I’ve been a fan of the Hoxton’s hipster-chic hotels ever since the original London hotel opened its doors back in 2006. Back then, I was looking for a place to party – my needs these days are much different.
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With two small kids at home I want a romantic bolthole to enjoy with my other half with cosy rooms and a stunning restaurant – and the brand’s newest London property The Hoxton Southwark ticks all the boxes – and then some!
Rooms at the Hoxton Southwark have luminous touches - like the ruby red headboards and shining golden fittings
Just a two-minute walk from Southwark station, the hotel definitely has the same industrial-meets hipster vibes of the two other London properties, but it just feels that little bit more glam.
As you walk into the open-plan ground floor, the vibe is immediately welcoming – with the reception sharing space with a buzzing bar, the ground floor restaurant and plenty of cosy armchairs in secluded spots that demand you to sink into them.
The industrial-chic feel continues upstairs in the hotel’s 192 rooms – these come in five categories: Shoebox, Snug, Cosy, Roomy and Biggy. You’ve got concrete ceilings and The Hoxton signature bare brick walls, along with luxurious touches such as velvet ruby headboards, comfy lounge chairs, and handmade glassware - a nod to the glass-blowing and tannery factories that once occupied the local area.
The teal green-tiled bathroom, complete with powerful shower and stocked with bespoke Blank toiletries
It was the teal green-tiled bathroom with the power shower and bespoke Blank toiletries which really won me over, though. I may just have even snapped it from every angle with the hope of recreating it someday.
Amenities in the room include a decent-sized TV, full-length mirror and a mini-fridge which you’ll find pretty much empty – minibar-style snacks can be bought at reception for a very reasonable non-minibar, price.
The rustic open-plan ground floor at the Hoxton Southwark is peppered with cosy armchairs
Anyone wanting more than snacks, without setting foot outside has two choices. Albie, the hotel’s main restaurant on the ground floor is an open-plan kitchen, all-day dining affair, with a menu that draws inspiration from the French and Italian Riviera.
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The second choice, and the one we opted for, is to take the lift up to the 14th floor to dine at Seabird – the hotel’s stunning, Spanish-influenced seafood restaurant. The vibe here is very much Manhattan meets Miami, with wood floors, ferns and greenery and wicker chairs – but the feature that really grabs your attention is the centrepiece raw bar, piled high with crushed ice, as you enter – and not to mention the sprawling metropolitan city views
The Hoxton Southwark's stunning Seabird restaurant boasts unrivaled city vistas and London's longest oyster menu
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The restaurant boasts London’s longest oyster list. We started with delicious oysters from Morecambe Bay in Cumbria – since I have fond childhood holiday memories from the bay – but we could have chosen from locations including Galway, Anglesey and Brittany, off the French coast.
Other sea-to-table offerings on the Spanish and Portuguese-influenced menu included grilled native lobster with Bloody Mary sauce, carabineros and my personal favourite – the octopus brioche roll. It was crisscrossed across the top with sobrasada aioli and sprinkled with Padron peppers. Not the sort of dish I ever expected to find outside of Spain.
A long list of non-alcoholic cocktails are available in the bar alongside all the classics
What else do you need to know? The Hoxton Southwark’s location is ideal if you want to make the most of London’s Southbank, with the Tate Modern, National Theatre Southbank Centre and Hayward Gallery a short walk away.
But you may find that once you’ve checked in, you’ll just want to spend your whole stay mooching around the hotel with your other half, enjoying the great food and classic cocktails on offer, and soaking up the atmosphere. We certainly did!
The Hoxton Southwark, Rooms from £209 for an overnight stay - book via Booking.com
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