EASYROME

The Hammersmith Apollo is a great venue to see many different types of event. I've seen all kinds of gigs there, from Norah Jones (not my choice) to Mogwai to a Henry Rollins spoken word show and each time I've thoroughly enjoyed it - the seating's comfortable, the sound is excellent and the stage is clearly viewable from everywhere in the venue; even the drinks are reasonably priced there. The only downside is that getting into hotels near the Hammersmith Apollo can be something of a chore, especially if it's a sold out show.

Normally I get the train back to Colchester after seeing the gig - it's just one Tube train to Liverpool Street from Hammersmith, then a train straight from Liverpool Street to Colchester; it's not a bad journey at all. Sometimes I even have time to get a burger before the train leaves Liverpool Street, but last time I visited London for a gig I really wanted to stay up there as I was planning to do some Christmas shopping the next day, so I found myself looking into hotels near the Hammersmith Apollo.

I've been known to leave bookings until the last minute but when it came to this particular night, I convinced myself that I was going to have it booked up long beforehand. I wasn't going to get caught out and have to take the train home, I was going to be organised for once. It didn't work and I didn't start looking into hotels near the Hammersmith Apollo until one week before the concert. They all seemed to be booked up, but I was sure that if I applied myself properly, I'd be able to get in one. Some more searching the internet turned up a website which provided bookings for hotels specifically for after concerts, which sounded exactly like what I needed.

There was only one room left in any of the hotels near the Hammersmith Apollo for the night of the concert so I booked it straight away and praised my good luck before reminding myself that this could've gone very wrong and I would have had to take a train home again, then spend money and time travelling back into London the next day to do my shopping, which was far from ideal.

This time everything worked out according to plan - I booked my hotel, had a great time at the concert and managed to do most of my Christmas shopping before taking the train home later that day. Though I was lucky enough to be able to get in a hotel this time, next time I might not be so fortunate, so I resolved to be more organised in the future and book my hotel sooner.

Thomas Pretty is an avid concert goer who recently booked a hotel in London rather than make the trip home. Find out more about hotels near the Hammersmith Apollo at http://www.concerthotels.com/

Article Source: ArticleSpan