It doesn’t look like it’s going to offer a swanky night’s stay. After all, it’s covered in graffiti murals.
But I discover that The Megaro hotel, opposite King’s Cross station and St Pancras International in London, has a few surprises in store.
As soon as I open the hotel’s doors – using monkey-shaped door handles – I feel like Alice stepping into a completely new, fantastical Wonderland.
First, there’s the reception area, a sight to behold with its high ceilings, quirky, mismatched lighting and brightly coloured furniture.
And the hotel becomes ‘curiouser and curiouser’ the more I explore.
Heading upstairs to the second floor, I’m blown away as I enter my Diesel Corner Studio room.
From the metallic silver walls and ceilings to the Union Jack-emblazoned cushions adorning the enormous king-size bed, every inch of the suite has been decorated in homage to punk rock – a genre born a 30-minute walk away in London’s music capital, Camden Town.
The room even includes a giant speaker shaped like a British Bulldog – so tall it reaches my waist – and a repurposed flight case, which has gone from transporting music equipment to now providing ample storage for my bags and shoes.
Hayley Minn checks in to The Megaro hotel, opposite London’s King’s Cross station and St Pancras International. The outside is covered in graffiti murals (pictured), while the inside makes her ‘feel like Alice stepping into a completely new, fantastical Wonderland’
Hayley is ‘blown away’ as she enters her Diesel Corner Studio room (pictured). ‘From the metallic silver walls and ceilings to the Union Jack-emblazoned cushions adorning the enormous king-size bed, every inch of the suite has been decorated in homage to punk rock – a genre born a 30-minute walk away in London’s music capital, Camden Town,’ she says
But the piece de resistance is the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows covering two of the (unnecessarily) massive room’s four walls.
Directly opposite our room is the stunning St Pancras Renaissance – a five-star hotel famous for its proximity to the station and beautiful Victorian architecture.
But what good is staying there when you can’t see the building in all its glory from your room, like we can in The Megaro?
As red double-decker buses and black taxis drive past, it feels like we’ve been picked up and plonked right in the middle of a movie set for a film based in London.
And the best part? You can’t hear any of the traffic!
It feels like the perfect time to whack on London’s Calling by The Clash, but we soon realise the waist-high woofer only fits old iPhones.
Hayley’s room has ‘floor-to-ceiling windows’ (pictured) with views of the ‘stunning St Pancras Renaissance’ hotel opposite. She says: ‘As red double-decker buses and black taxis drive past, it feels like we’ve been picked up and plonked right in the middle of a movie set for a film based in London. And the best part? You can’t hear any of the traffic’
Pictured: The hotel’s new fine-dining restaurant Voyage, where Michelin-star chef Adam Simmonds has created an eight-course tasting menu, designed to take guests on a culinary journey
![Hayley says: 'While the food at Voyage is excellent – especially the oysters and venison [pictured] – the service is painfully slow'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/19/12/95364893-14413095-image-m-12_1739968377455.jpg)
Hayley says: ‘While the food at Voyage is excellent – especially the oysters and venison [pictured] – the service is painfully slow’
Disaster is quickly averted when I discover I can ring reception to get a Bluetooth speaker delivered to my room, as well as the other essentials – wine and hair straighteners!
The whimsy continues in the hallways, with trinket-filled shelves and pop art around every corner.
I follow one round to the hotel’s new fine-dining restaurant Voyage, where Michelin-star chef Adam Simmonds has created an eight-course tasting menu, designed to take guests on a culinary journey.
While the food here is excellent – especially the oysters and venison – the service is painfully slow. It feels like we’re waiting hours between some of the courses (although this may be a teething problem, due to the restaurant having only recently opened).
The Megaro’s other restaurant – a futuristic-looking Italian diner called Spagnoletti – is definitely more of a crowd-pleaser.
The menu has also been created by Adam, but here the servings are much heartier and designed to be shared.
The Megaro’s second restaurant – a futuristic-looking Italian diner called Spagnoletti (pictured) – is ‘definitely more of a crowd-pleaser’ than Voyage, says Hayley
For an ‘after-dinner nightcap’, Hayley heads downstairs to Hokus Pokus, the hotel’s swanky bar (pictured)
On leaving The Megaro, Hayley takes a look back at its ‘deceptive facade’. She writes: ‘Although parts of the hotel may have felt as mad and secret as Wonderland, I’m glad that, unlike Alice, my adventure wasn’t a dream… ‘
I’m a big fan of the suckling pig and black pudding croquettes, but the star of the show is the Mafalde pasta dish, topped with slow-cooked beef and pecorino cheese.
My fiancé and I immediately regret only ordering one serving between the two of us, so will be sure to get one each next time we dine here.
For an after-dinner nightcap, we head downstairs to Hokus Pokus, the hotel’s swanky bar.
Inspired by James Morrison – a quack doctor who opened the British College of Health a few doors down in 1828, and claimed to have found a pill that cures all illness – the cocktails here are called ‘Prescriptions’.
I choose to medicate myself with a ‘Coffee Orange & Chocolate’, which is so delicious I have a second, feeling grateful I opted to skip dessert.
The hangover the next morning is eased by the fact I’ve woken up in an extremely comfortable bed with a mind-blowing view of London out of my window – as well as a much-needed Full English breakfast at Spagnoletti.
On leaving the hotel and stepping back into the real world, I take one final look back at the deceptive facade.
Although parts of the hotel may have felt as mad and secret as Wonderland, I’m glad that, unlike Alice, my adventure wasn’t a dream…