Afternoon tea snack

We’re back! After a two month break (due to my laziness), we have a few posts to share over the next week or so. This one goes back to October! With no plans for international travel anytime soon, we opted for a UK staycation again to spend a few days of the half-term. This time, we thought we would stay in London and try out another new hotel, the Pan Pacific! This follows on from our NYX Hotel stay in the summer. 

Date Visited: 27th and 28th October, 2021

Location:  80 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AB

Getting There: 2 minute walk from Liverpool Street station and serviced by different bus routes.

Cost: Depending on stay and room type, c.£375-400 per night. Extra for breakfast, mini-bar and spa treatments, but free to access the gym and pool. 

Pan Pacific Poolside

Neat and convenient stay

With a few days to burn towards the end of half-term, we decided to see what other options there were for London hotels. Criteria had to include an indoor swimming pool plus food options. For some reason, there now seem to be more choices of new hotels since Covid started. We had heard of the Pan Pacific during our holidays around Asia, so it was nice to see it in the UK market. One of the benefits was its location being close to my office, so an easy stroll to and from work!

Cara headed out with her Mum first to enjoy the pool and some afternoon tea whilst I finished work. The lobby, hallways and room itself was as expected of a new hotel, everything nicely decorated and clean. We opted for a family room which was more than comfortable and allowed Cara to run around and bounce from bed to bed. The bathroom was lovely and nicely heated, with all the amenities. The only downsides were the shower water pressure which was terrible and meant you couldn’t fully enjoy the large shower area. Not sure whether this can be fixed? The other was there was no desk in the room, only a lounger, which means if you’re there for business and need to work from the room for a bit, you had to do it on the floor or bed, so not ideal. Not sure if this was because we were in a family room, but it was slightly odd considering they had the space for one.

Those negatives aside, the rest of the hotel is great. The pool was open and bright, but slightly colder than the pool at NYX Hotel. However, it allowed you to relax over the infinity pool edge and stare out onto Liverpool Street, watching the people walk-by from above. There were no specific child-only times which is perfect for Cara. Hot sauna room was located inside each of the separate changing rooms. 

Pan Pacific Pool Chilling in the pool

Food options?

Although I didn’t get to try the afternoon tea, Cara said the cakes were nice! We did go back down at night for a drink and some games of Uno before bed. The staff were all friendly and helpful. With its location, you’re a short walk to Spitafields and Shoreditch. There’s plenty of food and drink options close to the Pan Pacific. For night one, we ate at Sanjugo Shoreditch (Japanese) which was so-so – the EatTokyo near Holborn was better, while night two was at Omnino Leadenhall (steakhouse) which was fab.

Overall, it was a nice city break with lots of pool time for Cara and good food for the parents. If you’re staying there for business, then it should be a comfy stay for you. If you’re with a young family, then the pool and choice of restaurants close-by is great. However, it may hurt the budget quite a bit! 

Cara afternoon tea  

Ratings:

Burn Time: 4 out of 5 – Spent most of the time by the pool or out eating. 
Value: 3 out of 5 –
As it’s a new hotel from a large chain, based in the middle of busy London, quite a jump in price.   
Overall: 4 out of 5 –
Pan Pacific was a relaxing stay and very convenient location, easy access to Spitafields, Shoreditch and surrounding areas. Just need to fix the shower water pressure!

Any other new hotels we should visit and test out? Let us know in the comments below!