Despite some initial hesitation, my decision to stay at the Park Plaza Hotel near the Westminster Bridge (in London) for the second time in 8 years ended up being a good one.
I learned from my first visit that the interior-facing rooms are be a bit too dark and dreary for my tastes. I just couldn’t do that again. This is why I chose a room with a view this time. And you know what? It was amazing(ish).
A full review of my 1 night stay (in a suite with a view)
The Park Plaza is just a hop and a skip away from the Westminster Bridge and the Parliament building. I’m somewhat familiar with London, and I consider this to be the perfect location for any visitor who’s primary goal is sightseeing.
Getting there
The easiest – and cheapest – way to get to this hotel from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) is to use the Underground. Hop on the Piccadilly line. Switch to the District line at Acton Town. In total, it’ll take about 45 minutes to reach Westminster Station.
Not only will you be standing in the shadow of Big Ben upon exiting the station, you’ll even be able to see the Park Plaza just down the street. It doesn’t get any better than that!
That glass building straight ahead? That’s the Park Plaza. I took this picture while standing on the Westminster Bridge (with Big Ben and Parliament Building right behind me) so the location is nearly perfect.Key word: nearly. I’ll spare you the expletives, but let’s just say that it was a cold (and very wet) walk from the Westminster Underground station to the main entrance.
The lobby (and checking in)
Having already experienced a fantastic stay at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul, I knew that I was in for a treat even before stepping through the main entrance. The lobby is large and grand, and I didn’t mind the dark (and moody) vibe at first. Dark hotels have never really been my thing – but this seemed to work for some reason.
I’m soaked down to my underpants (and my nipples are hard enough to etch glass), so telling you that I’ve never been happier to walk into a hotel lobby in my entire life is probably unnecessary.< Darth Vader voice > impressive. Most impressive. < / Darth Vader voice>The reception desk. Again, not to bore you with the details, but expletives were spewed as I waited to get checked in. Think molasses. Outside. In the Arctic. In January.This nice looking lounge is located directly across from the reception desk. I think this is where they send the really impatient people to simmer down before checking in. I almost ended up there myself!The truly unruly folks probably get sent to this lounge. Ain’t nothing that’ll calm down irate guests more than a Long Island iced tea (or two).
Getting to my room
After checking in at the front desk, it was hard not to feel the urge to pat myself on the back for splurging on a room with a view of Big Ben and the Parliament Building. This hotel faces those landmarks directly, and I had high hopes of a view unlike anything else I’ve ever had from a hotel room. I know. It’s dangerous to set expectations that high…
Now that I know what the guest room hallways at the St. Regis hotel in Rome are like, it’s gonna take a lot more than red carpet to impress me!“Damn the St. Regis (straight to the depths of hell) for making me not impressed by this.”Screw the St. Regis. This is impressive!
The room (it was actually a suite)
Not only did I splurge on a room with a view, I also decided to pay a little more for a suite. Yup. It was a little more than I wanted to spend for a short one night stay. That said, I knew that money was well spent as soon as I opened the door. First impressions were good!
On one hand, it looks like the decor is exactly the same as it was during my first visit in 2016. On the other hand, I like it just as much now as I did back then.A dining room table (with four chairs) and a fold out bed? What kind a hotel room is this anyway?Oh! I forgot. This is actually a suite. What you’re seeing straight ahead is the door to the bathroom and the bedroom (where the magic supposedly happens).I’ll show you the bedroom in a moment, but here’s another view of the main living area. I can’t say that I fully understand the rationale for having that fold out bed ready to go upon arrival. Maybe they think I have London groupies or something? I have no idea.Looks like I’ll have no choice but to Goldilocks these chairs (in order to find out which one is just right).Hey now. Goldilocksing is a lot harder than it looks!I can tell you with 100% certainty that Goldilocks wouldn’t hesitate to set fire to this fold out bed. It was lumpy AF.Perhaps one of the best features of this suite was this kitchenette area (complete with a microwave and an assortment of dishware). I like.I also quite like the refrigerator, the complementary sparkling water, and the coffee / tea station. Spoiler alert: none of this was as nice as the view (which I’ll show you soon).UK, Euro, and US plug types for your electrical pleasure.And that’s a wrap on the main living space! Those of you who aren’t liking what you see so far should probably hit the back button on your browser now. It’s just going to get swankier from here…Shocker: even the bedroom is slathered in that (awesome) orange carpet.Looks a little nicer than the fold out bed out in the main living area, eh?Nope. That huge mural on the closet door isn’t creepy at all.Good news! There’s some space between the bed and the window to hide from huge mural lady.“Looks like I may end up sleeping on that fold out couch after all…”Yeah, she’s kind of pretty, but I don’t like being watched when I sleep, OK?Making matters worse is that I couldn’t turn off the TV. Not only did the remote not work, I couldn’t reach the damn plug. The escape route (the door to the bathroom is on the left, and the door to the main living space is on the right).Plot twist! This refrigerator here in the bedroom kind of cancels out the mural I think. I wasn’t expecting this.And if you’re curious about what’s behind the mural, it’s actually a fairly large closet full of the usual closet stuff (iron, ironing board, safe, hangers, and laundry bags).
The view
Easily the most memorable part of this entire experience was the view of Big Ben, the Parliament Building, and Westminster Bridge. My suite was aligned perfectly with the bridge, and I could see everything that a tourist coming to London for the first time would ever want to see (which was mostly other tourists lol). Long story short: it’s worth paying extra for the view.
Choosing to stay at the Park Plaza and not paying a little extra for a view of Westminster Bridge (and Big Ben) would be downright sacrilegious methinks.This is most definitely the hotel room for anyone with an inkling of a fantasy about standing over central London in nothing but their underpants.Pro tip #1: don’t stand here naked unless you’re keen on spending the night in jail for indecent exposure. And possibly domestic terrorism (depending on what you look like).Pro tip #2: pay extra for a room with a view! This is a pic of the room that I had during my first visit here in 2016. As you can see, I didn’t feel the need to pay, but I still paid dearly for it.
The bathroom
Honestly? I think the bathroom was actually nicer than the rest of the suite (minus the view of course). It felt far more modern, and perhaps less worn out. My guess is that they were recently updated. Perhaps a sign of things to come for the rest of this property?
Look. I’m totally cool with any hotel room bathroom that features robes and an endless supply of fluffy towels. This works for me.Sorry, views of Big Ben are not possible from this tub (or anywhere else in this bathroom). Unless you’re slightly overweight fella named Ben, of course.There’s a shower too (with only enough room for one Big Ben at a time unfortunately).A pic of the toilet is probably a good place to end this review considering that I feel some more (potentially inappropriate) Big Ben jokes coming on…
Pros and cons of the London / Westminster Park plaza Hotel
You need to be very careful when booking a room at this property. You don’t necessarily need to splurge on a suite like I did, but any room with a view will be nothing short of fantastic. Avoid interior facing rooms at all costs. Unless you’re a vampire. Or a bat.
Pros
The location is excellent. There are many tourist attractions (and business centers) within walking distance.
The style and design is anything but boring. It’s a very hip property.
The nearest Underground station (Westminster) is just a 10 minute walk away.
Rooms with a view are absolutely worth it – it’s probably the best you’ll get anywhere in London.
Cons
This is a very busy hotel. It’s probably not the best choice for anyone seeking quiet solitude.
Airy and bright it is not. Other than the rooms with views to the outside world, the rest of this property is very dark.
