Marriot and Hyatt Hotel points? sounds like a very wise investment. This is the way to vacation in a City! Definitely in style, the way a city break should be! Magenta Desk? Wow, this is a great room! Loving the staircase in the St Pancras. Gosh, a repurposed train station! How cool is that? The buffet looked great quality but im still avoiding them until the unmentionable is a distant memory. Great architecture on The Dixon, how iconic! Gosh i wonder how they keep those chandeliers clean? Must have to close for a week! Tissues in an elevator? 🧐 nice modern rooms! Loving the bathroom tiles they look original (know they are not, but how cool). Great shot of your boys from 2014! Wow, that room is incredible, id find it hard to leave! Lovely video and some insight into hotel points! 👍
Thanks for watching and leaving such a thoughtful long comment! We certainly enjoyed some posh digs in 2022. It was such a treat! It’s especially fun to see historic buildings repurposed in such a luxurious way. And YES it does look like a tricky job to clean that huge handcuff chandelier!!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels sorry Dara. Always have you on the big screen whilst typing on the ipad. I do try to hold back but you always put forward so much interesting content. Hard not to blurb out every bit. But on a neg im still horrified you can hear coughing whilst you narrate that stunning buffet. Probably just me, i hear it 24/7! Scarred for life ❤️
The St. Pancras Renaissance is not a re-purposed railway station. It is the station hotel for the very beautiful and stunning station where you catch trains to various parts of Britain and also the Eurostar trains to Paris. In my opinion it is one of the great transport hubs in the world! It was very remiss of Dara to mislead in this way.
@@robertwilson738 please except my sincere apologies. However, I do maintain that the restaurant is in the former booking office. It seems pretty obvious when you are there.
You are our type of traveler Dara!!!! We are Bonvoy members and honestly when we consider traveling, particularly outside of the US, it's the only brand we trust. That Renaissance was my FAVORITE. That brand just does so well with the design, the comfort and the food offerings. JEALOUS of your travels! One day we will hopefully visit London!
Yes, definitely save up those Bonvoy points for London! One of the best places to spend them. There are so many Marriott hotels in London, at a range of price points. But relatively speaking, they are all expensive!
Such beautiful places!!! Quite the luxury feeling with the marble, stained glass, decors and other attributes. You'd almost stay inside all day and forget to visit the amazing city itself. Like being in a museum. Thanks for showing us along your favourites. Oh my...English breakfast. Now that has been quite a while since having one of those. Absolutely love it. I was wondering, besides getting your Marriot points, do you also offer your reviews in exchange for accommodations when you travel?
@@MagentaOtterTravels I do believe you can, we managed all of our free tours and stays with under 1500 subscribers. It's not the numbers they get into but the promotional video you'd make. Videography is worth quite a bit and you are doing such a wonderful job showing these places. Of course you'd give them a copy for own use too. The publicity on your channel is simply a bonus. You can always try. When writing to 10 hotels, 1 is bound to agree. 😊
Wow! The St. Pancras Renaissance was just stunning!! I have to try breakfast there! But wow, the upgraded room at the Marriott West India Quay was mind blowing! I'd love to edit there myself, haha. Thank you so much for this tour of such great hotels Dara!
Thanks for watching, love! We were very lucky to stay in some fabulous places. And yes, that breakfast at St Pancras was epic! I have been in Hawaii for two weeks and not watching any videos. I look forward to catching up on some friends’ videos soon.😉Cheers, Susan!
Thanks Watto! It’s nice to splurge sometimes when we can spend points instead of real money 💰… I don’t vlog the Premier Inns and Travelodges where we usually stay 😉
Fun fact: if you go back and watch the old Spice Girls video of their song Wannabe, it was filmed at the St Pancras! There is a dance number on those stairs! I wish I had known this before I edited this vlog. A subscriber named Evan told me, and that is just so fun!!! The stairway is Instagram famous, but I had no idea!
Wow the breakfast at the Pancras looked delicious! All the rooms were wonderful. What stunning hotels and I love the perks of points! We do the same! Great video Dara! ~Cara 😊
What a great opening shot- that stairway...stunning. It looked like a very comfortable room with all the necessary items for a great stay. I loved the out side of the building. Maybe even regal. I could spend a day just looking at that building in and out. The Dixon Tower Bridge Hotel looked lovely too- indeed with it's quirkiness giving it a wee bit ore of an relaxed tint. When traveling comfort is important. Wonderful introduction of the hotels Dara. Happy travels for 2023 👍💖🇳🇿🙋♀🇳🇱
They’re lovely!!! We’d call this videos hotels we can’t afford!!! They do look nice though. Breakfast at the St Pancras looks amazing. We do really want to stay here, prior to Euro star ing it across to Paris!! That would be so glam!!! Cheers for sharing 🍻
Same title for us… we only stay if it’s free 😉. You really need to watch the Spice Girls “Wannabe“ video. I didn’t know it at the time I edited and posted this video, but it was filmed at the St Pancras! I didn’t realise the staircase was Instagram famous for being the location of such a well-known dance video! Lol.
Such a quirky place!! I forgot to focus in on what the different people were charged with in those mug shots. The offenses were interesting. Like sleeping overnight in the park or something…
The Dixon is in a great location. The lavish and quirky decor is great - love the handcuffs in the chandelier! I really liked the room and the bathroom was fabulous.
Hiya. Glad you posted this because it jogged my memory. Don't know if Ian would have heard this back in Texas, but in early December 2022 the UK, once again, updated sections of its Drone Code/Regulations. Might be worth a bit of a google, maybe? Stay safe. All the best to you.
Thanks for the reminder! I will tell him to check. He did say that the code was changing this year. One of the reasons he wants his next drone to be very small and light.
Yes, I've studied the changes but the CAA has delayed implementing them until 1 January 2026. I was planning on buying a new drone because of the changes but with the delay, I've decided to stick with the drone I have.
The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel was stunning. We too love the architecture both inside and out! Breakfast looked delicious. We too use bonus points for many of our stays but not quite as high end as these. Even been known to take out some credit cards to pave the way. All the hotels looked wonderful. Some quirky things at the Dixon Tower! Loved the room views at the last. Thanks for bringing us along.
We really save up our points for London. We are able to get hotels or Airbnb stays in other parts of Britain for reasonable prices, but London is just too expensive. So we save up our points to splurge when we are there!🤑 Thanks for coming along!
Yes it’s spectacular! Funny thing, I didn’t know it was featured in a Spice Girls video until I published this video and someone told me! It’s their “wannabe” music video😂
The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel certainly does look like a cathedral! What a wonderful staircase. Love how they've transformed the dining area from a part of the old station, very cool. Lots of choice for brekky gets a big thumbs up too!
I remember when that Booking Hall restaurant was still the booking hall to get my ticket from St Pancras to Bedford and the hotel was allowed to go into decay. Thank goodness it's been resurrected and functions as a hotel again and sensitive to the original architecture in the public areas.
There are so many choices in London! I wanted to share a couple special places we love. I also did a video about bargain hotels in London if you are on a budget ;-) That video is here: ruclips.net/video/JLa3vmPytuI/видео.html
Hi Dara & Ian, I must firstly apologise we do always watch your videos together usually on the big screen but then I forget to like and leave a comment from this account! So I’m just catching up now! You guys travel in style and stay in some fantastic places! Loved the picture of you with your sons so cute! Hope you guys are enjoying Hawaii look forward to seeing those videos and seeing where 2023 takes you or better still where you take us 🤭❤
No worries! Whenever we watch friends’ videos on our big screen, I always have to have my phone in hand and comment right away, or I will never remember! Lol It is very kind of you to take the time to comment! We are leaving Hawaii in a few hours, and I have no idea when I will edit my content! It’s been two weeks, but I think I’m just going to do one video. I’m way too behind with everything else to do more than one quick “highlight reel“!!
Wow thanks for showing all of these hotels! Marriott options look amazing! Your India Quay room was sooo nice, but all the other ones looks really charming as well. I loved all of the opulent decor in the common spaces at each! And I agree the tile work at the Dixon bathroom was lovely 😀😀
Happy New Year, Eliz! I remember you mentioning hotel rewards programs... do y'all usually stay at Hiltons or was it Hyatt? Fun fact: my first job out of business school was at Hilton headquarters in Beverly Hills working on their Hilton HHonors program for seniors! Now I'm an old lady and don't have Hilton as my frequent traveler program, lol!
Every time I see that staircase from the St. Pancras hotel I'm reminded of the Spice Girls legendary "Wannabe" video - If I ever find myself in that hotel I'm definitely re-enacting that video :)
Oooooh, thanks for telling me! And and I watch music videos on RUclips, all the time, and love to pay attention to where they are filmed. We will have to check that one out! Speaking of music videos, filmed in great places in London, have you seen this one? ruclips.net/video/uGhKqb2Ow3E/видео.html
Thanks for sharing that. It's been many years since I've seen the video and I hadn't heard of the St. Pancras when I did, so I will have to check it out.
Some nice gaffs there (as a cockney might say ). I think St Pancras was my fave. Though isn't taste such a subjective thing. To me, I have to say, I thought the lobby of the Andaz positively jarring on the eye. But then maybe I'm just old fashioned :) Glad you enjoyed your stays though, and keeping working on earning those points, it's paying off in spades.
Yes I agree that accruing points is definitely worth it! 🤑 St Pancras is my favourite too… so classic and historic. I am partial to Victorian architecture. ❤️🏴
We just got into London on 1-1-2023. We Were there for 4 days. Saw Wicked, stayed at the Premier Inn. were here to stay now having a hard time to get stored it
Premier Inn is a place we have stayed many times. We just booked rooms for us and our sons at a Premier Inn near London for May. I hope you enjoyed your time in London! What a great way to kick off the new year!! 👍
My favourite place in London is any nice hotel in Richmond..it has a lovely villagey atmosphere…with a Fab Theatre, or out at Epping…these places are free of stress..
Richmond is on our bucket list. I was last there and Kew Gardens when I was a teen in the early 80s and have always wanted to go back to that area. It really is lovely.
@@ians3586 its my go to London Ian….the hotels you went to were nice…but in Richmond the people seem all nice locals..a bit like Montelimar in Cheltenham.
As soon as we get back from the UK we start planning our next trip there. Planning ahead really pays. It allows you to have the widest selection of places to stay at the cheapest prices. I also am very conscientious about timing when booking train travel. For example, is 1/4 the cost 90 days + out of a day of purchase. For regular trains seem to need to be booked right after 90 days. If you wait much longer all the cheap fares are gone but those fares don't exist more than 90 days out.
The main thing I got from the vid is your lov for big tvs lol….next time recommended the ME on the Strand has a rooftop bar restaurant etc. cross road Covent Garden.Waterloo bridge etc.
Hi Dara …. My wife and I are going “Down South “ tomorrow …. (We live “Up North in Cheshire) it will be my wife’s first trip out and night out since she left hospital … we are meeting up with friends in Northampton first then travelling into London and staying overnight in a hotel (not sure which one as our friends booked it) then my wife and her friend are going to see the new ABBA musical experience “Voyage” while us two blokes will be going for a very nice Curry at the Borough Market and maybe a few Beers 🍻 …. Happy New Year to you both 🎉🥳🥂🇺🇸🇬🇧❤️ and thanks for the video’s …..
Oh wow, I hope you have a wonderful visit to London! We do love the Borough Market!❤️😋 My husband Ian likes ABBA, but I would definitely prefer to hang out at Borough Market, eating my fill of cheese (or an amazing pulled pork sandwich) then have to sit through an ABBA concert 😂. Cheers! Dara
So many beautiful hotels in London, l went to London 3 or 4 times a year before l retired. Although the hotel was paid for on expenses l never went over board. Holiday Inn was safe all the rooms were the same and breakfast was included. I have stayed in one where the breakfast was £40, didn't have that one. Two of my favourites are the Churchill at London Bridge and the Mountbatton in Leicester Square both easy to go to the theatre or Opera House in Covent Garden and a cheeky trip to Rules for dinner. Now having friends who moved back into the city accommodation is free. My American nephew is studying in London for a year and is renting a one bed apartment or rabbit hutch to be honest.
Yes, it was fun to stay in interesting hotels back when my employer was paying for it! I always stayed at Maria properties back then as well, because that was our corporate partnership . We usually do not pay for hotel breakfasts, because we love to get our own breakfast at a place we find nearby. However occasionally there is a breakfast like the one at St Pancras that is worth trying! Thanks for the hotel recommendations! Cheers! Dara
The St Pancras Hotel is utterly magnificent and reminds me of Manchester Town Hall. But it’s shocking to think that was nearly demolished in the 1960s. Apparently it was within 10 days of the wrecking ball before it was listed Grade I, thanks to the efforts of poet Sir John Betjeman. Thanks for giving us a glimpse inside! :)
I didn’t know that bit of history, so thank you so much for sharing it! Have you seen my Manchester video? We loved visiting the city, but I was sad to have missed seeing the Town hall because of it being under construction/refurbishment. I look forward to returning again in a couple years and seeing it once it has reopened! Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, I was in your Manchester video, it's Aidan! I forgot to switch to my AidanEyewitness identity. I was using my new channel XLR German, which is launched today, on my birthday! I'm looking forward to your return in a couple of years!
Oh that hotel at St Pancras ❤ what a building that is. When I moved to London at 18, I nearly fell over in awe my first sight of that structure!!! Thanks for the video x
@@MagentaOtterTravels I'd say that you and your Husband fit right in there, and if you don't, then you certainly do a good impression of it. Thanks for sharing all these exciting things with us all. It really lifts my mood and I am certain many other people's too.
My favorite hotel to stay in London is the Park Plaza Westminster. It's right behind the London Eye and has great views of the Thames, Parliament, and Big Ben. The hotel is so luxurious but affordable. It is also close to the Westminster and Waterloo tube lines!
That is an amazing location! We have stayed at the Marriott County Hall there. I am surprised to hear that it is relatively affordable! We will have to check it out. Cheers! Dara
The Renaissance St. Pancras is certainly a unique property with incredible 19th c design. I would point out however the cheaper guests rooms are very ordinary and boring, a world away from the better rooms which of course are more expensive but better reflect the atmosphere of the hotel in general. London, as you would expect, has a huge variety of hotels ranging from being included in the World’s best to extremely basic and sometimes well below acceptable standards, my advice would be don’t go too cheap because there’s always a reason and this could totally spoil your holiday.
Very good advice! Yes, we've been in the super nice rooms at the St Pancras as well as the boring ones 😉. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! Cheers! Dara
Many years ago when we visited the UK we stayed at two different hotels in London. One was by the Tower of London and was called the White House and we also stayed at the Novatell (spelling?). They were both nice.
@@MagentaOtterTravels We were actually supposed to stay in another hotel that night before we flew back home to the U.S. but somehow our reservations got messed up and they gave us the White House. Our tour guide said we got the better end of the deal. I just wish we had time to tour the Tower of London. We had to settle for just seeing it from the outside.
The first two hotels were 19 century railway hotels, (St Pancras narrowly saved from demolition) I remember the one at Liverpool Street was the called the Great Eastern Hotel, had entrances onto the station concourse, the windows and lintels are still there and can be seen from the platforms, also the word Great Eastern hotel carved by a stonemason visible from inside the station .
Oh that is wonderful that the carved stone was retained. It is such a shame when beautiful old buildings are torn down. We are SO grateful to John Betjeman that St Pancras was saved from demolition!!!
I can understand now why when Americans travel they seem to stay in chain hotels. If you can get the deals for these fabulous places on points it's well worth it!
What a luxurious collection of places to stay! Loved the opulence of the former station hotel at St Pancras. Just wondering whether, while you were at Canary Wharf, you got the opportunity to visit the interesting jungle-style roof garden atop the new Crossrail HQ (Elizabeth Line station)... Or were you lured into the Canary Wharf shopping centre, with its myriad high-end brand shops...?
We did not see the rooftop garden of the new Elizabeth line station. We will have to do that next time, because that sounds like just the type of thing Ian would love to see! I think we have passed through the Canary Wharf shopping centre, but it’s not really the kind of place I would spend time 😉. Thanks for watching this video!
Dara is not correct. We did visit the rooftop garden at the Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line station. She was just too sleep deprived to remember correctly. I'm not going to miss an opportunity to visit a building designed by my favourite architect, Sir Norman Foster! An interesting aspect of the garden is that the plants come from countries whose ships visited West India Dock and, since the station sits on the Prime Meridian line, the plants are arranged according to hemisphere of origin. We actually visited 3 rooftop gardens on this last trip - Crossrail Place, The Garden at 120 Fenchurch, and the famous Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch (which we've visited many times). I took friends of ours on a mini-tour of Canary Wharf so we were able to see a lot of the sites. My favourite building there is One Park Drive.
@@ians3586 Delighted you enjoyed the garden, Ian. We, too, were interested in the story behind all the planting. The station design and construction is an amazing outcome, sitting as it does in the middle of the dock! That part of London certainly does have some architectural gems.
@@RichardWells1 most definitely and it’s a part of London that most visitors miss. When we were there, there was only one other couple in the rooftop garden. That station, built in the middle of the water, and all of Crossrail is an amazing achievement. It’s such a pleasure to ride on the Elizabeth Line.
@@MagentaOtterTravels I can’t remember any of the music i was so engrossed in the hotels and their names and locations.. If they took cats and had car parks,id be there like a shot…..boom.
@@griswald7156 parking in London is such a hassle, and very expensive! We never drive when we are there. I didn’t know you have cats! I posted a cute photo of Trent’s cat on Christmas Eve.
@@MagentaOtterTravels i love cats……we have a Maine Coon/Rag Doll,called Demelza,…Double Tree By Hilton Hotels have been very accepting with us,but other Hotels have been hard work..I didn’t see Trent’s river cat…at Christmas 🎄what’s his name ?
@@MagentaOtterTravels on Christmas Day and St Stephens day i think it is free of congestion charges so christmas is a good time to cruise around London Town….just go where the other cars chivvy you…we ended up in Stratford E London..that was fun..
The Harry Potter car is the ford anglia 105E…and the magenta car is a Nissan Figaro…which are highly sought after…i saw a nissan Escargot in Cheltenham once,its probably still around town..
@@MagentaOtterTravels the S=Cargo Nissan is a 4 cylinder,1,5 litre gasoline,3 speed automatic 72 BHP @ 5600 RPM..slow rider..that looks like a frog.. I hope Ian is wowee on Maui too…and Weston and Trent too really.. Are you going to Pitcairn ?
@@griswald7156 we had our sons with us the first week. I posted a photo of all 4 of us on New Years (on my community page). Now it’s just Ian and me… we are staying with an old friend of mine 💕
The times (not many) I've stayed in a London hotel my budget only covered a Travelodge, but maybe I'll be able to upgrade to one of these lovely places one day. I did have one slightly scary time in London when I was in my 20's. I stayed with a friend for a couple of days, and the first night there was an armed police raid on a house half way down the street. Whatever the problem was it seemed to thankfully be resolved peacefully.
Wow that does sound like some big city drama you had there!! We are typically Premier Inn or Travelodge guests when we aren’t using hotel points. From what I have seen, it doesn’t seem like those hotel credit cards are as common in the UK.
@@MagentaOtterTravels I've watched some RUclips travel channels (mostly US) where they use credit card rewards to pay for flights, hotels etc. I don't think that sort of thing is as common here. I've lived in the countryside (or very small towns) most of my life, so that was a big city drama.
@@dragonmac1234 yes the frequent traveler reward cards are super common in the US but I couldn’t find any in the UK when I looked a few years back. So I just got a normal HSBC card for use in Britain.
There seems to have been a man just sitting there in a couple of your rooms. Did you see him too? Are the rooms haunted? 👻😂 Great rooms! We haven't stayed anywhere like that in years. We're lucky if the rooms we get have bedding these days. Hot water is always a bonus too. I managed to log on to the Wifi last time. Couldn't connect to anything, but it logged on to the Wifi. 😁
You are in the “family travel” phase… check back with me when you are empty-nesters! Yes, my hotel rooms are always haunted by a ghost named Ian who does not like to be in videos, and is a bit impatient with me filming room tours 😂
@@MagentaOtterTravels Funnily enough the last time we stayed in Hyatt was probably pre-kids so there might be something in that. 😂 We have splurged a couple of times on luxury ryokans in Japan with the kids. But the packages include some amazing michelin star quality meals so are relatively reasonably priced. So I keep telling myself 😂
It's not central, you are quite right. But the hotel is amazing and when we can stay there for free, it's a great alternative for us... we are willing to take a wee train ride to get to where we want to visit ;-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels fair enough but not really a wee train ride for the West End IMO and you’re stuck with the DLR or Jubilee line.. I live in London and any time someone wants to meet circa Canary Wharf I just refuse… prob ok if you live in Greenwich area and good for the ABBA Voyage or excel centre ..
as someone who has always live 30 miles outside london , i do see why people are prepared to pay for this . but 4 nights in a hotel in london , to me meens 2 weeks in the greek isles[ when my bank accounts were healthy greece would be my choice
Wonderful hotels! I love the St Pancras one as it's such a beautiful building. It's shocking to think that in the 1960s the railroad company (who owned the hotel) wanted to demolish it and build some hideous 1960s concrete monstrosity (I hate brutalist architecture with a passion!) Thankfully a few prominent individuals, including the Poet Laureate John Betjeman campaigned to save it. The station has a statue of him, to thank him?
Don’t get my husband Ian started talking about brutalist architecture. He is really angry that so many beautiful buildings in London and elsewhere in Britain were torn down in the 60s and replaced with that architectural style. He is pretty passionate about it as well! I’m so happy that Saint Pancras has been preserved!
@@MagentaOtterTravels There's a famous quote from some other hater of brutalist architecture that goes something like '1960s architects did more damage to the London skyline than the Luftwaffe!'
@@theresabigwideworld2632 it's extremely sad. In my opinion, the best way to evaluate a building is how it stands the test of time. Will people a generation from now still be admiring the building, like St Pancras, or will they see it as a blight on the cityscape? It's crazy for me to think that with all the progress in technology and building techniques, we can't build structures that match those built by the Victorians. I do think that there are modern buildings of merit. I really like the work of Sir Norman Foster. I think that 20 years on, 30 St. Mary Axe "The Gherkin", hasn’t lost its luster. One of the most popular photos people take in central London is of the Gherkin with the medieval St Andrew Undershaft in the foreground. In contrast, nearby, is the barbarous “concrete jungle” brutalism of the Barbican which hasn’t aged well and doesn’t blend with its surrounding environment and yet still was inexplicably given listed status. There are very few people taking photos of medieval St. Giles, Cripplegate with the Barbican in the background. We’re fortunate here in Dallas to have one of Foster's creations in our Opera House, which for Dallas, is a beautiful building.
@@ians3586 As much as I love historic architecture I do also think there are some examples of modern architecture that is attractive and stands the test of time. I like the gherkin building as well, London does have some examples of what I would consider beautiful modern architecture. So I would include The Shard, what's now called City Hall (The GLA building in Southwark) and the Victoria Rd entrance to Victoria Station is fantastic, I love how it swoops down to a triangle point, it looks like a nose! The problem with brutalism (IMHO) is that concrete was used and concrete ages really badly, and the desire to keep the buildings as plain as possible, there's nothing attractive about them! The 1960's wasn't a total disaster for architecture and I would use the Sydney Opera House as an example of a beautiful building that was built during the brutalism period. Sadly though only the outside was built to Jan Utzon's (the original architect's plans) he was fired before the building was finished as the costs were enormous and another architect changed the inside design to cheaper 1960s square boxes. Most people are disappointed when they do go inside.
Grovener is where we stay (now called The Clermont). It can’t hold a candle to the four hotels you just showed us. It gives us an idea of where we might stay next time - if we can afford it! You are coming down hard on those “T”s; “magenTa”, “preTTy”. I am not making fun. After a few visits there (love it) I have starTed doing it Too! -I really don’t know why… my wife rolls her eyes when pronounce “waTer.” : ) Um.. why do the hotels always seem to have showers seemingly designed to spill out waTer? Hardly any sill.
You must be American! haha When I watch my videos I laugh at how I pronounce T's... I don't do it when I'm here in Texas talking with my American friends... but as soon as I'm filming a video for a audience that is 75% British, and makes fun of me saying "Odder" instead of "Otter"... there I go! ;-) Thanks for watching! Yes, British showers are very different! Have you watched my British Bathrooms video yet? Cheers! Dara
A pet peeve of mine is that many young people have decided that "T's" in the middle of words are completely optional. I even hear professional journalists, who should know better, saying impor'ant instead of impoTant. To me it sounds a bit lazy but you're right, Dara's "T's" are sometimes a bit strong.
@@ians3586 Although I find the use of the glottal stop annoying, that’s just me being a traditionalist. With language, majority rules. I gave up on the Italian “forté” vs, the French “forte” and “running the gauntlet” vs. the traditionally correct “gantlet” years ago. It rankles, but you just have to go with it…. And then there is the (mis)use of “literal. Sigh. It’s a losing fight.
Yes, it's because the credit card companies charge the merchants a few percentage points on EVERY SALE... so they have the funds to give away loads of valuable perks to the credit card holders. We stayed in a GORGEOUS castle hotel in Scotland last week for two days... nicest hotel stay of my life... and it was totally free. Including an AMAZING breakfast!
Is that the group that has owns the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool? When a friend of ours was giving us a tour of Liverpool he told us the hotel used to be the toast of the town but the current owners of let it go to pot.
@@ians3586 hotel Burstin folkestone,the grand Scarborough,Britannia Birmingham..see “walking with Tim’. He puts on a lovely English show…the Adelphi was super Posh…now its super something else…i dont think weed is involved though..
Travelodge or Premier Inn are where we stay when we actually have to pay for a hotel room. I try to select the cheapest days since the cost can vary so much from day to day.
@@MagentaOtterTravels The "George" being the patron saint of England, and "Orwell" from The River Orwell, Suffolk, where he was living when he started his writing career.
Please check out our favourite RESTAURANTS in London here: ruclips.net/video/Rtt1Q5gAayA/видео.html
1:48 those beautiful stained glasses seem to come right from another century!!
Yes I love them!❤️💛💚
Marriot and Hyatt Hotel points? sounds like a very wise investment. This is the way to vacation in a City! Definitely in style, the way a city break should be! Magenta Desk? Wow, this is a great room! Loving the staircase in the St Pancras. Gosh, a repurposed train station! How cool is that? The buffet looked great quality but im still avoiding them until the unmentionable is a distant memory. Great architecture on The Dixon, how iconic! Gosh i wonder how they keep those chandeliers clean? Must have to close for a week! Tissues in an elevator? 🧐 nice modern rooms! Loving the bathroom tiles they look original (know they are not, but how cool). Great shot of your boys from 2014! Wow, that room is incredible, id find it hard to leave! Lovely video and some insight into hotel points! 👍
Thanks for watching and leaving such a thoughtful long comment! We certainly enjoyed some posh digs in 2022. It was such a treat! It’s especially fun to see historic buildings repurposed in such a luxurious way. And YES it does look like a tricky job to clean that huge handcuff chandelier!!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels sorry Dara. Always have you on the big screen whilst typing on the ipad. I do try to hold back but you always put forward so much interesting content. Hard not to blurb out every bit. But on a neg im still horrified you can hear coughing whilst you narrate that stunning buffet. Probably just me, i hear it 24/7! Scarred for life ❤️
@@GENerationXplorers good point! That IS gruesome!!!
The St. Pancras Renaissance is not a re-purposed railway station. It is the station hotel for the very beautiful and stunning station where you catch trains to various parts of Britain and also the Eurostar trains to Paris. In my opinion it is one of the great transport hubs in the world! It was very remiss of Dara to mislead in this way.
@@robertwilson738 please except my sincere apologies. However, I do maintain that the restaurant is in the former booking office. It seems pretty obvious when you are there.
The St Pancras is way more than I expected. Thanks for the tour
Yes, it's incredible! We are so grateful it was saved from demolition... would be a crime to lose that great architecture!
You are our type of traveler Dara!!!! We are Bonvoy members and honestly when we consider traveling, particularly outside of the US, it's the only brand we trust. That Renaissance was my FAVORITE. That brand just does so well with the design, the comfort and the food offerings. JEALOUS of your travels! One day we will hopefully visit London!
Yes, definitely save up those Bonvoy points for London! One of the best places to spend them. There are so many Marriott hotels in London, at a range of price points. But relatively speaking, they are all expensive!
@@MagentaOtterTravels i like Best Western….Novotel and Ibis, Premier and Holiday inn, im kinda cheap..sorta
Think i will need a lottery win to afford those hotels .Full credit to you for enjoying your stay there ,.Everyone deserves a spot of the good life.
We would never stay at those really posh hotels if we had to pay full price! But yes, it’s nice to see how the other half lives occasionally😉
Such beautiful places!!! Quite the luxury feeling with the marble, stained glass, decors and other attributes. You'd almost stay inside all day and forget to visit the amazing city itself. Like being in a museum. Thanks for showing us along your favourites. Oh my...English breakfast. Now that has been quite a while since having one of those. Absolutely love it. I was wondering, besides getting your Marriot points, do you also offer your reviews in exchange for accommodations when you travel?
No my channel isn’t big enough for me to get free stays, I don’t think…
@@MagentaOtterTravels I do believe you can, we managed all of our free tours and stays with under 1500 subscribers. It's not the numbers they get into but the promotional video you'd make. Videography is worth quite a bit and you are doing such a wonderful job showing these places. Of course you'd give them a copy for own use too. The publicity on your channel is simply a bonus. You can always try. When writing to 10 hotels, 1 is bound to agree. 😊
@@BakkerfeelingAdventures good idea! Thanks for the encouragement 😉
Wow! The St. Pancras Renaissance was just stunning!! I have to try breakfast there! But wow, the upgraded room at the Marriott West India Quay was mind blowing! I'd love to edit there myself, haha. Thank you so much for this tour of such great hotels Dara!
Thanks for watching, love! We were very lucky to stay in some fabulous places. And yes, that breakfast at St Pancras was epic!
I have been in Hawaii for two weeks and not watching any videos. I look forward to catching up on some friends’ videos soon.😉Cheers, Susan!
You definitely lived your best lives in ALL of these. Wonderful. Great that you were able to use so many points, too! We love London.
It’s a fantastic city, and one of my favourite places to splurge and use up a boatload of hotel points!😊
Great video guys. You stayed in some opulent Hotels. Enjoyed seeing them. 👍🏻.
Thanks Watto!
It’s nice to splurge sometimes when we can spend points instead of real money 💰… I don’t vlog the Premier Inns and Travelodges where we usually stay 😉
Oh my, that exterior of St. Pancras - WOW! And it just gets better inside!
Seriously, this one is just FABTASTIC!
Fun fact: if you go back and watch the old Spice Girls video of their song Wannabe, it was filmed at the St Pancras! There is a dance number on those stairs! I wish I had known this before I edited this vlog. A subscriber named Evan told me, and that is just so fun!!! The stairway is Instagram famous, but I had no idea!
@@MagentaOtterTravels How fun! I’d be willing to bet my resident dancer (aka Andie) knows that dance. 😊
@@StephenandAndie she’d be great doing that dance! Hopefully you’ll have a chance to recreate it on those stairs one day😉
That last one is larger than many London flats what a treat to be able to stay there ❤❤
I agree! And maybe larger than a lot of Tokyo flats as well?
I agree the outside of the St. Pancras Hotel is stunning and the first thing I was thinking....was the scene from the Harry Potter film too 😁
You are very observant… and well read 😉
That last one is larger than many London flats.
What a treat to be able to stay there.
I know, right?! It’s so posh and has great views of both Canary Wharf and Central London on a clear day. 💖
Wow the breakfast at the Pancras looked delicious! All the rooms were wonderful. What stunning hotels and I love the perks of points! We do the same! Great video Dara! ~Cara 😊
Hopefully you can stay at one of these places for free sometime as well!
What a great opening shot- that stairway...stunning. It looked like a very comfortable room with all the necessary items for a great stay. I loved the out side of the building. Maybe even regal. I could spend a day just looking at that building in and out. The Dixon Tower Bridge Hotel looked lovely too- indeed with it's quirkiness giving it a wee bit ore of an relaxed tint. When traveling comfort is important. Wonderful introduction of the hotels Dara. Happy travels for 2023 👍💖🇳🇿🙋♀🇳🇱
Thanks so much! Happy travels to you as well! Where is next for you, Anita?
They’re lovely!!! We’d call this videos hotels we can’t afford!!! They do look nice though. Breakfast at the St Pancras looks amazing. We do really want to stay here, prior to Euro star ing it across to Paris!! That would be so glam!!! Cheers for sharing 🍻
Same title for us… we only stay if it’s free 😉. You really need to watch the Spice Girls “Wannabe“ video. I didn’t know it at the time I edited and posted this video, but it was filmed at the St Pancras! I didn’t realise the staircase was Instagram famous for being the location of such a well-known dance video! Lol.
Loved this tour of hotels but now I am obsessed with The Dixon!
Such a quirky place!! I forgot to focus in on what the different people were charged with in those mug shots. The offenses were interesting. Like sleeping overnight in the park or something…
The Dixon is in a great location. The lavish and quirky decor is great - love the handcuffs in the chandelier! I really liked the room and the bathroom was fabulous.
Yes I wish I had that bathroom at home!!
Hiya. Glad you posted this because it jogged my memory. Don't know if Ian would have heard this back in Texas, but in early December 2022 the UK, once again, updated sections of its Drone Code/Regulations. Might be worth a bit of a google, maybe? Stay safe. All the best to you.
Thanks for the reminder! I will tell him to check. He did say that the code was changing this year. One of the reasons he wants his next drone to be very small and light.
Yes, I've studied the changes but the CAA has delayed implementing them until 1 January 2026. I was planning on buying a new drone because of the changes but with the delay, I've decided to stick with the drone I have.
I really liked all four hotels and would be very happy to stay in any of them. If I had to choose I would pick the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.
Good choice 👍
The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel was stunning. We too love the architecture both inside and out! Breakfast looked delicious. We too use bonus points for many of our stays but not quite as high end as these. Even been known to take out some credit cards to pave the way. All the hotels looked wonderful. Some quirky things at the Dixon Tower! Loved the room views at the last. Thanks for bringing us along.
We really save up our points for London. We are able to get hotels or Airbnb stays in other parts of Britain for reasonable prices, but London is just too expensive. So we save up our points to splurge when we are there!🤑
Thanks for coming along!
I wanted to see the stunning staircase of st pancras hotel for the longest time!! It's an Instagram moment🙂
I didn’t realise it was famous!! 😂
Those tiles on the floor are similar to the ones we have in our hallway 🥰
Yes and we love your hallway!
That St. Pancras Hotel is BEAUTIFUL! We would just sleep in the hallway there if we could.
Yes it’s spectacular! Funny thing, I didn’t know it was featured in a Spice Girls video until I published this video and someone told me! It’s their “wannabe” music video😂
@@MagentaOtterTravels lol. That's awesome!
The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel certainly does look like a cathedral! What a wonderful staircase. Love how they've transformed the dining area from a part of the old station, very cool. Lots of choice for brekky gets a big thumbs up too!
Yep that’s one fabulous breakfast!
I remember when that Booking Hall restaurant was still the booking hall to get my ticket from St Pancras to Bedford and the hotel was allowed to go into decay. Thank goodness it's been resurrected and functions as a hotel again and sensitive to the original architecture in the public areas.
@@silevee that is so fun that you remember it before the restoration! I am thrilled that this beautiful building was saved!❤️
They all look like really cool hotels. They have some history too. Love the hotels with all the marble. LOL. LIKE 73. 👍👍👍👍
Thanks so much!
The hotel is beautiful inside and out. Wish you have happy travels👍
Thanks so much!
Very handy being opposite a Pret! 👍 Love the marbling, stained glass and the deep colors on the walls. Nice room too.
We were lucky to stay in some very posh places 🥰
Thank you 😀👍 i always have trouble choose hotels, this made it easier ☺️💕
There are so many choices in London! I wanted to share a couple special places we love. I also did a video about bargain hotels in London if you are on a budget ;-) That video is here: ruclips.net/video/JLa3vmPytuI/видео.html
That's so wonderful hotels indeed my friend, so beautiful views as well... Keep traveling... Cheers...
Cheers!
The Marriott West India Quay at Canary Wharf had a huge, ultra modern room and a fantastic view.
Yes, that view was stunning! On a clear day you can see to central London!
Hi Dara & Ian, I must firstly apologise we do always watch your videos together usually on the big screen but then I forget to like and leave a comment from this account! So I’m just catching up now! You guys travel in style and stay in some fantastic places! Loved the picture of you with your sons so cute! Hope you guys are enjoying Hawaii look forward to seeing those videos and seeing where 2023 takes you or better still where you take us 🤭❤
No worries! Whenever we watch friends’ videos on our big screen, I always have to have my phone in hand and comment right away, or I will never remember! Lol
It is very kind of you to take the time to comment! We are leaving Hawaii in a few hours, and I have no idea when I will edit my content! It’s been two weeks, but I think I’m just going to do one video. I’m way too behind with everything else to do more than one quick “highlight reel“!!
Wow thanks for showing all of these hotels! Marriott options look amazing! Your India Quay room was sooo nice, but all the other ones looks really charming as well. I loved all of the opulent decor in the common spaces at each! And I agree the tile work at the Dixon bathroom was lovely 😀😀
Happy New Year, Eliz! I remember you mentioning hotel rewards programs... do y'all usually stay at Hiltons or was it Hyatt?
Fun fact: my first job out of business school was at Hilton headquarters in Beverly Hills working on their Hilton HHonors program for seniors! Now I'm an old lady and don't have Hilton as my frequent traveler program, lol!
What a view from the Marriott!
Yes I love that view of the wharf and Central London! 💕
Every time I see that staircase from the St. Pancras hotel I'm reminded of the Spice Girls legendary "Wannabe" video - If I ever find myself in that hotel I'm definitely re-enacting that video :)
Oooooh, thanks for telling me! And and I watch music videos on RUclips, all the time, and love to pay attention to where they are filmed. We will have to check that one out! Speaking of music videos, filmed in great places in London, have you seen this one? ruclips.net/video/uGhKqb2Ow3E/видео.html
Thanks for sharing that. It's been many years since I've seen the video and I hadn't heard of the St. Pancras when I did, so I will have to check it out.
Some nice gaffs there (as a cockney might say ). I think St Pancras was my fave. Though isn't taste such a subjective thing. To me, I have to say, I thought the lobby of the Andaz positively jarring on the eye. But then maybe I'm just old fashioned :) Glad you enjoyed your stays though, and keeping working on earning those points, it's paying off in spades.
Yes I agree that accruing points is definitely worth it! 🤑
St Pancras is my favourite too… so classic and historic. I am partial to Victorian architecture. ❤️🏴
Really cool places to stay!! Food looks good! Love the artwork!! Hope you had a great new years!! Cheers to 2023!!
Happy new year to you as well! And happy travels in 2023! XX Dara
We just got into London on 1-1-2023. We Were there for 4 days. Saw Wicked, stayed at the Premier Inn. were here to stay now having a hard time to get stored it
Premier Inn is a place we have stayed many times. We just booked rooms for us and our sons at a Premier Inn near London for May. I hope you enjoyed your time in London! What a great way to kick off the new year!! 👍
My favourite place in London is any nice hotel in Richmond..it has a lovely villagey atmosphere…with a Fab Theatre, or out at Epping…these places are free of stress..
Richmond is on our bucket list. I was last there and Kew Gardens when I was a teen in the early 80s and have always wanted to go back to that area. It really is lovely.
@@ians3586 its my go to London Ian….the hotels you went to were nice…but in Richmond the people seem all nice locals..a bit like Montelimar in Cheltenham.
Nice to see!❤
London has some posh places 😉
The location alone of the Dixon Tower Bridge Hotel is amazing. And awesome history! Beautiful!
Great bathroom! Love the tile, too!
You would have loved the quirky artwork! It was fun just to wander the halls and see what they had around!
You really do plan ahead, these are wonderful hotels 🏨
Ian is VERY good at planning ahead! I love that 💖
As soon as we get back from the UK we start planning our next trip there. Planning ahead really pays. It allows you to have the widest selection of places to stay at the cheapest prices. I also am very conscientious about timing when booking train travel. For example, is 1/4 the cost 90 days + out of a day of purchase. For regular trains seem to need to be booked right after 90 days. If you wait much longer all the cheap fares are gone but those fares don't exist more than 90 days out.
Wonderful video , thank you for sharing !
Cheers!
Can absolutely recommend the Sydney Street Hotel, boutique hotel with very reasonable prices and perfectly situated in Chelsea
@@theretiredmariner2488 thanks for the suggestion! Always nice to know about good places!
It's so pleasant with super staff that you almost don't want to recommend it, but with such outrageous prices in London, it would be selfish not to
@@theretiredmariner2488 why thank you for sharing your secret! 🤐
The main thing I got from the vid is your lov for big tvs lol….next time recommended the ME on the Strand has a rooftop bar restaurant etc. cross road Covent Garden.Waterloo bridge etc.
@@f1b1777 that's really funny, since we pretty much never spend time watching TV in our hotel rooms! We are always out and about!
Hi Dara …. My wife and I are going “Down South “ tomorrow …. (We live “Up North in Cheshire) it will be my wife’s first trip out and night out since she left hospital … we are meeting up with friends in Northampton first then travelling into London and staying overnight in a hotel (not sure which one as our friends booked it) then my wife and her friend are going to see the new ABBA musical experience “Voyage” while us two blokes will be going for a very nice Curry at the Borough Market and maybe a few Beers 🍻 …. Happy New Year to you both 🎉🥳🥂🇺🇸🇬🇧❤️ and thanks for the video’s …..
Oh wow, I hope you have a wonderful visit to London! We do love the Borough Market!❤️😋 My husband Ian likes ABBA, but I would definitely prefer to hang out at Borough Market, eating my fill of cheese (or an amazing pulled pork sandwich) then have to sit through an ABBA concert 😂. Cheers! Dara
So many beautiful hotels in London, l went to London 3 or 4 times a year before l retired. Although the hotel was paid for on expenses l never went over board. Holiday Inn was safe all the rooms were the same and breakfast was included. I have stayed in one where the breakfast was £40, didn't have that one. Two of my favourites are the Churchill at London Bridge and the Mountbatton in Leicester Square both easy to go to the theatre or Opera House in Covent Garden and a cheeky trip to Rules for dinner. Now having friends who moved back into the city accommodation is free. My American nephew is studying in London for a year and is renting a one bed apartment or rabbit hutch to be honest.
Yes, it was fun to stay in interesting hotels back when my employer was paying for it! I always stayed at Maria properties back then as well, because that was our corporate partnership .
We usually do not pay for hotel breakfasts, because we love to get our own breakfast at a place we find nearby. However occasionally there is a breakfast like the one at St Pancras that is worth trying!
Thanks for the hotel recommendations! Cheers! Dara
The St Pancras Hotel is utterly magnificent and reminds me of Manchester Town Hall. But it’s shocking to think that was nearly demolished in the 1960s. Apparently it was within 10 days of the wrecking ball before it was listed Grade I, thanks to the efforts of poet Sir John Betjeman. Thanks for giving us a glimpse inside! :)
Yes, Betjeman is a hero in my book. There were too many beautiful Victorian buildings torn down in the 20th century.
I didn’t know that bit of history, so thank you so much for sharing it! Have you seen my Manchester video? We loved visiting the city, but I was sad to have missed seeing the Town hall because of it being under construction/refurbishment. I look forward to returning again in a couple years and seeing it once it has reopened! Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, I was in your Manchester video, it's Aidan! I forgot to switch to my AidanEyewitness identity. I was using my new channel XLR German, which is launched today, on my birthday! I'm looking forward to your return in a couple of years!
@@aorlanguages And here I am as AidanEyewitness!
@@aorlanguages you are so sneaky!!! Hiya Aidan! Happy birthday! And congrats on the new channel! XX
Oh that hotel at St Pancras ❤ what a building that is. When I moved to London at 18, I nearly fell over in awe my first sight of that structure!!! Thanks for the video x
I am chuffed to hear that you had the same first impression of it as I did! I love that you have that vivid memory!💖XX
@@MagentaOtterTravels I came out of King’s Cross, walked around the corner and literally had to step back and lean on a house wall!!! 😆❤️
@@cornwallglory that is a fabulous story! And here’s a fun fact: across the street from Saint Pancras is a restaurant named Magenta!
@@MagentaOtterTravels that’s brilliant, did you visit? 😍
@@cornwallglory it was closed. I didn’t find it soon enough! Next time!
These hotels look like the kind of places that Stars stay in. Very swish indeed :-)
Yes they are really too posh for us, but it’s fun see how the other half lives occasionally 😊
@@MagentaOtterTravels I'd say that you and your Husband fit right in there, and if you don't, then you certainly do a good impression of it. Thanks for sharing all these exciting things with us all. It really lifts my mood and I am certain many other people's too.
@@PerryCJamesUK awww, that’s so sweet of you to say! Cheers!
You tube stars,correct..id rather have one night in the St Pancreas hotel than 7nights in an iffy hotel..its open to all …
Those hotels look pretty amazing. I think I'd need to take out a mortgage to stay at any of those places.
Yes, they are crazy expensive if you have to pay real money 🤑
My favorite hotel to stay in London is the Park Plaza Westminster. It's right behind the London Eye and has great views of the Thames, Parliament, and Big Ben. The hotel is so luxurious but affordable. It is also close to the Westminster and Waterloo tube lines!
That is an amazing location! We have stayed at the Marriott County Hall there. I am surprised to hear that it is relatively affordable! We will have to check it out. Cheers! Dara
9:42 They could have provided you with a magenta-themed room!!! 💜💜💜
That would be lovely 💖
The Renaissance St. Pancras is certainly a unique property with incredible 19th c design. I would point out however the cheaper guests rooms are very ordinary and boring, a world away from the better rooms which of course are more expensive but better reflect the atmosphere of the hotel in general. London, as you would expect, has a huge variety of hotels ranging from being included in the World’s best to extremely basic and sometimes well below acceptable standards, my advice would be don’t go too cheap because there’s always a reason and this could totally spoil your holiday.
Very good advice! Yes, we've been in the super nice rooms at the St Pancras as well as the boring ones 😉. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! Cheers! Dara
V important question.. how is the breakfast at the Dixon? Because I think that’s next on the list!
We did not eat there, sorry! But there are wonderful places to eat nearby. There’s a Pret and I got protein shakes at Leon.
Such a beautiful lady, inside and out. Ian is one lucky guy ❤
Many years ago when we visited the UK we stayed at two different hotels in London. One was by the Tower of London and was called the White House and we also stayed at the Novatell (spelling?). They were both nice.
Ah yes, I have stayed at the Novotel in Paris. And I think I've heard of the White House in London. Thanks for the suggestions!
@@MagentaOtterTravels We were actually supposed to stay in another hotel that night before we flew back home to the U.S. but somehow our reservations got messed up and they gave us the White House. Our tour guide said we got the better end of the deal. I just wish we had time to tour the Tower of London. We had to settle for just seeing it from the outside.
The first two hotels were 19 century railway hotels, (St Pancras narrowly saved from demolition) I remember the one at Liverpool Street was the called the Great Eastern Hotel, had entrances onto the station concourse, the windows and lintels are still there and can be seen from the platforms, also the word Great Eastern hotel carved by a stonemason visible from inside the station .
Oh that is wonderful that the carved stone was retained. It is such a shame when beautiful old buildings are torn down. We are SO grateful to John Betjeman that St Pancras was saved from demolition!!!
I can understand now why when Americans travel they seem to stay in chain hotels. If you can get the deals for these fabulous places on points it's well worth it!
Absolutely! I would not pay $500 per night for a hotel room ... but it's a treat to have a small dose of how the rich & famous live occasionally ;-)
What a luxurious collection of places to stay! Loved the opulence of the former station hotel at St Pancras. Just wondering whether, while you were at Canary Wharf, you got the opportunity to visit the interesting jungle-style roof garden atop the new Crossrail HQ (Elizabeth Line station)... Or were you lured into the Canary Wharf shopping centre, with its myriad high-end brand shops...?
We did not see the rooftop garden of the new Elizabeth line station. We will have to do that next time, because that sounds like just the type of thing Ian would love to see!
I think we have passed through the Canary Wharf shopping centre, but it’s not really the kind of place I would spend time 😉. Thanks for watching this video!
Dara is not correct. We did visit the rooftop garden at the Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line station. She was just too sleep deprived to remember correctly. I'm not going to miss an opportunity to visit a building designed by my favourite architect, Sir Norman Foster! An interesting aspect of the garden is that the plants come from countries whose ships visited West India Dock and, since the station sits on the Prime Meridian line, the plants are arranged according to hemisphere of origin. We actually visited 3 rooftop gardens on this last trip - Crossrail Place, The Garden at 120 Fenchurch, and the famous Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch (which we've visited many times). I took friends of ours on a mini-tour of Canary Wharf so we were able to see a lot of the sites. My favourite building there is One Park Drive.
@@ians3586 apologies my dear!!!
@@ians3586 Delighted you enjoyed the garden, Ian. We, too, were interested in the story behind all the planting. The station design and construction is an amazing outcome, sitting as it does in the middle of the dock! That part of London certainly does have some architectural gems.
@@RichardWells1 most definitely and it’s a part of London that most visitors miss. When we were there, there was only one other couple in the rooftop garden. That station, built in the middle of the water, and all of Crossrail is an amazing achievement. It’s such a pleasure to ride on the Elizabeth Line.
George Orwell was the picture in the Dixon Hotel..
Well, spotted! Trent noticed that when he was helping me edit the video. He chose most of the music. 😉
@@MagentaOtterTravels I can’t remember any of the music i was so engrossed in the hotels and their names and locations..
If they took cats and had car parks,id be there like a shot…..boom.
@@griswald7156 parking in London is such a hassle, and very expensive! We never drive when we are there. I didn’t know you have cats! I posted a cute photo of Trent’s cat on Christmas Eve.
@@MagentaOtterTravels i love cats……we have a Maine Coon/Rag Doll,called Demelza,…Double Tree By Hilton Hotels have been very accepting with us,but other Hotels have been hard work..I didn’t see Trent’s river cat…at Christmas 🎄what’s his name ?
@@MagentaOtterTravels on Christmas Day and St Stephens day i think it is free of congestion charges so christmas is a good time to cruise around London Town….just go where the other cars chivvy you…we ended up in Stratford E London..that was fun..
Waoooo
This month we will be staying at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House for the second time.
Fun! I hope you have a wonderful stay!
The Harry Potter car is the ford anglia 105E…and the magenta car is a Nissan Figaro…which are highly sought after…i saw a nissan Escargot in Cheltenham once,its probably still around town..
Escargot 🐌? That sounds like a very slow car!
I am currently on Maui, and we just saw some huge snails here this morning on our way to the beach! 🏝️
@@MagentaOtterTravels the S=Cargo Nissan is a 4 cylinder,1,5 litre gasoline,3 speed automatic 72 BHP @ 5600 RPM..slow rider..that looks like a frog..
I hope Ian is wowee on Maui too…and Weston and Trent too really..
Are you going to Pitcairn ?
@@griswald7156 we had our sons with us the first week. I posted a photo of all 4 of us on New Years (on my community page). Now it’s just Ian and me… we are staying with an old friend of mine 💕
@@MagentaOtterTravels is that long time friend….or a friend who has had a lot of birthdays?
@@griswald7156 both! We have known each other since we were 12… and we are both old 😂
We collect Tesco points, but never stayed in a Tesco 😉
You should try it! Perhaps they have a cot (in the American meaning of the word) in the back room?
Nearly a full English 😋, but that's another video 😉
Yes, that was definitely a modified version!
The times (not many) I've stayed in a London hotel my budget only covered a Travelodge, but maybe I'll be able to upgrade to one of these lovely places one day. I did have one slightly scary time in London when I was in my 20's. I stayed with a friend for a couple of days, and the first night there was an armed police raid on a house half way down the street. Whatever the problem was it seemed to thankfully be resolved peacefully.
Wow that does sound like some big city drama you had there!! We are typically Premier Inn or Travelodge guests when we aren’t using hotel points. From what I have seen, it doesn’t seem like those hotel credit cards are as common in the UK.
@@MagentaOtterTravels I've watched some RUclips travel channels (mostly US) where they use credit card rewards to pay for flights, hotels etc. I don't think that sort of thing is as common here. I've lived in the countryside (or very small towns) most of my life, so that was a big city drama.
@@dragonmac1234 yes the frequent traveler reward cards are super common in the US but I couldn’t find any in the UK when I looked a few years back. So I just got a normal HSBC card for use in Britain.
There seems to have been a man just sitting there in a couple of your rooms. Did you see him too? Are the rooms haunted? 👻😂
Great rooms! We haven't stayed anywhere like that in years. We're lucky if the rooms we get have bedding these days. Hot water is always a bonus too. I managed to log on to the Wifi last time. Couldn't connect to anything, but it logged on to the Wifi. 😁
You are in the “family travel” phase… check back with me when you are empty-nesters!
Yes, my hotel rooms are always haunted by a ghost named Ian who does not like to be in videos, and is a bit impatient with me filming room tours 😂
@@MagentaOtterTravels Funnily enough the last time we stayed in Hyatt was probably pre-kids so there might be something in that. 😂 We have splurged a couple of times on luxury ryokans in Japan with the kids. But the packages include some amazing michelin star quality meals so are relatively reasonably priced. So I keep telling myself 😂
@@ShaneNixonFamily i’m on board with that rationalisation! Lol
Not sure I’d stay in West India Quays unless you have some affinity with Canary Wharf?? Not exactly near the centre of town..
It's not central, you are quite right. But the hotel is amazing and when we can stay there for free, it's a great alternative for us... we are willing to take a wee train ride to get to where we want to visit ;-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels fair enough but not really a wee train ride for the West End IMO and you’re stuck with the DLR or Jubilee line.. I live in London and any time someone wants to meet circa Canary Wharf I just refuse… prob ok if you live in Greenwich area and good for the ABBA Voyage or excel centre ..
@@freddiemac1438 speaking of which, my husband Ian took his mom to Abba voyager last year for her 80th birthday! They loved it!
as someone who has always live 30 miles outside london , i do see why people are prepared to pay for this . but 4 nights in a hotel in london , to me meens 2 weeks in the greek isles[ when my bank accounts were healthy greece would be my choice
I totally agree!
The air balloon pub closed on New Year’s Eve….for good.
Noooo! The one on Birdlip Hill?
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yes, the one on Birdlip Hill. It is to be demolished to accommodate road improvements. 200+ years of history down the pan.
@@robertwilson738 what a pity!
The Dixon Tower Hotel chandelier looks like a upside-down water bottle.
Yes it does! Lol
👍👍👍👍👍
Wonderful hotels! I love the St Pancras one as it's such a beautiful building. It's shocking to think that in the 1960s the railroad company (who owned the hotel) wanted to demolish it and build some hideous 1960s concrete monstrosity (I hate brutalist architecture with a passion!) Thankfully a few prominent individuals, including the Poet Laureate John Betjeman campaigned to save it. The station has a statue of him, to thank him?
Don’t get my husband Ian started talking about brutalist architecture. He is really angry that so many beautiful buildings in London and elsewhere in Britain were torn down in the 60s and replaced with that architectural style. He is pretty passionate about it as well! I’m so happy that Saint Pancras has been preserved!
@@MagentaOtterTravels There's a famous quote from some other hater of brutalist architecture that goes something like '1960s architects did more damage to the London skyline than the Luftwaffe!'
@@theresabigwideworld2632 I agree!
@@theresabigwideworld2632 it's extremely sad. In my opinion, the best way to evaluate a building is how it stands the test of time. Will people a generation from now still be admiring the building, like St Pancras, or will they see it as a blight on the cityscape? It's crazy for me to think that with all the progress in technology and building techniques, we can't build structures that match those built by the Victorians. I do think that there are modern buildings of merit. I really like the work of Sir Norman Foster. I think that 20 years on, 30 St. Mary Axe "The Gherkin", hasn’t lost its luster. One of the most popular photos people take in central London is of the Gherkin with the medieval St Andrew Undershaft in the foreground. In contrast, nearby, is the barbarous “concrete jungle” brutalism of the Barbican which hasn’t aged well and doesn’t blend with its surrounding environment and yet still was inexplicably given listed status. There are very few people taking photos of medieval St. Giles, Cripplegate with the Barbican in the background. We’re fortunate here in Dallas to have one of Foster's creations in our Opera House, which for Dallas, is a beautiful building.
@@ians3586 As much as I love historic architecture I do also think there are some examples of modern architecture that is attractive and stands the test of time. I like the gherkin building as well, London does have some examples of what I would consider beautiful modern architecture. So I would include The Shard, what's now called City Hall (The GLA building in Southwark) and the Victoria Rd entrance to Victoria Station is fantastic, I love how it swoops down to a triangle point, it looks like a nose! The problem with brutalism (IMHO) is that concrete was used and concrete ages really badly, and the desire to keep the buildings as plain as possible, there's nothing attractive about them! The 1960's wasn't a total disaster for architecture and I would use the Sydney Opera House as an example of a beautiful building that was built during the brutalism period. Sadly though only the outside was built to Jan Utzon's (the original architect's plans) he was fired before the building was finished as the costs were enormous and another architect changed the inside design to cheaper 1960s square boxes. Most people are disappointed when they do go inside.
Grovener is where we stay (now called The Clermont). It can’t hold a candle to the four hotels you just showed us. It gives us an idea of where we might stay next time - if we can afford it!
You are coming down hard on those “T”s; “magenTa”, “preTTy”.
I am not making fun. After a few visits there (love it) I have starTed doing it Too! -I really don’t know why… my wife rolls her eyes when pronounce “waTer.” : )
Um.. why do the hotels always seem to have showers seemingly designed to spill out waTer? Hardly any sill.
You must be American! haha
When I watch my videos I laugh at how I pronounce T's... I don't do it when I'm here in Texas talking with my American friends... but as soon as I'm filming a video for a audience that is 75% British, and makes fun of me saying "Odder" instead of "Otter"... there I go! ;-)
Thanks for watching! Yes, British showers are very different! Have you watched my British Bathrooms video yet?
Cheers! Dara
A pet peeve of mine is that many young people have decided that "T's" in the middle of words are completely optional. I even hear professional journalists, who should know better, saying impor'ant instead of impoTant. To me it sounds a bit lazy but you're right, Dara's "T's" are sometimes a bit strong.
@@ians3586 Although I find the use of the glottal stop annoying, that’s just me being a traditionalist. With language, majority rules. I gave up on the Italian “forté” vs, the French “forte” and “running the gauntlet” vs. the traditionally correct “gantlet” years ago. It rankles, but you just have to go with it…. And then there is the (mis)use of “literal. Sigh. It’s a losing fight.
Nothing wrong with using credits but it is such an American thing to have coupons for this, vouchers for that, points for the other….
Yes, it's because the credit card companies charge the merchants a few percentage points on EVERY SALE... so they have the funds to give away loads of valuable perks to the credit card holders. We stayed in a GORGEOUS castle hotel in Scotland last week for two days... nicest hotel stay of my life... and it was totally free. Including an AMAZING breakfast!
Wooow Beautiful🌿🌾🍹🕊👍🏞🏡🐦🐝⚘🍒Happy New Year🌿🕊making a peaceful world without war 🍒👄👄요리tv집밥😘 놀러 오세요
Lets hope the st pancreas hotel dosent get bought by Britannia Hotels..
Is that the group that has owns the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool? When a friend of ours was giving us a tour of Liverpool he told us the hotel used to be the toast of the town but the current owners of let it go to pot.
@@ians3586 hotel Burstin folkestone,the grand Scarborough,Britannia Birmingham..see “walking with Tim’. He puts on a lovely English show…the Adelphi was super Posh…now its super something else…i dont think weed is involved though..
Haha not THAT kind of pot 😂
8:37 welcome to the era of the pandemic
Right?! That’s so true!
Not a Travelodge in site
We actually did stay at a Travelodge as well! But sadly, it did not make the cut when I was editing the video! Lol
@@MagentaOtterTravels that would have been a very short clip
@@wencireone to be honest, I didn’t even film anything at the Travelodge! Lol… and I film nearly everything!
Travelodge or Premier Inn are where we stay when we actually have to pay for a hotel room. I try to select the cheapest days since the cost can vary so much from day to day.
Never stayed in London, too expensive, the train ride is cheaper
You are lucky to live close enough!
@@MagentaOtterTravels about 80 miles, 1.5 hrs
@@wencireone well I’m 2 hours each way… which is a long day trip!
9:22 Eric Blair, better known by his pen name of "George Orwell".
I didn't realise that was a pen name! Thanks so much!
@@MagentaOtterTravels The "George" being the patron saint of England, and "Orwell" from The River Orwell, Suffolk, where he was living when he started his writing career.