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FINDING a London hotel room that isn’t the size of a shoe box and is actually affordable can be a real challenge.

Luckily, I’ve done my research and have found an underrated hotel that hides a secret bargain.

This stay offers suite-sized rooms for a very reasonable £65 – which is less than what you’d pay for those broom cupboard-sized rooms in the city centre.

Not only that, but the hotel has great connections into Central London, plus has attractions like the Minecraft Experience and The Legend of the Titanic exhibition less than 10 minutes away.

Throw in unlimited free ferry rides across the river to Canary Wharf, and it might just be the best-kept budget hotel hack in the capital.

Here’s everything you need to know about a&o London Docklands Riverside.

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Where is a&o London Docklands Riverside?

a&o London Docklands Riverside is in Rotherhithe, which sits directly opposite swanky London finance district Canary Wharf.

A stay here even comes with free ferry tickets to cross over the river and reach Canary Wharf in a matter of minutes.

You can take the ferry as many times as you’d like during your stay. Ferries come every 15-20 minutes, and run daily until around 11pm.

The easiest way to get to the hotel via public transport is by taking the underground to Canada Water, and then walking around 10 minutes to reach the hotel.

What is the hotel like?

This is a no faff, no-frills spot which makes for the perfect budget-friendly base on a trip to London.

The building is a restored 17th century wharf warehouse, bringing a touch of the area’s maritime history to your stay – but all of the amenities here are super modern.

Everything here is designed for efficiency – the check-in process is quick and easy, there are vending machines throughout with snacks, drinks and toiletries, and reception are on-hand 24 hours a day to help.

There’s an indoor bar and lounge area, plus an outdoor ‘Urban Beach’ bar with plenty of parasol-topped tables for soaking up the sun in the warmer weather.

What are the rooms like?

This London stay offers the ultimate room hack – entire suite-sized rooms from just £65 per night.

a&o London Docklands Riverside used to be a Hilton Doubletree hotel, however since a&o took over ownership, you can snag a large room for a shockingly low price.

This is because some rooms here which were once sold as King Junior Suites are now being sold for the price of a regular double room.

This means that you could bag an entire suite with a big double bed, lounge area with a sofa, desk to work from and even a balcony overlooking the Thames for just £65 per night.

That works out to only £32.50pp per night (almost unheard of for a Central London hotel).

Prices vary depending on the time of year you visit, so if you want to bag this price, make sure to look for off-peak season stays such as weekdays in the winter.

As this accommodation is owned by a&o hostels, there are actually dorm rooms on offer here, too.

If you’re a seasoned traveller that doesn’t mind sharing a room, you could bag a stay here from as little as £19 per night – perfect if you just want a place to crash after a concert or event.

What is there to eat and drink?

Breakfast here is served buffet-style with all the usual suspects – eggs, sausage, bacon, cereals – plus a pancake machine with Nutella and maple syrup.

It’s definitely worth heading out into the city to grab lunch and dinner, as London is full of amazing restaurants inspired by all sorts of cuisines.

Cross the river into Canary Wharf and you’ll soon spot Big Easy – a huge, American-style BBQ restaurant that sits on top of the underground station, with huge neon signage that reflects onto the water below.

Here you can feast on steak, ribs, fries, corn on the cob and more, all lathered in thick barbecue sauce. Messy, but so delicious.

What else is there to do there?

When you’re out in Canary Wharf, make sure to book in a session at Fairgame.

Head towards the giant yellow rubber duck on the waterfront and behind it you’ll find a playground for grown-ups.

Inside there’s street food-style stalls, a bar serving crazy cocktails and, most importantly, loads of fairground-style games like whack-a-mole and basketball hoop-shooting.

If you’ve got kids with you, or just fancy a wholesome day out, hop on the DLR to Mudchute Farm.

Here you’ll find a farm with a surreal feel, where you can see alpacas, goats, sheep, chickens and more grazing grasses backed by London skyscrapers.

There’s even a community garden on-site where you can get stuck in and lend a hand planting flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Is it family friendly?

a&o London Docklands Riverside is family-friendly, with private, family-sized rooms and even pram hire from reception.

The hotel also has dog-friendly rooms, with a fee of £13 per pet per day.

Is the hotel accessible?

The hotel is accessible with step-free access onto the property and elevators to reach the rooms.

Make sure to mention any specific needs you may have upon booking.

An issue everyone has faced at one time or the other led to a nightmare for Karen Cassidy, after tour operator Jet2 cancelled her entire booking due to the ‘no-show’

A mum who overslept and missed her holiday flight to Spain was left “in tears” after discovering that her entire all-inclusive package holiday had been cancelled without her knowledge. Karen Cassidy and her husband George Gale had been due to fly out to Malaga at just after 7am on August 14 but overslept.

Karen explained: “The baby had kept me up so I don’t think I ended up going to sleep until 2:00am then we were supposed to get up at 4:00am but just slept through our alarms.”

As soon as she realised that that they had missed their flight, Karen wasted no time in getting ‘straight on the internet’ and booked an alternative flight to Malaga for that afternoon.

But after finally arriving at the hotel at midnight, the “exhausted” mum-of-three, 36, says she was left “in tears” to discover her entire all-inclusive package holiday had been cancelled.

After calling holiday organisers Jet2 and “crying for 20 minutes” Karen says she was told there was “absolutely nothing they could do” and she had to pay another €350 (£300) to stay the night in the hotel.

Karen says that she and George ended up paying over £1,500 for alternative accommodation and travel – meaning the cost of their £1,114 family holiday ballooned to more than £2,600.

Sharing her experience on TikTok, Karen wants to raise awareness so that other people don’t make the same mistake she did.

She explained: “Our new flight was around 4:00pm then we were delayed for over an hour so by the time we got to the hotel it was midnight. Obviously they were like ‘we can’t find your booking.’ Then they explained ‘actually there is a booking but it’s a past booking.’ Jet2 had cancelled our entire holiday at 3pm.

“After everything I felt we had gone through, I was just shocked.”

A spokesperson for Jet2holidays said: “We’re sorry to hear about Ms Cassidy and Mr Gale’s experience and we understand how disappointing it must have been to arrive in Malaga and find that their holiday arrangements had been cancelled.

“Unfortunately, as the customers did not travel on their booked outbound flight or let us know that they planned to make their own way to Malaga, their remaining holiday arrangements were cancelled in line with the terms and conditions of their booking. When they got in touch with us after arriving in resort, our team offered to try to help and support them.”

Karen said that when they finally arrived at they hotel she was “exhausted and just in tears.”

She explained: ”They [Jet2] came back to me and said there’s absolutely nothing they can do, they have a no-show policy, because it’s been cancelled, they can’t go back on that.”

They had arrived at their hotel so late, Karen added, that they had very few alternatives. ”At this time, midnight, we don’t have that luxury option of going to shop around,” she said.

Karen shared her story on TikTok, saying that even though she had received critical comments from some other users, she wanted to make others aware of what she called Jet2’s “unclear” policy. She continued: “Through loads of rubbish comments from people calling me an idiot or people saying ‘what grown up can miss a flight’, there’s hundreds of people that don’t know.

“If I could save one person, I’m happy.”

IT’S one thing renting out a cottage for all your mates – but what if you could hire out a village?

In the UK there are three whole villages where you can rent out the whole place and some even have heated swimming pools, barbecues and outdoor cinemas.

On Groupaccommodation.com, there are three spots to rent out and the biggest sleeps up to 100 people – so you’ll need a hefty guest list.

Darwin Lake in Derbyshire has a group of charming stone holiday cottages all centered around a pretty lake with woodland walks and a village green.

In the heart of the village is Darwin Hall, a space for up to 200 guests so it’s great for a special occasion.

Along with a stay in the village, there’s also a Peak Adventures activity package.

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Your group can try raft building or canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding on the lake, archery or bushcraft in the woods, or tackle a climbing wall.

Guests can use the complimentary rowing boat or fish on the lake, free of charge.

If you’d prefer a pampering session, there’s the chance to add spa and beauty treatments onto the booking.

With up to 93 overnight guests, the second village is the Knockerdown Holiday Cottages in the Peak District.

Near Carsington Water, it’s made up of 16 stone cottages which between them have 42 bedrooms.

If a group dinner is on the cards, the largest houses are The Farmhouse and Two Dales which can seat up to 12 guests in each.

Or you can hire out the Brackendale Function Room for up to 93 diners.

This village has its own heated indoor swimming pool too as well as a children’s play area, lounge with a games room, a dog exercise area and plenty of parking.

Thanks to its location, you can easily get to Alton Towers, Chatsworth House and Crich Tramway Village from here.

For both Darwin Lake and Knockerdown Holiday Cottages you need to enquire to get rates for hiring out the entire villages.

Lastly, there’s Orchard Hideaways in Cumbria which is made up of glamping pods rather than holiday homes.

Each pod has all the essentials from a mini-fridge to a microwave, kettle, heating and outdoor seats – some pods are fitted with TVs too.

When you’re not cosying up in the pods, guests can head to the Chill Out area – a space kitted out with a hot tub, sauna, outdoor cinema.

When it comes to cooking, head to the Sizzle Shack which has its own barbecue and an indoor fire pit.

If you opt for celebration packages, you can even have events like live DJ silent discos, saxophone performances and live shows – so it’ll be more like having your own music festival.

You can also organise outdoor adventures like guided hikes to Lake Ullswater as well as paddleboarding, lakeside archery.

All the accommodations here are dog-friendly so furry friends don’t have to miss out.

Rates are based on the hiring of the whole site including 16 pods and access to the social spaces – these start from £3,999 – or £31pppn (based on a four-night midweek stay).

KATE Beckinsale has wiped her entire Instagram profile after being subject to “disgusting” body-shaming by online trolls.

The actress, 53, was recently left in tears after cruel comments – and she’s now decided enough is enough.

The opening page on the Pearl Harbor star’s account now simply reads “no posts yet” after she wiped off her snaps – but she did take to her Instagram Stories to explain why.

Kate re-posted a cruel comment which read: “Loosen up the Ozempic!! You were divine now you look anorexic!”

Kate then wrote: “As I’m sure you’re aware, anytime I post a photo of myself, I receive an enormous amount of comments telling me how disgusting I look and I’m anorexic or I’m on meth or that I’ve lost so much weight”.

She continued: “First off, I’ve lost my entire family, except my precious daughter, in a short amount of time.

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“The second thing is, I have a condition, which is an autoimmune condition called mast cell activation syndrome, and there’s another one called mast cell disease, and there’s mastocytosis.

“This is something I was diagnosed with 16 years ago, and I was really, really lucky that I had an amazing GP in London who called it and sent me to, at that point, the one guy in the world in New Jersey who was the expert in that”.

Kate lost her beloved mum Judy Loe, 73, in 2025 after a battle with cancer.

Kate first revealed her mother’s cancer diagnosis last year, shortly after the death of her famous stepfather Roy Battersby, who tragically passed away following a massive stroke.

The Serendipity star also lost her father Richard Beckinsale died at the age of five after he suffered a huge heart attack.

With regard to Kate’s health condition, according to the NHS: “Mastocytosis is a rare condition caused by an excess number of mast cells gathering in the body’s tissues.

“When mast cells detect a substance that triggers an allergic reaction (an allergen), they release histamine and other chemicals into the bloodstream.

“Histamine makes the blood vessels expand and the surrounding skin itchy and swollen. It can also create a build-up of mucus in the airways, which become narrower”.

Skin reactions, gut symptoms and muscle and joint pain can also be sparked as a result.

Previously, Kate has opened up on her condition on her page and said it is a “massive daily struggle” and she “reacts to hundreds of things badly”.

She then told online trolls – who accused her of having Botox – that she “can’t take the risk”.

In her upload this weekend, which came in a now-deleted 13-part video, she concluded: “Treat people just how you’d like to be treated yourself, give people a little grace. If you don’t have anything nice to say, maybe don’t say anything.

“It’s not necessary for everyone to know your opinion on what somebody else’s body looks like.

“You don’t want to be the last straw for somebody, you don’t want to be the thing that makes them more sick, just keep going, it’s not hard”.