Best Western London Highbury

I stayed alone for two nights and felt extremely vulnerable and frightened after the reception staff threatened to throw me out at 11pm. My male friend, who is Somalian, had brought me food, and staff physically grabbed him as soon as he entered the foyer, saying he couldn’t be there. I believe they were prejudiced against his ethnicity. They also said I couldn’t have a visitor, complained that I’d gone out for too many cigarettes, refused to let me go out again, and threatened to call the police for no apparent reason. I’m a smoker and had been going outside for cigarettes. Staff accused me of smoking in my room even though reception had clearly seen me smoking outside. I’d gone out at 11pm, and when I returned, a towel had been hung over the rail, so it seemed a staff member had entered my room without consent. I’d definitely advise people, especially smokers with Somalian friends, not to book here.

The staff were friendly and happy to suggest nearby places to eat, and the room seemed reasonably clean. The transport links into central London are good, which suited my football trip. But if you’re driving, the road gets extremely busy towards finsbury park. My room faced the road and the poor glazing let in so much traffic noise that I was kept awake and slept badly. It should be passable on a budget if you don’t get a road-facing room. I wouldn’t rush back anytime soon.

For getting into London, the location worked well: Manor House tube is a five-minute walk, Finsbury Park is ten minutes away and literally across the road, and it’s about 20 minutes on the tube to central London. The Emirates ground is around a 15-minute walk. There are convenience stores and plenty of places to eat nearby, too. Reception and the corridors look a bit tired, but the room was clean and perfectly fine as a base. It was small, with tea, coffee, biscuits, a hairdryer, soap and shower gels. Toiletries are available free if you’ve forgotten anything, and you can borrow an iron and ironing board from reception. Rooms are cleaned daily, and the reception staff and cleaners were lovely. I didn’t have breakfast, so can’t comment on it. I was staying for Alexandra Palance and central London.

The location was really convenient, with two tube stations about a five-minute walk away, and we liked the neat, tidy family room. We did find two spiders on the bed and killed them, so the room could have been cleaned more thoroughly. They don’t provide water, and a £2 bottle felt expensive. Breakfast wasn’t included either: it cost £12 per person, with not much to choose from. Apart from the spiders and the water issue, we liked our stay.