Amba Hotel Charing Cross Review
Amba Hotel Charing Cross is situated right above Charing Cross station (with the entrance to the left hand side), and like myself you may have walked past it a dozen times after leaving Charing cross station and not even glanced in the hotel’s direction, mainly because you’re in a rush to get to your next destination.
Amba Hotel Charing Cross is in the perfect location for business travelers visiting London, as its a thirty second walk to Charing cross station. It’s also ideal for tourists, The hotel is in walking distance to many tourist hot spots, which include: Trafalgar square, The National Portrait gallery, China Town, Covent garden, Leicester Square and the main shopping hub Oxford street. Yes than means not having to travel on the packed tube and instead walking at your own leisure as you enjoy all the beautiful sights.
We received a warm welcome when we arrived and although our room wasn’t yet ready we were kindly shown to the Amba lounge to relax and enjoy the complimentary tea and snacks on offer. (which we may have missed out on, had we not been early) If you have an executive room booked, do check it out, its a nice lounge to relax in, with a newspaper or two.
Our room was very spacious, a comfy king size bed, workstation, sofa and coffee table, with a modern yet cosy look and feel to it. The bathroom was also spacious, including both a bath and a large walk in shower, needless to say I had packed my radox! There is a free minibar, although minimal, however it certainly is nice to walk into your room and reach for a beer without being frightened of the extortionate price you’ll have to pay at the end of your stay. There was also a Nespresso machine, an iPad and tea making facilities to use and enjoy. Our room looked over the main forecourt, where you could see the strand and Trafalgar square, we were pleasantly surprised with our view, especially at sunset. Gym bunnies would be happy to know there is also a gym in the hotel, it wasn’t very busy when we went to have a peek, but if we were staying longer I would have happily brought my gym gear.
Amba Hotel Charing Cross, recently launched three new upgrade packages to add a little more luxury to your stay. Partnering with London brands Beefeater Gin, Skin + Tonic and Neom Organics. For those who enjoy a drink or two you may want to opt for The summer tipple package. Which includes: an Amba Negroni, a mini-bottle of Beefeater London Dry Gin, Fever-Tree Aromatic Tonic Water, glassware, cocktail recipes and a voucher for a cocktail and nibbles of your choice from the hotel bar.
For those that find it a little hard to sleep, you could opt for the Better Night’s Sleep package. Which includes four Neom products; daily de-stress on the go mist, perfect night’s sleep bath foam, pillow mist and hand balm.
We wanted the ultimate relaxing experience, so we choose the You-Time package. Which included: beauty oil, rose mist, coco mask and calm balm, we also got a voucher for a glass of fizz from the bar. It was a nice touch and the treat certainly added more value to our stay. *The packages are limited edition and once sold the option will be removed from the booking site. The free upgrade packages are available on a flexible room rate and can be booked at www.amba-hotel.com/
For those who love history, the hotel used to be The Charing Cross Hotel, one of London’s great 19th-century railway hotels. If you head to the first floor, just outside the hotel bar you will see old photos of what the hotel used to look like and copies of the hotel’s blueprints. Its quite fascinating to look at. We visited the bar for a glass of bubbly and snacks and was pleasantly surprised to have a jazz band perform. As we looked out at the view, listening to jazz in the background it felt like we had escaped the hustle of central London and was tucked away in a charming bar with delightful staff.
The breakfast menu was pretty extensive, offering both a continental and full English breakfast. we opted for both choices which didn’t disappoint. We most certainly had an enjoyable stay and location wise it was perfect. Although it’s on the pricey side, if you book directly through their website you get 10% off, and to be honest its London, so its always going to be on the pricey side…
Website: www.amba-hotel.com
Address: Amba Hotel Charing Cross, The Strand, Charing Cross, London, England, United Kingdom, WC2N 5HX.
Written by Nyla S.
