Honestly, when I first saw the address “1A, Opera House 1st Floor,” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect – I mean, you’re literally staying above commercial spaces on King Street, which sounds a bit sketchy until you actually get there. But here’s the thing: this Indigo Flats property is sort of brilliant in its simplicity, and the location is absolutely unbeatable if you want to be in the thick of Covent Garden without paying those insane hotel prices right on the Piazza.
The building itself has that classic London thing going on where the ground floor is all shops and restaurants (there’s actually a really decent coffee place downstairs that becomes your morning routine pretty quickly), and you take this narrow staircase up to what feels like a proper London flat. The rooms are clean and modern – nothing fancy, but everything works, which honestly is more than I can say for some of the “charming” boutique places around here. What really gets me is how quiet it is once you’re inside, considering you’re literally on one of the busiest streets in Westminster. The windows are proper double-glazed, so even though there’s constant foot traffic below, you can actually sleep. I was worried about noise from the Royal Opera House crowds, but the building’s positioned in a way where you don’t really get that – plus, if you’re here during opera season, you’re probably out enjoying it anyway.
You know what sold me on this place? It’s a thirty-second walk to Covent Garden tube station – and I mean actually thirty seconds, not that “five-minute walk” nonsense that usually means fifteen minutes with luggage. Somerset House is right there, the National Gallery is an easy stroll down the Strand, and you’ve got Borough Market accessible without dealing with tourist-trap transport. The whole Seven Dials area is your backyard, which means proper pubs (not just tourist ones) and some genuinely good restaurants that locals actually use. Check-in was surprisingly smooth – they’ve got it sorted with key codes and WhatsApp contact, so no hanging around lobbies. The only minor thing is that parking is basically impossible around here, but honestly, if you’re driving in central London, you’re doing it wrong anyway. For what you get – a genuinely comfortable base in zone 1 with none of the pretentious hotel markup – this place makes total sense, especially if you’re the type who’d rather spend money on experiences than thread counts.