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Arriva is one of many hotels in the blocks south of King’s Cross. It shares a name—not co-ownership—with the massive UK-based public transportation company. Arriva’s rates are good for London yet right on the edge of pricey for our Cheapo wallets, something that grabbed our attention particularly given the ho-hum nature of the place.
The 75-room hotel was recently renovated. Evidence of renovation is most obvious in bathrooms. Décor is fairly basic. We spied plaid duvets, little reading lamps over beds, simple bed frame units, and heavy, patterned curtains. Bathrooms are sparkling. Utterly and completely devoid of color, they include corner showers with arched doors.
The King’s Cross area is known for being edgy, and Londoners will often warn visitors away from this area. The immediate surrounds may not be London at its prettiest, but Arriva’s location on demure Swinton Street feels quite safe, and the hotel’s staid brick exterior hardly calls the hard-scrabble to mind.
We suggest requesting a room at the back of the hotel. Though the views aren’t anything to speak of, they provide a very London panorama of brick and, in the warmer months, greenery.
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Hotels
