In early May of 2014 my 17 year old son and I took a quick trip to London. This was a last minute trip so our choices of accommodations was limited. Normally when I travel to London I don’t like putting out a lot of money for a hotel room because I usually spent very little time in the room. For this trip we stayed at the guest hotel, the Park View Hotel which was located in the Finsbury Park area. The Park View is definitely a budget hotel. Upon arriving at 20-22 Wilberforce Rd, we had to walk across the street and down a couple of doors to check in at the Central Hotel as there was no front desk in our building. It wasn’t a big deal it was only a few steps away. The staff at the front desk was friendly and check in was quick. After getting our key we walked back across the street to the building we would be staying in, 22 Wilberforce Rd.
The building is older which is apparent when you walk though the front door. The first thing that hit me was the smell of cleaner, which I suppose is a good thing in a way but it was a little overwhelming. After you go through the front door you are in a short hallway with three rooms on the first floor. we stayed in room number four which was on the second floor. Fortunately we packed light because there is not much room to navigate the narrow stairs with your suitcase (there is no elevator in the building). Our room was very basic. The walls were an off white color, not dark enough to make the room feel warm and not light enough to make it feel bright and cheery. It was just a very bland beige color. The only color in the room were the black curtains on the window. There was no pictures on the walls or any kind of decorations. There was only a white bottom sheet and coverlet on the two twin beds, no blanket or top sheet. The mattresses were slightly lumpy but fairly comfortable. The wood laminated floor gave the room a slightly cheap feeling as well as a little noisy to walk on. There was a armoire, a dressing table and shelf in the room as well as a small TV. The walls had several cracks on them but they didn’t really bother me too much. However if I was staying at a more expensive hotel I would have been bothered by them but with a budget hotel in an older building it wasn’t that shocking.
I think the best part of the room was the bathroom. It had a large bathroom and nice deep tub. However you did have to watch the shower, since it only had a half door so if you didn’t point the shower head towards the wall you would get water all over the floor. The first few days we were each given one towel, no hand towel or wash cloth. About half way through our stay we were each given a hand towel.
The hotel offered a free continental breakfast which consisted of Corn Flakes, oatmeal, bread or toast, jam, ham and cheese, orange or apple juice, and tea. Again very basic but a typical English continental breakfast. Breakfast was served in the Central Hotel. Which was also only place to get internet so we had to walk over and sit in their lobby every time we wanted to get online.
The hotel is located just very close to the Finsbury Tube Station which is about a five minutes walk. There are several places to each right around the corner including a KFC and a Subway. You will also find a nice bakery and a .99 cent store that sells among other things, snacks and cold drinks. Finsbury Park is located at the end of the street about a one minute walk.
All-in-all, I would say our stay at the Park View Hotel was pleasant, the price was right and the location to the Tube station was great. For a budget hotel it was decent. It would not be my first choice of accommodations but it also wouldn’t be my last either. It’s a good hotel when your on a tight budget but be prepared for a very basic hotel.
