The best hotels near the London Eye

The only central London branch of this rather stylish mid-range US chain has a plum location just behind Waterloo station, within walking distance of the London Eye and other riverside attractions. Modern and purpose-built, the rooms have good sound insulation and big windows, whose views improve the closer you get to the seventh (and top) floor, from where they really do sweep. Breakfast is free, common areas handsome and showers large: it adds up to a comfortable package for the price.

Just over the river, the Amba offers only glimpses of the London Eye through the Embankment’s trees, but it’s no hardship to walk to it across the stunning Hungerford pedestrian bridge. The Amba is the Victorian hotel atop Charing Cross station (transport links don’t get much better), recently refurbished to build in modern decor, facilities and ideas – such as free iPads, Nespresso machines, snacks and soft drinks in the rooms and thought-through tech, right down to USB charging sockets.

It’s stylish luxury all the way at the London outpost of this seriously swanky Maltese offering, from four floors’ worth of spa to lavender sprigs on the pillow and baths with built-in TV screens. It’s on the north bank of the river, so convenient for the West End, and right next to the Hungerford Bridge, which delivers you to Jubilee Gardens at the foot of the London Eye. River Suites offer staggering views and prices to match.

County Hall was, for most of the twentieth century, London’s administrative headquarters, and its gorgeous riverside façade is appropriately commanding. It now houses various tourist attractions and two hotels, of which this is the more upmarket (with pool, exec lounge and afternoon tea), all sleek, modern and marbled, with attractive room decor themed around London mapping. The views are to die for, sweeping from the London Eye to the Houses of Parliament, but check what you’re getting as they do vary.

The Park Plaza follows the luxury chain playbook assiduously, with spa, executive lounge, brasserie, patisserie and sushi restaurant. Room decor is suave, modern and comfortable, anchored by dramatic glass-panelled photo portraits. There are walls of glass in the common areas, too, framing stand-out views north across the Thames to the iconic buildings of Westminster. Details of room views are clearly given on the website, and include some of the London Eye.

Premier Inn pulled off a bit of a coup when it got itself into the stately County Hall building. Yes, the decor is classic mid-range chain, with Premier’s trademark purple livery, but the location is excellent, particularly for families – you’ll be sharing a building with Shrek’s Adventure and the London Aquarium (and children stay free). Rooms on the north side overlook the London Eye: no guarantees, but you might get lucky if you request a view when booking.

It’s your basic cheap and cheerful multi-storey hotel, but the location is great for the price, ten minutes’ walk from the London Eye. Choose your room carefully: views run the gamut of none (some rooms have no windows) to vistas of riverside icons such as the London Eye and the Shard. The slightly outside-the-centre location has its advantages; it’s quiet, and there’s local pubs and supermarkets nearby.

The playfully ship-themed public spaces, Thames-side location and Tom Dixon furnishings, all done in a post-modern deco-style minimalism, make this one of the most fun upscale hotels in the city – and that’s before you discover the twelfth-floor Rumpus Room bar on the roof and the cosy Curzon cinema. Public spaces are playful, colourful and retro, rooms are super-modern with blocks of reds, blacks, pinks and greys adding a 1980s vibe. Design items in rooms include Dixon’s signature wingback chairs.

It’s ‘hotel’ as in hostelry: the Welly is a red-brick corner pub opposite Waterloo station (hence the name; think ‘Duke of’) and the rooms fill its upper parts. Downside: some noise. Upside: great location ten minutes from the London Eye, good price and your own pub on-site. It’s a good one, too, much frequented by commuters, with sports TV, decent food and battle murals on the ceiling. Rooms are simple, modern and cheery and the full English breakfast earns rave reviews.

It’s a 15-minute stroll from the London Eye, but the walk is worth it to stay at one of London’s best guesthouses, with its own blue plaque, no less, marking it as a historic home. This was where Captain Bligh, of Bounty fame, came to lick his wounds after the famous mutiny, and it remains a haven today, with five cosy rooms/suites, each with its own kitchenette. The top-floor Film Studio offers views of the London Eye.