Hotel Review: Bermonds Locke, London

The location is reasonably convenient, with London Bridge's hub of transport connections just a ten-minute walk away. Plus you can say you stayed 'sarf of the river'! You're spoilt for food and drink options all along Bermondsey Street (for example the Garrison gastropub and the Spanish restaurant Pizarro) as well as along the river near London Bridge and around Borough market beyond.

By car: the hotel is 4.5 hours from Manchester and 3 hours from Bristol. Parking costs £35 per day.

By train: Borough and London Bridge tube stations are 15 minutes' walk away; Liverpool Street is a 20-minute taxi ride. Book trains to London.

The hotel's style is relaxed and self-consciously cool, but also very practical and budget-conscious, with a thoughtful approach to amenities - crisp, contemporary bathrooms with showers (no baths), well thought-out kitchen facilities, Smart TVs and sustainable 'Who Gives a Crap' toilet paper.

Service is deliberately relaxed and unassuming and the ambience deliberately sociable and inclusive, with regular events designed to make the hotel a focus for the local community, with a positive knock-on effect for long-term guests, who can also benefit from the small but well-equipped gym in the basement.

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Coffee house
• Fitness centre
• Living area
• Free Wi-Fi

The 143 rooms are spread over six floors, laid out as studio apartments. Kitchenettes incorporate a two-ring hob, oven and microwave, washing machine and (in most rooms) a dishwasher. They are neat and clutter-free, with simple colour schemes ranging from coral to soothing blues.

Room types: City Studio, Locke Studio, Suite, Courtyard Suite

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom, hairdryer, kitchen with hob and fridge/freezer, dining table, smart TV, free Wi-Fi

The Shaman coffee bar in the lobby serves drinks and snacks during the day and turns into a regular bar in the evening, with DJs on weekends. On the other side of the lobby, Robin Gill's Bermondsey Larder serves as the hotel's in-house restaurant, offering a self-consciously farm-to-fork menu that changes regularly and takes in everything from monkfish ceviche to steak and chips.

Bermondsey Larder: family-run restaurant, small plates. Open for brunch, lunch and dinner. Tasting menu from £45.