Kokova Magazine

On a cold Saturday morning towards the end of January, we decided we needed a little weekend break, so headed up to the City for an overnight stay.

It was already past 11 am so we hopped on the next train out to London Victoria. A quick run to our village station meant we were able to meet the connecting train from Surrey to Victoria. En route, we made plans and picked somewhere to stay overnight. The bliss of January is that most hotels will still have some rooms available on a Saturday night - and they don't always break the bank. Our choice was easy - we had already decided to find a comedy show so we searched around the locality to see who had a room for the night. Eventually, we opted for a studio apartment at The Chronicle by Supercity. near Holburn. On previous stay-aways, Brighton has given us many cosy nights within a Supercity apartment at Q Square. Taking our experience of the types of places they offer, we felt confident that the room would meet the same standard. They are compact without being too small and offer all the amenities expected, including cooking facilities, washing machines, hot showers, and kitted out like a home from home.

With the room booked, we made sure we got front-row tickets to a night of comedy at The 99 Club for a night of laughter. It is a relatively cosy club and an intimate audience but there are some great comedy acts, and we have been a few times - knowing we will certainly laugh a lot, and have fun.

By the time our train pulled into Victoria, we were ready to go shopping, with the evening planned out. Lunch came first and we headed over to Westfield London where we enjoyed a light lunch at Kanada-Ya Ramen Bar. Nothing says a warm lunch like broth and noodles, plus a few cocktails of course.

Last year in Bratislava we discovered Divr Labs in Nivy Centrum. It was a first for us with full VR and being greeted by a room full of zombies made for an interesting hour. In Westfield, we sidestepped the zombies in place of a tactical combat shooter game, 'Extreme Mission'. We were determined to pack a lot into our Saturday afternoon before checking into our room over in Holborn.

Westfield is a great place to spend a few hours and we combined the Divr experience with some shopping. Westfield is a "premium shopping destination, where style meets fun! Explore the latest fashion trends, must-have beauty products and everyday essentials. From high-street favourites to luxury brands, find everything you need and more, all under one roof."

Our night of comedy left us ready for rest, and our day in London satisfied the need to shake off January and start planning our next escape. We are already booked to go back to Bratislava to experience more VR, and return to a city we didn't visit last time due to severe rain and floods.

There is nothing quite like a last-minute booking, planning to go out and deciding to stay out by booking a room en route. I keep a small supply of overnight necessities in my backpack for days out, just in case. And we have made use of that many times, especially on a rainy day in January.