Travelling to a big city can be really daunting, and no city can leave your mind more blown than ol’ London Town. So, when I’m planning a trip to the big smoke, I always choose a hotel that is as central to my plans as humanly possible, mostly to prevent getting lost or having to walk hundreds of miles after a hard day ‘touristing’.
With this in mind I always turn to Hyatt hotels because they come through with the goods, every time. Their amazing hotels are usually slap bang in the middle of the action which is ideal, there is nothing worse than feeling a million miles from home and having to travel to the ends of the earth to find your hotel. This time we stayed at Hyatt Regency London Stratford.
My recent visit to London was one for pleasure as I was taking my family to see the Abba Voyage show at the Abba Arena in Stratford. I really needed a hotel close to the event (and close to the city so we could enjoy some true tourist days out). Hyatt Regency London Stratford couldn’t have been any more central to my plans. When you arrive at Stafford Station the hotel is just a few minutes’ walk-through Westfield shopping centre, which was perfect, (although the temptation to get lost shopping was extremely hard to resist).
The hotel entrance leads to the Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House, which are both part of the Hyatt brand but with two different target audiences. Hyatt House markets itself as an extended-stay hotel, with all rooms being full suites, plus they offer full kitchens and on-site laundry facilities. They’re also pet-friendly and provide free hot breakfasts for guests. The Hyatt Regency however is targeted towards more business and leisure travellers. The Regency brand are usually always based within busy city areas and definitely have a more boutique vibe, which is something I personally adore when visiting.
We were staying in the Regency where Tom and I had a room and my sister and mum shared another. Check in was simple and easy and we were up to our rooms in a flash to get ourselves ‘Abba ready’. We had so much room to glam up as the rooms were huge, plus there was a handy living room area complete with sofa and table, perfect for us to have pre-drinks together before we headed out to the arena.
Both rooms were beautiful and kitted out with quality European furnishings, and sparkling clean bathrooms, (my mum owns her own cleaning business and she was very impressed). The regency bathrooms all include marble vanities, walk in showers and luxurious amenities, making getting ready an absolute pleasure. The room had a large desk, a huge Smart TV and importantly a very large comfortable plush bed, which is something the Hyatts always get right. When you stay in any Hyatt, you will ALWAYS have the best night’s sleep.
Once we were showered and dressed, we all headed out to the Elondi Bar, situated right next to reception. The bar is really luxurious and the menu offered a gorgeous selection of cocktails, from Elondi specials to classics; the choices were excellent. We enjoyed some mojitos, espresso martinis and delicious rum-based cocktails, which got us all in the mood to dance the night away to some Abba classics.
Heading to the Olympic Park was very simple, we chose not to walk because my mum and sister had their dancing shoes on, so the hotel kindly booked us a taxi and we arrived at the Abba Arena in minutes. What an absolutely incredible night, the Abba Voyage show is a must for anyone who are fans of the band or want to dance the night away watching a technological masterpiece, it’s like nothing we have ever seen before, I hugely recommend.
The next morning, we had breakfast at Elondi Restaurant. It’s a buffet breakfast, offering hot and cold delights (which includes vegan options). There was also a European offering, plus you could order pancakes, omelettes or eggs (whichever way you take them), all made fresh to order and delivered very quickly to your table. The breakfast was predictably delicious, everything was freshly made (none of that rubbery nonsense which is left to ‘rubberise’ under heat lamps for hours on end). I must mention that the pancakes were glorious, so if you visit The Hyatt Regency, Stratford, you have to make sure you give them a try. They were fluffy, tasty and with a generous helping of fresh strawberries and maple syrup, it was a delicious start to our morning.
We ate until bursting, then headed to the underground to spend a full day touring Westminster and South Kensington. We visited Downing Street, The Palace and had a few hours wandering around the national history museum. After five hours walking around London, we arrived back to the Hyatt Regency to rest our throbbing feet. We each took a hot shower and refreshed ourselves before enjoying dinner at the Elondi Restaurant. The menu showcased a variety of delicious internationally inspired dishes, which meant we were truly spoilt for choice. With much debate we went with the fish cakes, pea and mint soup and mushrooms with quail eggs for starters and the sirloin steak, sea bass and gnocchi for mains. It was all very tasty; the service was excellent and it was the perfect end to an extremely busy day.
Check out the next day was simple, the guys at the hotel entrance happily stored our bags so we could enjoy some more tourist time before we set off for home. We had lots to see and we were only a short walk to the Olympic Park, home to iconic venues like the Copper Box, ArcelorMittal Orbit, London Aquatics Centre, Lee Valley VeloPark and the London Stadium; itself home to West Ham United Football Club. So, we really did have a million things to see and do before we left.
I genuinely couldn’t have chosen a more perfect hotel for the weekend. If you’re looking for a central hotel at the heart of all of the action in Stratford, with the added benefit of excellent food and plush comfort, check out the Hyatt Regency or Hyatt House London Stratford, you really can’t go wrong.
Review and images by Luke Williams @stanleydru
