It's much quicker & easier to get to London from Liverpool on the express service than it is to take the slow train service from Devon, so it made sense to go while we there and while we had willing babysitters on hand!
We swore last time we went to London that it would be the last time we take Tyne while he's still in a pram ... London underground & prams just do not mix well and I can't handle that again!!
So off we set, a little bit teary eyed, to London for the night.
We were kindly being given the chance to have a free nights stay at Travelodge's Covent Garden hotel for review purposes....Infact come to think of it we owe Travelodge many thanks as our only other baby-free night since Tyne came along was also to do a Travelodge review when we visited Manchester - you can read about that HERE if you wish.
So we set off to find the Covent Garden Travelodge - unfortunately we are not very good at navigating London, and we did get a bit lost - but after some help from Siri and a few minor slanging matches we found it!
Once we knew where it was, of course it seemed so simple! It was actually a very short distance from Covent Garden tube station - just a pleasant 3 minute stroll away.
The check in was super efficient - the man behind the desk was busy seeing to another guest, but a helpful staff member showed us to the automated check in machines - you simply enter your booking reference number and surname, and the machine checks you in.
How nifty?!
We were all checked with our keycards given to us courtesy of the clever little machine within seconds, and off we headed to find our room.
We were located right there on the first floor, very handy indeed.
We initially worried about possible noise from the street but the windows were very effective at keeping that all nicely blocked out....we were not disturbed by outside noise at all.
The room was lovely, fresh and clean - the decor was the same as the Manchester hotel - fresh and funky!
Again, the bathroom was immaculate and all amenities such as tea & coffee making facilities and flatscreen TV were present and working perfectly.
Jon wanted a bit more coffee after drinking the ones provided (what is it with men and free coffee?!!) so headed off to reception to be extremely cheeky and ask for more (despite my protests!) and he reported back that the staff were very friendly and obliging.
We got ready for the evening and headed out to explore London a little.
And I even managed to get a photo with a mahoosive Barry Manilow poster on the Underground....as you do (I LOVE him, ok?! I can't help myself.....)
We soon found ourselves on Oxford street where we called into House Of Fraser for the Pop at Hof event.
We visited the Skribbies pop up store, where we collected a sample pair of Skribbies for Amelie to try out - we'll be reporting back with our review of them very soon!
Whilst there, I also got talking to the very lovely Emma who runs Rock A Bye Baby - a children's clothing store aimed at providing children with cool clothes rather than the usual horrific Disney inspired monstrosities you so often see these days (no offense, just not my personal taste!)
Emma was such a lovely lady to chat to, and I loved hearing all about the business and how it all began.
I think the branding for Rock A Bye Baby is just genius - the clothes come folded inside a record-sleeve style package and everything is quite simply too cool for school! I think these little touches are what really sell a brand....and it certainly sold it to me!
There really was an endless array of cool on offer at Rock A Bye Baby's pop up store....My personal favourites had to be the tux print onesie and the This Kid Rocks top
To find out more about Rock A Bye Baby, please visit them HERE
After our fun hour or so chatting at House Of Fraser, we were pretty hungry so after some wandering around we headed back to Covent Garden and found ourselves at Byrons Hamburgers.
A trendy little burger place which we thought would serve simple burgers which would fill us up....we didn't expect to be impressed, its just burgers after all!
WRONG! This place was AMAZING!
Jon ordered the Miami slice with salami, pork scratchings and crispy potatoes inside and I ordered the original cheeseburger with chipotle mayo.
We shared fries, onion rings and macaroni cheese on the side.
The meal was absolutely gorgeous - Oh my goodness I could eat it all over again!!!
I wish we had a Byron's near us - if you are lucky enough to live nearby, you MUST visit!
After our lovely meal, we headed back to the comfort of our super comfortable bed where we had a lovely nights sleep.
We had such an enjoyable stay at Travelodge Covent garden and would highly recommend it for cleanliness and great location!
To book a room at this or any Travelodge, please visit http://www.travelodge.co.uk/
And keep your eyes on Sparkles & Stretchmarks for a chance to win a nights stay at a Travelodge of your choice soon!
We also filmed a little vlog of our time in London & Liverpool....if you'd like to watch, take a look below:
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