AN OVERNIGHT STAY AT NATIVE, BANKSIDE

Living *just* outside London in leafy Beaconsfield can be an absolute pain sometimes. I live close enough that's its easy to get a train home after a night out, but far enough that it feels like a LOT of effort after a night of cocktails or a fancy dinner. Not to mention the fact that the last train out of Marylebone leaves at five past Midnight and often results in a mad sprint down the platform! What I really need is a home away from home in London for those big nights out - and well, in step Native!

Native is a group of aparthotels offering a home-like base to stay in some of the UK's best cities including London, Manchester and Glasgow. Tom and I were recently offered the chance to stay in one of their newest properties in Bankside and we absolutely jumped at the chance! 

THE LOCATION: The apartments are tucked away in the historic Bear Gardens, right in the heart of buzzy Bankside, just behind the banks of the River Thames. You're just a few minutes walk from some of London's best loved  hotspots like The Tate Modern, Borough Market and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, making it the ideal base for a stay-cation in the capital. 

The building itself is located in a former 18th century tea warehouse which has been transformed into 75 stunning luxurious apartments and features the most incredible exposed brick and steel interiors.  

THE ROOM: We stayed in a 'Premium Studio' (which start at around £150 per night) and it was absolutely gorgeous! The rooms are really spacious - ours featured a huge open-plan bedroom, kitchen and dining area (and bathroom obvs) which had more than enough room for a couple.

All the apartments are self-contained and fitted out with an oven, hob, dishwasher and even a washing machine so you really do have your very own home-from-home - especially if you're visiting from abroad or staying for a prolonged period of time. 

I absolutely fell in love with the interiors too! All the rooms are really light and bright and manage to get the right balance between modern (with touches of dark slate greys and millennial pinks) whilst keeping some of the older historic elements of the original building.

There's plenty of well thought-out extras in the rooms too. There's a hair-dryer and ironing board in the bedroom cupboards and the kitchen is fully stocked with wine glasses, corkscrews, pots, pans and cutlery. There's also a selection of delicious tea and coffee to enjoy and premium Elemis toiletries in the bathrooms too!

What I loved about Native was how the whole place has a real communal vibe with plenty of open-plan living areas where you can chill out, eat and socialise with your fellow residents. The team at Native really aim to bring a neighbourly feel to the apartments so it feels a lot more homely than being in a standard hotel.

One of my favourite parts is the pantry. Located up on the second floor, it's an open space where you can help yourself to an assortment of food and drink to bring back to your apartment to cook.

There's jars of pasta, tins of tomatoes, pesto, cereals and even sweeties - all completely complimentary for you to enjoy through-out your stay.

If you don't want to sit in your room to eat, you're free to take a seat at the dining table to enjoy your food, and there's even a shopping list where you can add your suggestions for what else the Native team should stock the pantry with!

I think this element (which is all available at no extra charge) is such a great touch and helps to reduce the cost of staying in London for long periods of time! It's perfect for people traveling down for work or travelling on a budget because we all know how expensive eating out in London can be!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Native and I would definitely come back to stay again. The interiors are lovely, there's a 24-hour team on hand if you have any problems and when you compare the room charge against hotels in the city - you really are getting brilliant value for money. If you want to book a stay, you can do so here - I know I'll definitely be looking into the Natives in other parts of the UK too...Manchester, here I come!

Native Bankside

Empire Warehouse, 1 Bear Gardens, London, SE1 9ED

*Our stay was complimentary

All opinions are honest