“You want a London staycation that doesn't feel like you're just sleeping in a different postcode — you want one where you text your partner 'we should do this every month' by 6pm on Friday.”

If you and your other half have been saying "we should do a London staycation" for the past nine months without actually booking anything, the Andaz Liverpool Street is the hotel that ends the stalling. It's the kind of place where the extras — free minibar, complimentary welcome drinks, a daily happy hour with actual food — stack up fast enough that you stop mentally calculating whether you could've just gone to Lisbon for the same money. You couldn't have, and you wouldn't have had this much fun at the airport anyway.

The location is the first thing that clicks. You're directly above Liverpool Street station, which means you're ten minutes from Shoreditch, Spitalfields Market is across the road, and Brick Lane is a short walk east. For a couple's weekend, this is the sweet spot: close enough to the City that getting there doesn't feel like a mission, but firmly on the doorstep of East London's best restaurants, bars, and vintage shops. You won't need an Uber once.

The room, the freebies, and that happy hour

The rooms are genuinely spacious by London standards, which is a sentence that usually means "you can open your suitcase without standing on the bed" but here actually means you have room to spread out. The design leans into the building's Victorian bones — high ceilings, big windows — with enough modern touches that it doesn't feel like you're sleeping in a period drama. Robes and slippers are waiting for you, the toiletries are premium (not the sad sachets you pocket out of obligation), and the bed is the kind of large, firm setup where two people and a Sunday morning hangover can coexist peacefully.

Now, the minibar. It's complimentary. Not "complimentary water and a sad apple" complimentary — properly stocked, free, included in your stay. This alone changes the entire energy of a staycation. You check in, you crack open a drink, you don't wince at a receipt. It's a small thing that signals the hotel actually wants you to enjoy yourself rather than nickel-and-dime your way through the weekend.

The daily happy hour is the real power move, though. Every evening, guests get complimentary drinks and food. This isn't a token glass of warm prosecco — it's a proper pre-dinner situation that means you can skip buying a round at some overpriced Shoreditch cocktail bar and head straight to dinner already in the mood. For a couple doing a Friday-to-Sunday stay, this alone saves you a meaningful chunk of your weekend drinks budget.

“The minibar is free, there's a daily happy hour with actual food, and they leave little treats in your room — it's the hotel equivalent of dating someone who remembers your coffee order.”

Dining options inside the hotel are solid. There are multiple restaurants, and — this is the part that gets people — they have their own pub. An actual pub, inside the hotel, which means your "should we go out or stay in" debate on Saturday night has a third option. Breakfast is a strong spread with enough variety that you won't feel robbed if you paid for it, though I'd still say walk five minutes to one of the Spitalfields cafés at least once during your stay.

The interiors throughout are gorgeous — the kind of grand Victorian detailing that makes you take a photo of a hallway without feeling embarrassed about it. And then there's the hidden Masonic temple in the basement. It's a genuine, ornately decorated temple from the building's former life as a Freemasons' lodge, and you can ask to see it. It's the sort of bizarre, only-in-London detail that makes for a better Instagram story than anything you'd find in Shoreditch.

The honest note: the hotel sits right above one of London's busiest stations, and while the rooms are well-insulated, you'll want to request a room on a higher floor facing away from Liverpool Street itself if you're a light sleeper. The courtyard-facing rooms are quieter and worth specifying when you book. Don't leave it to chance.

The plan

Book a Friday-to-Sunday stay at least three weeks out — weekend rates climb fast. Request a higher-floor courtyard-facing room for quiet. Check in early enough to enjoy the welcome drinks, raid the minibar without guilt, then hit the evening happy hour before walking to Brick Lane or Shoreditch High Street for dinner. On Saturday, ask reception about seeing the Masonic temple — it's not advertised loudly but they'll sort it. Skip the hotel breakfast on day two and walk to Spitalfields for coffee and pastries instead. The pub is great for a lazy Sunday pint before you check out.

Rooms start from around 271 $ per night, but factor in the free minibar, the daily happy hour food and drinks, and the welcome drinks, and the effective cost of your weekend drops considerably. You're not just paying for a bed — you're paying for a weekend where the extras are already handled.

Book a courtyard-facing room on a high floor, say yes to everything that's free, ask about the Masonic temple, and text your partner "why don't we do this more often" — because you will.