You know what struck me first about Kula London on Tower Hill? The building itself – it’s got this interesting industrial-meets-boutique vibe that actually works really well in this part of the City. I mean, you’re literally on India Street, which sounds exotic but is honestly just a quiet little road tucked between all the financial district chaos. But that’s kind of the point – you get to be right in the thick of things without the constant noise of the main thoroughfares.
The location is honestly brilliant if you’re doing the tourist thing or have business in the Square Mile. Tower Bridge is about a seven-minute walk (I timed it), and you can actually see the Tower of London from some of the upper floor windows if you crane your neck a bit. What I really appreciated though was how walkable everything felt – Monument station is practically around the corner, and if you’re up for a longer stroll, you can easily wander over to Borough Market or even across to the South Bank. The staff mentioned that a lot of guests don’t realize how close they are to some of London’s best curry houses on Brick Lane, which is maybe a fifteen-minute walk through the back streets.
The rooms themselves feel surprisingly spacious for London standards – well, the ones I saw anyway. There’s this sort of minimalist thing going on that could feel stark, but they’ve added enough warm touches (decent lighting, actually comfortable bedding) that it works. The shower pressure was excellent, which honestly matters more than most hotel amenities when you’ve been walking around London all day. I did notice the street-facing rooms can get a bit of traffic noise in the early morning – nothing terrible, but if you’re a light sleeper, maybe mention it when you book. The 8.6 rating makes sense to me; it’s not trying to be the Savoy, but it delivers on what it promises without any nasty surprises. Check-in was smooth, the Wi-Fi actually worked throughout the building, and housekeeping was pretty thorough. Plus, there’s something to be said for staying somewhere that feels like it belongs in the neighborhood rather than some generic international chain that could be anywhere in the world.