An Obscenely Quirky Weekend In London!

If you know what Peppa Pig, The Rocky Horror Show and an ‘obscene’ novel penned by James Joyce have in common, then you are already half way to sampling one of London’s quirkier weekend stays.

The Big Smoke is never shy to reveal its golden nuggets, be it Charles Dickens’ former home in Bloomsbury, afternoon tea with macarons at Burlington Arcade’s Ladurée, or a James Bond cocktail at Mayfair’s Dukes Hotel.

So, it was with some curiosity that I checked into The Good Hotel at London Docklands with the promise of another interesting stay. How could my discerning hosts better the wonderful Cartoon Museum or might Kings Cross’ Canal Museum soon have another rival?

It didn’t take long for my first revelation; the hotel itself.

The clean lines of The Good Hotel articulate their own story because this semi-permanent property and social business – a floating platform with rooms now anchored off the Royal Victoria Dock - donates its surplus profits to good causes around the world, including Guatemala.

It also provides long-term unemployed people in the locality with the opportunity to build a career in hospitality.

It was to be our home for two nights and, apart from helping the disadvantaged in one of South America’s poorest countries, it would also provide an incredibly pleasant and calming backdrop for our 48-hour visit.

A place from which to admire the nearby IFS Cloud Cable Car or witness the antics of early-morning wild swimmers, keen to shed a few pounds in the freezing cold waters of their expansive dockland pool!

It didn’t take long to make the aerial journey to the O2 Arena later that day, our ‘pod’ affording us stunning views across London. Before long we were sampling the retail therapy options of the seemingly ubiquitous ‘O2’.

“He’s done more than 8,000 jumps,” said a wide-eyed member of our group.

I was in momentary shock until I realised she was talking about our trainer at the iFLY Indoor Skydiving Centre ,also located within the complex.

iFLY is a great place in which to indulge a new hobby or, even better, if you prefer the real thing, an amazing training facility where you can get instant feedback on technique, something impossible to achieve when you have ejected yourself from a plane at 10,000ft!

The Docklands area is a great access point for many of London’s must see attractions, least of all the O2, however, it is calm and quiet and in total contrast to the hustle and bustle of China Town, Leicester Square or Covent Garden, where Pizza Express provided us with a rapid, pre-show dining option ahead of Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre.

The production is now in its 25th triumphant year at the Lyceum where 20 million theatregoers have marvelled this musical – the West End’s sixth longest-running show - since it opened in 1999.

Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation opened on Broadway two years earlier and 25 global productions in eight other languages have been created since then including Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese.

The story leaps into life using spectacular masks, puppets and costumes to tell the story of Simba's epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.

A few tube stops away from theatreland there’s King’s Cross, once the scourge of undercover drug squad officers, now the new Notting Hill but without the promise of an appearance by Hugh Grant or Julia Roberts!

Alongside the Great Northern Hotel, which sits to the left-hand side of the rail station’s main entrance, a short walk takes you to not only a myriad of shimmering new eateries, but also the vibrant Coal Drops Yard, another retail therapy option.

Not only does it boast the customary shops, restaurants and coffee bars, but also the fascinating Lightroom, currently housing the ‘VOGUE-Inventing The Runway’ exhibition until April 26th.

Inventing the Runway is a new immersive exhibition exploring the history of the fashion runway show, from the intimate couture salons of the early 20th century to the unforgettable spectacles of the present.

Lasting about an hour and featuring some 60 designers, the 360-degree sophisticated video multi media presentation is projected onto huge, warehouse-sized walls, leaving you with the feeling that you are centre stage on one of Paris or Milan's catwalks!

It is not cheap at £25 for adults but, it is excellent, offering an experience that brings together the industry’s leading voices from the past, present, and future.

“This is amazing, I didn’t even know it existed,” chorused one of our cohort. They were talking about the fascinating London Postal Museum.

The capital’s streets were so congested by 1909 that mail travelled at less than seven miles per hour, prompting Post Office Controller, Robert Bruce, to propose a new underground railway to speed up deliveries.

The Post Office (London) Railway, later dubbed Mail Rail, was born and in 2025 now forms a fascinating backdrop for this ‘living’ museum, where families can take a trip on a mini-sized underground train and learn more about its history thanks to wonderful videos projected onto the old platforms where mail was once processed.

And, if you need to better understand where Peppa Pig, The Rocky Horror Show and even Wallace and Gromit figure in London life, then look no further.

Within the museum you can learn about how Designer, David Gentleman and former Postmaster General, Tony Benn, shrunk the Monarch’s head on Britain’s stamps, making room for the advent of ‘celebrity’ and novel stamp issues!

Slightly more controversial was the book Ulysses by James Joyce, published in 1920. Banned in the UK as obscene, the book could not legally be sent in the mail. The Post Office intercepted dozens of copies which were then destroyed under the Customs Consolidation Act of 1876. Ulysses is now legally available!

That evening Gaucho’s Restaurant at Canary Wharf offered us culinary refuge ahead of our second night in The Good Hotel and, after breakfast the following morning, we had just enough time to visit one more attraction before taking our respective planes, trains and automobiles back home: The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in London.

Located in the brand new immersive entertainment district, Immerse LDN on the ExCeL waterfront, its new long-term home, this new attraction allows fans to explore full-scale re-created sets.

There are also iconic backdrops, costumes, and an array of props and memorabilia, bringing devotees one step closer to their favourite show and characters.

Complete with nostalgia-packed, interactive set re-creations, The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in London invites guests to delve into the show’s history and re-create some of their favourite scenes.

You can pose behind Rachel and Monica’s famous purple door, kick back in Chandler and Joey’s recliners and, of course, relax on the legendary orange couch!

Jonathan Mountford, Managing Director of PR & Communications specialist, Made, told the P.ublished.com Media Group: “London is an affordable city with many price options especially for families. The city has so much to offer in 2025 including sightseeing, attractions and world-class theatre!

“In fact, not seeing a musical such as Disney’s The Lion King in London is like forgetting to see the Eiffel Tower when visiting Paris! New shows opening this year include Disney’s Hercules the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, a musical inspired by the ancient myth - a wise-cracking, column-shaking, underworld-rocking ride of adventure and self-discovery - in tunics!”

It had been another whirlwind of fascinating visits but, as usual, London had not failed to deliver and continues to be the city that keeps on giving.

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,’ said Samuel Johnson. And, it is hard to disagree because, to coin another phrase, ‘there’s always summat to do’, and London will always ensure that any young child is guaranteed NOT to say those immortal words, ‘ mum I’m bored!’….just make sure you take plenty of cash!

FAST FACTS
Places Featured:
www.postalmuseum.org
www.lightroom.uk/whats-on/vogue-inventing-the-runway
www.london.friendstheexperience.com
Hotel & Restaurants:
www.goodhotel.co/london
www.gauchorestaurants.com
Theatre Ticket Booking:
www.visitlondon.com
www.officiallondontheatre.com
www.thelionking.co.uk
www.disneytickets.co.uk