stratford City, and then in the shadow of the many blocks of flats that have mushroomed in recent years in the area. This is Adagio’s second site in London, while its growing portfolio also includes a presence on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. The fourstar property in Stratford houses 136 self-catering apartments, comprising 100 two-person studios and 36 flats designed to accommodate up to four people, each with a fully equipped kitchen.
I reckon it’s especially suited to those staying in London for at least a couple of days, particularly on, say, a work trip – you’re not far from the City or Canary Wharf, for example – or families; there’s plenty to keep kids entertained within easy reach and you’d wouldn’t have to eat every meal out.
The design and interior have been inspired by the industrial heritage of Stratford, including “materials and detailing redolent of the railways”, as well as a modern approach reflecting the area’s rejuvenation. Amenities include a small on-site convenience store, the hotel’s own parking spaces, and a gym – although the surrounding area is pretty flat with plenty of green space, providing a good route for runners (at least ones like me that like to avoid hills at all
costs). The aparthotel also features "The Circle", a shared living space where guests can meet and get to know each other. That said, we didn’t find it to be a party hotel and if you just want a quiet stay then it’s good for that too.
We enter the bright and airy reception, the space also boasting plenty of seating and decorated in a mix of white, blue, pink, brown, and light grey. On check-in, which sees us served by very enthusiastic staff, we’re asked to fill out a form specifying our preferences for breakfast, and what time we’d like to collect it the following day.
We make our way up to our room, which continues the colour scheme seen downstairs, and has twin beds that sit under an arty, angular teal headboard.
There is an immaculate and indeed extremely well-equipped kitchen in which you could rustle up a feast/ attempt to recreate a Bake-off technical challenge, which has a dark grey ensemble going on, as does the bathroom. The room is also blissfully quiet, a tonic after dealing with the mania of central London.
For dinner, we head over to
Westfield, which offers nearly 90 places to eat, plus a cinema, bowling, and more. However, there’s also a Sainsbury’s Local mere yards from our accommodation, also handy if, like me, you have a habit of forgetting at least one essential item (often a toothbrush, but most recently a hairbrush) on every trip.
In the morning we’ve set our hearts on going to swim at Hampstead Heath, which might be on the other side of London, but so wellconnected is Stratford that it’s simply a straightforward, direct route on the Overground – so off we head, and the dip proves a total tonic.
We’d have happily stayed longer in the local area, with options including a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and sliding down the world’s longest tunnel slide at The Arcelormittal Orbit. The Aparthotel Adagio offers comfort and thrills, whether that’s shopping or slides, or equally importantly, the buzz of simply staying put in your room and recharging.
There’s plenty to keep kids entertained within easy reach
Rooms at Aparthotel Adagio London Stratford start from £102; Address – 42 Celebration Avenue, Penny Brookes Street E20 1DB, Stratford, London. Tel: 0204 524 7900, www. adagio-city.com