Seven Dials Hotel

When you think abstractly about London budget hotels, a hotel just like the Seven Dials is probably floating around in your head. It’s a tight two-star hotel in just about the best location possible, smack-dab on Monmouth Street in one of the cutest—and most crowded—corners of London’s West End. While not the cheapest pick, this simple yet sweet hotel is perfectly placed for exploring much of central London by foot.

The 18 guest rooms at the Seven Dials Hotel are connected by a tiny, warren-like staircases and hallways. They’re clean, basic, and bright, with hardwood floors, simple blonde furnishings, and green-and-white striped bedspreads. Everything is tidy and comfortable at this simple spot.

All rooms are equipped with coffee and tea facilities, a fan, telephone, and TV. Despite the triple glazing (yes, you read that right) of the front windows, light sleepers should request back rooms. Monmouth is a hub of activity, and you won’t want to be awakened by the din of late-night partiers.

The private bathrooms are clean and reasonably spacious. Some are comically small, and all are equipped with a hair dryer but no toiletries. (Note that one room has corresponding private facilities located outside the room.)

Free Wi-Fi reaches most, but not all, rooms (ask ahead if you require a room with Wi-Fi). Note that there is no elevator and that the staircase is steep.

Location: The hotel’s name is no lie. It is in fact located near the Seven Dials junction, where seven lanes come together in a roundabout crowned by a pillar which features, rather confusingly, a sundial with just six faces.

It’s a prime location, just behind the lively shops and restaurants of Covent Garden, and well placed for catching London’s theater scene. The Seven Dials is also within walking distance of the British Museum, bustling Picadilly Circus and lovely, leafy Bloomsbury.