citizenM London Shoreditch*, 6 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3ET London
www.citizenM.com
Staycation at Citizen M Shoreditch
I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve been on holiday, while it’s actually just been a month! But who doesn’t crave holidays constantly, especially when you live in a busy city like London. Spending some quality time with your friend, forgetting all your homely responsibilities and simply having a good time, who doesn’t love that? I really wish, I could go on holidays more regularly! So when I got the chance to stay at Citizen M Shoreditch, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see how a staycation would be like! Spoiler alert: I loved it.
1pm – The Check In
With our suitcases in tow, Emma and I met up in front of Citizen M Shoreditch to spend 24h quality time in our favourite neighbourhood. Check in was swift thanks to the self check in counters (where you could choose your floor and direction). Once we got to the room, we immediately jumped on the comfy square bed and spent a good time admiring the view from our window.
2pm – Time for Lunch
Citizen M Shoreditch’s location was just perfect for what we had planned for our staycation. Just a 5min walk to our favourite Korean eatery On The Bab, where we had Korean Fried Chicken and Kimchi Pancake for lunch.
3pm – Wandering around Shoreditch
We had a really relaxed afternoon, checking out some shops I really like, such as Goodhood, Artwords Bookshop and Modern Society . Of course, when you are with Emma, a coffee break was a must, so we stopped by Origin coffee (approved!).
6pm – Hotel Break
All the walking and shopping made us tired, so we went back to the hotel for a break. Explored the common areas, played with the mood lights and watched some Sisters on the TV, before getting ready to go out again.
8pm – Dinner and Drinks
For dinner, Emma and I went to our favourite Vietnamese restaurant: Tay Do, where you can bring your own drinks. We ordered our favourite Banh Cuon and had some South Vietnamese DIY summer rolls, both incredibly delicious! Highly recommended!
8am – Breakfast
Got woken up by the alarm we set the night before, pretty amazing (the blinds went up automatically and all that). Had such a good sleep in the comfy bed. Went down to the common area for some light breakfast and then stored our suitcases to do some more Shoreditch discovering.
10am – Columbia Road Flower market
Columbia Road Flower Market is a must on Sundays. Bought some succulents for a fiver, had coffee and cake at Lily Vanilli, and enjoyed the rest of our Sunday totally relaxed and well-rested. I think that was a success!
Staycation – A weird trend or worth it?
Of course, I was excited before I went to Citizen M Shoreditch to have a staycation with Emma, but I did think it was quite an odd thing to do. However, looking back now, I have to say I had a great experience and it was the small things that I ended up enjoying the most. Being able to just go back to the hotel within minutes after shopping or having a few drinks, gently being woken up by an amazing view and those funny moments playing around with the mood settings of the room. It was a great way to spend some quality time with a friend!
