AREA LOCALE

A 15-minute walk from the hotel, vibrant Brick Lane is home to a large Bangladeshi community and dozens of curry houses. The Old Truman Brewery is a focal point, housing bars, boutiques, cafés and a nightclub, as well as substantial exhibition space. Sample sales, pop-up shops and food stalls compete for your business on Sundays, when the whole area becomes a lively indoor/outdoor market.

A short bus or Tube ride away from the hotel, the Tate Modern art gallery occupies an expansive former power station on the South Bank of the River Thames. The gallery houses permanent modern and contemporary art collections, as well as temporary exhibitions. The cavernous turbine hall houses blockbuster shows with universal appeal.

A quick Tube ride from the hotel, the iconic Tower Bridge spans the River Thames. An exhibition displays the original Victorian machinery that used to raise the bridge, and offers great views from its elevated walkways. After visiting, you can stroll down the South Bank riverside path, past the striking City Hall and on towards the HMS Belfast museum ship.

A London sightseeing tour on a double-decker bus will never go out of fashion and is the perfect way to keep kids entertained – ask friendly hotel staff for recommended tour bus operators. Stopping at key attractions around central London, the hop-on, hop-off tours take in sights such as the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral and the London Eye, while crossing the River Thames several times.