London is expensive. That’s not a controversial take. But where and how you stay makes a bigger difference to your total spend than most people factor in when they’re booking.
Staying at Native Verso means staying in a well-designed apartment in one of London’s more vibrant neighbourhoods. But the combination of how the apartment is set up and where it sits means your money goes considerably further than it would in a comparably priced hotel room elsewhere in the city. Here’s why.
The kitchen changes the maths
The most straightforward saving comes from the kitchen. Every apartment is fully equipped with an oven, hob, fridge-freezer, microwave, all cookware and crockery. When you’re not paying for every meal out, the daily cost of being in London drops significantly.
That doesn’t mean cooking every night. It means having the option. Breakfast in the apartment rather than at a café. Lunch from Borough Market which is ten minutes on foot, rather than a restaurant. Dinner out when you actually want to go out, not because you have no alternative.
Borough Market is worth planning around for this. Street food stalls and market vendors offer delicious quality food at prices well below what you’d pay in a restaurant. Monmouth Coffee, based in the market, is consistently rated among the best coffee in London. The market runs Thursday to Saturday and is worth timing at least one day of your stay around it.
Flat Iron Square on Union Street, a short walk from Verso, has food vendors under the railway arches throughout the week and is a good option for a lower-key evening meal without the Borough Market crowds.
Free culture, properly
SE1 has an unusually high concentration of free cultural venues, and Verso sits in the middle of them.
Tate Modern is always free entry, not just for specific exhibitions. The Turbine Hall alone is worth going in for, and the permanent collection is substantial. The Southbank Centre runs free events year-round, particularly around its festivals. The BFI Mediatheque, inside the BFI building on the South Bank, gives free access to a large archive of British film and television; a very useful option for a rainy afternoon.
Shakespeare’s Globe has the exhibition inside worth paying for, but the riverside walk past it costs nothing. The Thames Path from Verso to Waterloo Bridge and back is one of the better free hours you can spend in London.
Theatre without the full price
If you want to see theatre the South Bank is one of the best places in the country for it. National Theatre runs a Friday Rush scheme worth knowing about. On Fridays at 1pm, £10 tickets are released online for performances the following week. A limited number of £20 tickets are also available at the box office on the day of a show from 10am. For one of the world’s leading theatre venues, that’s a significant saving on standard ticket prices. The prices listed were correct at time of publication.
The Old Vic, a short walk from Verso, runs its own day-of-show ticket scheme. It’s worth checking the website before you visit.
Getting around
Verso sits between Southwark, London Bridge, and Blackfriars stations and all are within walking distance, all on different lines. Pay by contactless card rather than buying single tickets and you’ll automatically be capped at the daily maximum, which is almost always cheaper than buying individual fares. Buses are roughly a third of the Tube price for the same journey and you see considerably more of the city.
For the South Bank itself, you don’t need transport at all. Tate Modern, the National Theatre, Borough Market, the BFI, the Thames Path are all easy on foot from Verso.
Longer stays, better value
Native Apartments are designed specifically for extended stays, meaning the longer you remain, the more financial sense it makes.
By cooking your own meals, skipping daily café expenses, and avoiding overpriced hotel laundry services, you keep more money in your pocket. These savings build up significantly over a week or two, offering a level of value you just won’t get from a quick weekend trip.
Weekly housekeeping is included, so the apartment stays in good order throughout without any additional cost. Wi-Fi is included. There are no surprise fees at checkout.
If you’re weighing up a longer stay in London i.e. a work project, a relocation, time spent getting to know the city properly, the combination of Verso’s setup and SE1’s free and affordable options makes the total cost of being here considerably more manageable than a hotel would.
