I’ll be honest – when I first walked up to NOX Waterloo on Lower Marsh, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. The street itself is this brilliant little strip that most tourists completely miss, tucked away behind Waterloo Station with its quirky mix of vintage shops and proper local pubs. But once you step inside NOX, it’s like someone flipped a switch from “charming London chaos” to “sleek design hotel.”
The lobby hits you with this modern, almost Scandinavian vibe – clean lines, moody lighting, the kind of place where you actually want to hang out rather than just rush through to the lifts. What really got me though was how the staff seemed to genuinely know their stuff about the neighborhood. When I asked about dinner recommendations, the guy at reception didn’t just rattle off the usual tourist traps – he mentioned this brilliant little Turkish place around the corner that I never would’ve found otherwise. The rooms themselves are properly thought out, not just Instagram-pretty. Sure, they’re on the smaller side (this is London, after all), but everything has its place. The beds are genuinely comfortable – I mean, you know how hotel beds can be hit or miss – and the bathrooms feel more spacious than they actually are, thanks to some clever mirror work. The windows are decent at keeping out the street noise, which matters because Lower Marsh can get a bit lively, especially when the market’s running during the day.
Here’s what I really appreciated: the location is absolutely spot-on if you want to feel like you’re staying somewhere locals actually go, but you’re literally a three-minute walk from Waterloo Station. You can be in central London in minutes, or you can wander down to the South Bank – the Thames path is right there, Borough Market isn’t far, and you’ve got the whole Southwark thing happening without the crowds you get closer to London Bridge. The 8.7 rating makes total sense to me because it’s one of those places that gets the details right without trying too hard. Check-in was smooth, the WiFi actually works properly (you’d be surprised how many hotels mess this up), and they’ve got that perfect balance of being helpful without being hovering. I stayed during a pretty busy period in autumn, and even then, the common areas never felt crowded or chaotic. If I had to nitpick, I’d say the air conditioning can be a bit temperamental – took me a day to figure out the sweet spot – but honestly, that’s pretty minor. This is the kind of hotel where you end up extending your stay because you realize you’ve accidentally found a proper base for exploring London, rather than just a place to crash between tourist attractions.