A Night At: Cuckooz Design Led Apartment Living
If you are from out of town, staying in Central London comes with a fair few drawbacks. One, if there is more than two of you or you are a family, you're looking at multiple rooms and a huge price tag. Two, affordable accommodation is literally impossible to find anywhere close to the centre. And three, when you do manage to find something affordable it's always pretty rubbish and the design equivalent of a 1990's pub Hotel.
That's where Cuckooz comes in. Established in East London in 2016 by Charlie and Fabienne, it's accommodation with a difference. As avid explorers, they wanted to provide accommodation on the fringes of the City that was cool, contemporary and perfect for travellers who wanted to visit London. They picked properties that were close to transport links but in areas that would appeal to people who loved to travel and wanted to get a real taste of the culture of our capital.
Each of the four locations has varying sized apartments, perfect for those travelling with families or friends. Even better, each location has been designed by a different designer who has imprinted their own ideas and style on to the spaces.
Hoxton
Home to some fab furniture and homeware stores, it borders the super cool area of Shoreditch. There's one and two bedroom apartments here, accommodating from two to four people.
Kings Cross
Five minutes walk from the mainline station, this apartment block is situated within a moments walk of bars and restaurants. Apartments range from accommodating two people up to the maximum in the Penthouse of six.
Aldgate East
The eastern gateway to the City Of London, these apartments are within a few minutes walk of the Tube and perfect for exploring. Again, apartments range from one bedroom for two people up to Penthouse which sleeps six.
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is bursting with culture and here Cuckooz offer one bedroom apartments slap bang in the centre of this bustling area, sleeping two people.
I was lucky enough to test out two of these fabulous apartments so I thought I'd give you a little run down of what I thought.
Checking out the local cool breakfast cafe, a moments walk from the apartments.
My sister was visiting from Singapore so this was an excellent solution. I live in Yorkshire so it was the perfect place to meet and was close enough to the Tube to make getting into Oxford Circus for a meet up easy as pie. We checked in at 3.00 pm to find complimentary gin cocktails in the fridge and an apartment that was ideal for our needs. Although it was one bedroom, Cuckooz provided an additional bed and we had a separate kitchen, dining and living area to hang out in.
These particular properties are designed by 2LG and are beautifully furnished. There are standard amenities in all Cuckooz apartments including wireless internet access, Apple TV, 40” flat screen, fully equipped kitchen, (including the essentials of coffee percolator and dishwasher), hair dryer, iron and ironing board, bathrobes and towels. Plus even better, there's complimentary Bamford toiletries in the bathroom. Perfection.
We had a great stay, checking out the next day to go to a local cafe for breakfast coffee and croissants. At £150 a night (£75 per person), this apartment is well priced and so much more relaxing and personal than staying in a mainstream budget Hotel.
Fab living space designed by 2LG.
Beautifully styled bedroom with luxury bed linen.
The bright and well thought out kitchen is ideal.
Everyone needs gold cutlery.
Cocktails at The Big Chill House. Tick.
I was in London overnight with my friend Pandora for the Amara IBA's and Cuckooz gave us the keys to a two bedroom apartment in their Kings Cross property. Coming from York, it couldn't' have been more ideal for us as the location was literally five minutes walk from the mainline station, and virtually opposite the Tube station. It's located in a quiet side street but within a moments walk of The Big Chill House where Pandora and I were forced to go and drink Happy Hour cocktails after having our hair blow dried at Rush, also close by.
There was two good sized bedrooms - a twin and a double - and two bathrooms that were beautifully fitted out in grey and white with the obligatory Bamford toiletries. There was a balcony overlooking a quiet apartment block and it was hard to believe that you were in the centre of town.
The furnishings were cool and contemporary in the large living dining area and kitchen, designed by Nicola Bianchi, right down to the gold cutlery and brass hanging rails. This apartment is £195 a night but sleeps up to four people, making it a super economical £48 per person.
Our living room for the night.
Super cool, well equipped kitchen.
The double bedroom.
Hello there, Bamford toiletries.
There's a minimum three night stay on all the Cuckooz apartments but if you are in London for a mini break or business, it's ideal and significantly better value than staying in a Hotel. For example, the Kings Cross apartment would cost £146 per person based on four people - absolutely unbeatable. The main office is based underneath the Aldgate East property and they are aways on hand to help and offer advice and information on places to visit and hang out.
Charlie and Fabienne, the founders of Cuckooz.
Cuckooz have also partnered with the Refuge, the country’s largest single provider of specialist domestic violence services which support women and children to rebuild their lives, free from violence and fear. On any given day Refuge supports over 4,500 women and children through its range of services, and for every night you stay with Cuckooz, they will donate £2 to Refuge to help support another woman and child affected by domestic violence, sleep safely.
The website is full of useful information about their services and also about the locations in which their properties are based, meaning that when you book in you are guaranteed not to miss out on any local events or cool places to visit.
You can find out more about Cuckooz or book an apartment for a short stay on the following platforms: