Citadines Barbican London

Hotel Description

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when I first walked up to Citadines Barbican – the stretch of Goswell Road it sits on is pretty unremarkable, just another busy London street with buses rumbling past. But you know what? Sometimes the best places are the ones that don’t try too hard to impress you from the outside.

The thing about this spot is that it’s properly London in a way a lot of hotels aren’t. You’re literally a two-minute walk from Barbican Centre (hence the name), and I mean actually two minutes, not hotel-brochure two minutes. The area’s got this interesting mix going on – you’ve got the brutalist concrete towers of the Barbican estate on one side, then these gorgeous Victorian terraces tucked away on the quiet streets. It’s Islington, but the grittier, more authentic bit before it gets all polished and expensive further north. The staff actually seem to get this – they’ll point you toward the proper local pubs rather than the touristy ones, and they know which direction to send you for decent coffee (spoiler: it’s toward Exmouth Market, about a seven-minute walk through some lovely backstreets).

What surprised me most was how quiet the rooms are, considering you’re on a main road. I was expecting traffic noise all night, but the windows must be pretty decent because I barely heard anything after about 11 PM. The rooms themselves are… well, they’re aparthotel rooms, so don’t expect boutique charm, but they’re thoughtfully laid out. Proper kitchenette with a full-size fridge – not one of those useless mini ones – and the beds are actually comfortable. I’ve stayed in plenty of London hotels where you feel like you’re sleeping on a board. The bathrooms are compact but functional, and honestly, the water pressure’s better than my flat back home. Check-in was refreshingly straightforward too – none of that overly chatty “let me tell you about every facility” routine that makes you want to escape to your room.

The real win here is the location for getting around London. Old Street station is about a ten-minute walk (though it’s not the most pleasant walk, I’ll be honest), but Barbican tube is even closer and connects you to pretty much everywhere you’d want to go. Angel’s walkable too if you fancy the stroll up through Islington proper. And if you’re into the whole cultural thing, you’re basically living next door to some of London’s best venues – the Barbican obviously, but also Sadler’s Wells is close, and you can walk to King’s Cross in about fifteen minutes when you fancy something completely different.

Look, it’s not going to win any design awards, and the lobby’s nothing to write home about, but there’s something refreshingly honest about the whole place. It does exactly what it says it’ll do – gives you a comfortable base in a brilliant part of London without any unnecessary fuss. The 8.3 rating makes complete sense to me; it’s the kind of place that quietly exceeds expectations rather than promising the world and disappointing you.

Rooms

• Studio with 1 double bed for 2 adults
• One-Bedroom Apartment with 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for 4 adults, 2 children
• Studio Deluxe with 1 double bed and 2 single beds for 2 adults
• Classic Double or Twin Room with 1 double bed and 2 single beds for 2 adults

Facilities