A room with a view (From Swindon Advertiser)

A room with a view

4:08pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in Holiday Reviews

GARY LAWRENCE sees more than he bargained for on a mid-week trip to London

THERE is nothing so decadent as dashing out of work, leaping on a train and heading off to London for an evening of fun – especially when you know you won’t be coming back that night.

We had tickets for a gig at the O2 in Brixton (anyone over 30 will know it as the Brixton Academy, anyone over 60 will think of it as the Brixton Odeon) and decided to make a night of it by taking the next day off and booking a hotel.

Paddington is such a short hop from Swindon that it is possible to leave work and still arrive in London in time to watch pasty-faced commuters in the midst of their weary trek home.

While this is not aesthetically pleasing, it does raise your smugness level, and therefore your appreciation of the evening, to know that while they are heading home to EastEnders you are off on a consequence-free night on the town.

Because we were heading south of the river for the gig (can you be almost 50 and still call it a gig without sounding tragic?) we decided to book a hotel near the Thames with the next day in mind.

We chose the Park Plaza at County Hall, a brand new four-star deluxe hotel opposite the former GLC headquarters and within walking distance of the South Bank and the London Eye.

It is also a short stroll from Vauxhall tube station, which is just two stops from Brixton, so plenty of time to check in, have dinner and travel south.

The Park Plaza has an excellent restaurant, the Spectrum, which nestles on a mezzanine level and has a view across the County Hall.

It is perfectly possible to enjoy the relaxed ambiance while watching yet more harassed homeward office workers struggling to get on their bus.

The Spectrum has a great cocktail menu as well as a menu with a modern British feel. There are plenty of familiar dishes with new twists, such as inside out beef Wellington, but I chose a beautiful pan-fried chicken breast on crispy potato cake with a succulent thyme gravy.

My partner had a light and delightfully tasty smoked halibut fish cake, which came with a delicate watercress and asparagus salad and tarragon mayonnaise.

The service was friendly and efficient without being obtrusive and we were quickly on our way to see the popular beat combo without any sense of having to rush.

Brixton is a great place to visit, it teems with life and vibrancy, and the O2 there is one of my favourite places to see a band.

The old cinema sloping floor, its art-deco columns and faux Roman colonnades give it a classy air that is not totally ruined by the sticky beer-stained carpets and over-excited 17-year-olds hyped up on Carling and Marlboro Lites.

When the music was over (actually we skipped the second encore to beat the crowds like the sensible middle-agers we are – was it really 35 years ago I was pogo-ing to The Clash at The Marquee?) we hopped back to the hotel to enjoy a few leisurely drinks in the bar.

Our room was on the top floor and, in addition to a lovely firm bed, a sparkling bathroom and a comfy sofa, had a balcony that afforded a view over south-west London. You could even check the time on Big Ben.

It was while I was doing this that I became aware of a couple on the next balcony. I’m not sure what they were doing but I am damn certain neither of them were adjusting their timepieces.

It is not a moment in which you’d want to catch another man’s eye but unfortunately in my surprise I did. Bizarrely he asked me if he could borrow a lighter.

I didn’t have one but from the look of things he didn’t look like he would be needing it just yet so, in the time-honoured fashion, I made my excuses and left.

Having a free day in London, basking in the knowledge your colleagues are at work, is a rare pleasure to be embraced.

The Park Plaza is just the place to do it, being a short stroll from the South Bank where the possibilities are endless, you can wander along and just drink in the atmosphere, linger in a cafe (the one by the National Theatre is excellent), walk up to the Tate Modern art gallery (which is still free and fantastic), poke around in the re-created Globe Theatre or, if you really want to be jostled by tourists, ride on the London Eye.

A much more romantic way to see London than on the Eye though is to go on the river. The private cruises, which have commentaries, are expensive and full of the tourists who have just finished jostling people on the London Eye.

It is better, cheaper and quicker to take a Thames Clipper upon which, for a fraction of the price, you can journey up to Greenwich, as we did.

Greenwich has a wonderful six-day market that varies in content each day. By the far the best days to go are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays when the antiques and collectable stalls offer vintage clothes, old photos, vinyl records, books and all manner of tat.

The Admiral Hardy pub, which looks over the market, does an excellent sandwich but there is even better fare in the Old Brewery Cafe by the maritime museum in Greenwich Park where you can enjoy a decent lunch and a beautiful pint.

Greenwich isn’t the only market to try. Go across from Park Plaza to Embankment and get on the Circle Line to Liverpool Street for the indoor market at Spitalfields (and a brilliant, authentic tapas bar too) or go to London Bridge on the Jubilee Line from Waterloo for fabulous food at the Borough Market.

A day isn’t nearly long enough to do it all, and the last thing you want to do is exhaust yourself. But with so many possibilities, and a great place to stay, there’s no reason not to go again and again.

Travel facts

• Gary stayed at the Park Plaza County Hall. It has 398 guest rooms, all of which are fully air-conditioned and feature a large work desk, plasma screen TVs and interactive entertainment systems with music and movies on demand. Other features include laptop safes, irons and ironing boards, hair dryers, tea and coffee facilities and Internet access.

• More information at www.parkplaza.com/countyhall