Todd and I arrived in London on a drippy March morning with no idea where we were going to spend the night. Dragging Todd's overlarge bag (I told him to pack light!), we got on the tube to Paddington station. I had stayed in this area the last time I had visited and knew that there were a lot of budget places around the station. We were sure to find something suitable.
As we walked the two blocks from the station, we randomly picked one of the hotels on Sussex Gardens. We decided that if it looked creepy, we would just go to the next one. The door to 137 was locked, but it had a bell. A smiling woman came to the door and we asked if there were any vacancies and how much a room would be for two nights. At that time it was 70 pounds for the two nights. The hall was very clean and bright and I just loved her smiling face. We decided to stay.
Our room was decorated in cheery orange and yellow and with a sink and an open window looking down on the street. The bathroom with bathtub was just down a half flight of stairs and was a sparkling white. I loved it! Not as much as the breakfast, however. The charming breakfast room in the lower level was very inviting and the breakfast huge! Everything an English breakfast should be.
Since that stay I have stayed at the Hyde Park Rooms Hotel everytime I'm in London. They were even good enough to receive my ferry tickets for me the week before I arrive and held them until I got there. It's not often you can find an affordable accommodation in London that is clean and friendly as well. Someone was smiling down on us as Todd and I randomly picked a hotel that day.