Fancy a bit of central London living? Bermonds Locke could be just the place. Sold as a home away from home, it is part hotel, part apartment block, and part yuppie community. There are kitchens in each room, equipped with huge fridges, hobs and full sets of pots and pans to get your culinary genius flowing - and there's no cooked breakfast on offer, so you really better get thinking about what to make.
Still, in Bermonds Locke is basically the perfect place to kick back and relax. The downstairs co-working space, Shaman, a third-wave coffee shop, has drinks, brunch and pastries on sale through the day. The foyer is decorated with cool metal panels that gleam in rainbow, while a giant moon hangs above the reception desk. On the day I visit, the guy at the reception tells me i've come to the "right place to chill out".
He's not wrong. The rooms offer a little slice of home. There are laundry facilities, hair dryers and a paranoramaic view of London that would look good on any trendy Instagram feed - on a clear day you'll see right from The Shard to the London Eye. With pale wooden floors and sky blue walls, the whole hotel has a sense of calm running through it. And, in the middle of Tower Bridge that is certainly something to savour.
Neighbourhood: Bermonds Locke has an array of pubs, indie shops and markets just a few minutes away. If it is a nice day, take a walk down to the river bank and soak up all of the Thames' beauty. There's also the nearby Borough Market that has countless food stalls waiting to be enjoyed - although maybe best to avoid it during weekends because the crowds are quite somethin
Nearby: Try Flour and Grape for some cheap and cheerful pasta dishes and Hakata Ramen + Bar is a simple no reservation spot that will fulfill all your japanese cravings. The Bermondsey beer mile is a just a few minutes walk away, too.
Time Out tip: There's also a caff called the Cat and the Cucumber just up the road that does great bacon rolls and fry ups.