The California Hotel

Posted on by Fee Hudson

When we visit London we usually try to stay in the King’s Cross area near the train station as that is where our train gets in to and it makes things easier all round, especially if we are arriving later in the evening or need to drop backs off or pick them up before catching the train. We usually choose one of the chain hotels but this trip we decided to try somewhere different and managed to be even closer to the train station than usual, in fact if you choose the right underground exit then you emerge about 10 steps from the front door.

The photo shows a row of 4 brick town houses. Each has a black front door with a white archway and then 3 floors or windows above. In front of the houses is a room of bright blue barriers.

The Hotel

The California is on Belgrave Street which is one of the smaller streets directly across from the entrance to King’s Cross. It is made up of a number of Town Houses all stitched together with a series of corridors and staircases. There are 60 rooms of varying sizes from compact singles to family rooms that sleep up to 6.

Reception is open 24/7 and staff were really helpful and friendly. There is a small bar and lounge area next to reception and drinks and snacks available.

We had a small double in the basement which had a large skylight so we didn’t feel like we were underground. Our room had a standard sized double, hanging space and shelves for clothing. tea making facilities and bottled water, a TV and safe. There were plenty of plug sockets and the room was warm and comfortable.

A photo of the room looking towards the double bed. The right handside of the bed is up against the back wall. The bed is under a large skylight with a red blind. The back wall is painted red and the wall on the right is painted white. There is a wooden bedside cabinet next to the bed and a wooden desk in the foreground of the photo.
The photo shows the desk area of the room with white walls and a laminate wood floor. The desk is against the wall with a large flat screen TV on the wall above it. There is a wooden chair at the desk and a wooden bedside table on the left hand-side of the photo. On the desk there is 2 glass bottles of water, 2 purple mugs upside down, tea and coffee and a kettle.
The photo shows an alcove in the bedroom. The walls are white and the floor is dark wood laminate. In the alcove there is an orange metal rack shelf unit with five cube holes and a small orange bench/shelf. Above the bench there is an orange rail withe 3 empty wooden coat hangers and a black knee length coat hanging.

The bathroom had an over bath shower, toilet and wash basin.

The photo shows a close up of two purple mugs upside down on a light wooden surface. There is a teaspoon on top of each mug. Behind the mugs slightly out of focus is a selection of tea, coffee and sugar sachets. Part of a plug socket can be see on the wall behind.
The photo shows the bathroom. the floor tiles are a grey slate and the wall tiles are square and white. The white bath is on the right of the photo with a glass shower screen at the far end and an overhead shower. On the left there is a white sink in the foreground and a toilet behind it.
The photo shows a bedroom door painted orange. The walls of the hallway are painted white at the top with a wooden rail at hip height. The bottom of the wall is wallpapered in a black and grey vertical zig zag pattern.

Wifi is available in all rooms.

Food:

There is a snack bar and bar available at reception however there is no restaurant on site so breakfast is served at their sister hotel, The Megaro next door in their Spagnoletti restaurant. Spagnoletti is a fun, modern restaurant and breakfast was served al a Carte with a choice of cooked items and pastries.

The photo shows a black plate with (clockwise from the top) hash browns, sausage, mushroom, tomato, two poached eggs and bread. There is a small ramekin of beans in the centre of the plate. In the back ground there is a glass of water, a green cup and saucer and a glass of orange juice.
The photo shows a green cup and saucer filled with black coffee, there is a teaspoon on the saucer. Behind the cup are silver salt and pepper mills, a small sugar bowl containing sachets of sugar and a glass of water.
The photo shows two of the tables in the restaurant. the table on the left seats four and has two yellow seats in the foreground and cream banquette seating in the background. The table on the right seats two and has one yellow chair. The wall behind is painted white and has two orange lave lamps on the wall. the ceiling is decorated with bright yellow pipes.

Around the Hotel

The hotel is only a few steps from the underground entrance and over the road from both King’s Cross and St Pancras stations. In the area you will find an assortment of fast food options, restaurants and food shops. The British Library is also just around the corner.

The photo shows the outside of the California Hotel, looking down the street. In the foreground are the black iron railings, behind are the arched ground floor windows and the second floor windows with balconies and greenery.
The photo shows the entrance of King's Cross train station from across the road. In the background is the brick building with the clocktower in the middle with at the large arched windows on either side. In front is the one storey grey building entrance to the underground. In front of that is the road and traffic light.
The photo shows the left most tower of the St Pancras hotel and St Pancras station building in red stone with gothic arched windows and turrets. The rod is seen in from of the building.

Left Luggage

Reception will happily store your luggage for you before you check in and after you check out. We dropped ours off about 9am and eventually arrived back to check in at about 10pm after a very busy day. They also looked after our luggage after we had checked out.

The reception of the hotel which looks like it is balanced on top of a stack of vintage suitcases. 3 pendant lights hang above the reception desk and there is a lime green Mickey Mouse ornament stood on the counter. On the right of the photo is a forty year old woman with grey hair tied back and a black knee length coat and blue jeans. She is wearing a vintage purple cross body bag.
The photo shows the lounge area of The California Hotel. The floor is a coral and black swirly marble design and the walls are painted a dark green colour. At the far end of the room there are purple velvet sofas and in the foreground silver velvet armchairs. There are 2 glass circular lamp shades hanging from the ceiling.

What we liked

We really liked the location and the friendliness of the staff. The decor was modern and cheerful and the room had everything we needed.

What we didn’t like

The bathroom did get very steamy and there wasn’t another mirror in the room. Although we didn’t find the room to be noisy you could hear what was happening out in the corridor so it might have been annoying with noisier neighbours.

I stayed at The California Hotel with my sister in October 2023 and it was great for an adult only stay but I would definitely go back with Pip for a family stay.

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