Blog London has always attracted people with somewhere to be. A university place to take up. A new job, a family visit, a property handover or a few weeks spent discovering the city. But not every visit fits neatly into a weekend, and not every traveller wants to live out of a hotel room for […]
by Marlex Apartment
Blog A business trip to London can begin with a flight booked around a meeting, a hotel selected for its location and a calendar filled with appointments. By the time the last meeting ends, it may feel as though the city has passed by outside the window. But what if the trip did not have to end when the work did? For professionals travelling to London, extending a business visit by a day or two can create room to explore the city, meet friends, enjoy a good meal or simply spend time somewhere beyond the conference room. Others may have enough flexibility in their schedules to work remotely for part of the trip, provided their employer’s policies and the practical arrangements allow it. This combination of professional commitments and personal travel is known as *bleisure*, a blend of business and leisure. It has become a recognised subject in the hospitality industry, as accommodation providers respond to travellers who want more flexibility in how they use their time away. For anyone planning a business visit to London, the opportunity is worth considering. The key is to plan it properly. What Is Bleisure Travel, and Why Are More Travellers Considering It? Bleisure travel happens when someone combines work-related travel with personal leisure time. This might mean staying an extra weekend after a conference, arriving a day early to explore a city or adding a few personal days to an international business assignment. It does not necessarily mean working throughout a holiday. Often, the distinction is simple: the professional part of the trip has a clear purpose, while the additional time allows the traveller to enjoy the destination on their own terms. The idea has gained attention as flexible and hybrid working arrangements have changed how some professionals approach travel. Industry publications such as *Forbes* and hospitality technology company Mews have examined how travellers are combining work commitments with personal experiences, and what this means for accommodation providers. Longer stays are also attracting attention across the serviced-apartment sector. Savills reported an 11% increase in the number of Europeans planning trips lasting seven to twelve nights in 2025, citing European Travel Commission data. For London visitors, this creates a practical question: if you are already travelling for work, could a little more time in the city make the trip more worthwhile? The answer depends on your schedule, budget and responsibilities, but the possibility deserves consideration before your return flight is booked. Why London Works for a Work-and-Leisure Trip London is a major business centre, but its appeal extends well beyond its offices and conference venues. The city offers museums, historic neighbourhoods, theatres, restaurants, markets, parks and cultural attractions. Depending on where you stay, you could spend the morning in a meeting, have dinner in a neighbourhood you have never visited and dedicate the following day to exploring at your own pace. The mistake is assuming you need an entirely free week to experience the city. A carefully planned afternoon can be enough to discover a new neighbourhood. An evening might mean a West End performance, dinner with colleagues or a walk along the South Bank. An additional weekend can provide time for attractions that would be difficult to fit around a demanding work schedule. London rewards a little planning, particularly because journey times between different parts of the city can be longer than visitors expect. Rather than filling every spare hour with activities, choose a few experiences that interest you and organise them around where you will already be. The Accommodation Decision Can Shape the Entire Trip When accommodation is booked exclusively around work, the nearest suitable hotel may appear to be the obvious choice. But when a trip includes several additional nights, it is worth reconsidering what you need from the place you will be staying. A serviced apartment can offer a different arrangement, particularly for visitors who want more living space or plan to stay for several days. Depending on the property, facilities may include a separate living area, a kitchen, laundry facilities and Wi-Fi. These features can be useful when you need to prepare for a meeting, take a video call, organise your day or spend a quiet evening indoors. Consider a consultant travelling to London for a four-day assignment. If the schedule allows an additional weekend, an apartment with suitable living space could support the working days while also providing a comfortable base for the leisure portion of the trip. The same consideration applies to professionals travelling with a partner or family member. One person may have meetings during the day while the other explores the city, with both able to spend the evenings together. The important point is to choose accommodation that suits the actual itinerary, rather than paying for facilities you will not use or overlooking features that could make a longer stay easier. Five Practical Ways to Plan a Better Bleisure Trip 1. Decide Which Days Are for Work and Which Are Personal Start by separating your professional commitments from your leisure plans. Confirm your meeting schedule, conference dates and any obligations that require you to be available. Then decide whether you can arrive early, stay later or use a free weekend. This simple step helps you estimate the actual cost of extending the trip and avoids building leisure plans around dates that may change. If your employer is paying for the business portion, confirm the company’s travel policy before making changes to flights or accommodation. 2. Check Your Accommodation Before Extending Your Stay Do not assume you can automatically keep the same room or apartment for additional nights. Check availability, the revised price and the terms for extending your reservation. If you are considering a serviced apartment, confirm the facilities included, check-in arrangements and any additional charges. It is also worth asking whether the rate changes for a longer booking. Compare the full cost of the extended stay rather than relying solely on the original nightly rate. If you are travelling during a major conference, school holiday or popular London event, arrange the extension early where possible. 3. Choose a Location That Works for Both Parts of the Trip A location that is ideal for your meetings may not be the most convenient base for every leisure activity. Equally, staying near a particular attraction may make your daily commute unnecessarily complicated. Look at the entire itinerary. Identify your main work destination, the places you want to visit and the transport connections that link them. London Underground services, rail stations and buses can make it easier to move around, but the most suitable route depends on your actual destinations and travel times. If you have meetings in different parts of the city, consider how much time you will spend commuting before choosing where to stay. The aim is not to be close to everything. It is to make the places that matter most reasonably accessible. 4. Make Space for Work Without Letting It Take Over Some bleisure trips involve a strict separation between workdays and personal days. Others include remote work during the extended stay. If you intend to work remotely, establish what you need before booking. Reliable internet, a comfortable place to work, sufficient lighting and a quiet environment may be essential. Confirm that the accommodation provides the facilities you require. A property photograph showing a table does not necessarily mean it has a suitable dedicated workspace. You should also consider time zones if your colleagues or clients are based elsewhere. A morning in London may overlap with a different working day for colleagues abroad, depending on their location and the season. Most importantly, check whether your employer permits remote work from your destination. Working internationally can raise tax, immigration, data-security and employment-policy questions, so do not assume that a leisure extension automatically gives you permission to work from abroad. 5. Plan a Few Experiences, Not an Exhausting Itinerary A common travel mistake is trying to fit too much into too little time. You do not need to visit every famous landmark to make a London trip memorable. Choose experiences that suit your interests and leave enough room to enjoy them. If you love theatre, reserve an evening for a performance. If food is your priority, research a few restaurants or markets. If you enjoy history, choose a museum or historic site and give yourself enough time to explore it properly. For a short extension, grouping activities by neighbourhood is often more practical than crossing London several times in one day. […]
by Marlex Apartment
Blog On your first morning in Greenwich, you do what everyone does. You climb the hill to the Royal Observatory, stand with one foot on either side of the Prime Meridian and photograph Canary Wharf glittering across the river. You eat at the first place with a free table, and by evening your feet ache, […]
by Marlex Apartment
Blog Picture a Tuesday evening in early December. It is not yet five o’clock and London is already dark, but nobody seems to mind. The towers of Canary Wharf glow against the black water of the dock, the pubs have their fires going and you walk home with cold hands and a full day behind you. You step into a warm apartment and put the kettle on. This is the version of London most visitors never see, and it may well be the best one. Most travel advice treats November to February as the season to skip. For a quick weekend, that is fair enough. For a month, it is a different story. If you are relocating, covering a project or giving yourself a long stay in the capital, winter offers value, atmosphere and a pace that summer cannot match. The first thing you notice is how much the city opens up once the summer crowds fade. Queues shrink, restaurants take bookings at short notice and the Tube feels less like a contact sport outside rush hour. Southwark shows this best. Borough Market is calmer on a weekday morning in January, the walk along the river past Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe is almost your own, and a hot lunch from a market stall tastes far better when the air is cold. Tate Modern is free to enter, which turns a wet afternoon into one of the best plans in town. A month gives you time to see it properly instead of rushing through. Winter has its own spectacle too. Canary Wharf hosts a free light festival each January, with illuminated installations spread across its squares and docksides, and the estate looks different in the dark, with the skyline reflecting in the water. Event dates change from year to year, so check before you plan around it. Elsewhere the Southbank and the riverside come alive with festive markets and lights. The point is that winter in London always has something happening, and a long stay lets you enjoy more than one of them. This is where an apartment quietly beats a hotel. In summer you barely notice where you sleep because you are outside until late. In winter you want to come home to somewhere that feels like a retreat. A proper living area, a kitchen where you can make soup or a slow stew and a washing machine for the coat that has just survived a downpour turn a cold month into a comfortable one. A hotel room feels smaller with every week. An apartment gives you space to cook, work and unwind, which is exactly what people need when the days are short and the evenings are long. Short days also make location matter more than it does in July, because the sun sets before four in the afternoon in December. Canary Wharf and Westferry suit anyone working in the east, with the Jubilee line, the Elizabeth line and the DLR close by, so the commute stays dry and warm, and Westferry adds a quieter residential feel and riverside walks along the Thames Path for the weekends. Southwark puts you within walking distance of the South Bank and a short ride from the City. Camberwell offers something different, a lively south London neighbourhood with independent cafes, Burgess Park nearby for a frosty morning walk and good bus links into central London. Each one gives a winter month a different personality, so it is worth choosing the one that suits how you plan to spend your days. A small practical point is worth knowing before you arrive. British homes often use a combination boiler with a thermostat and programmer that can seem confusing at first, and in winter that matters. Ask for a quick demonstration at check-in, find out how to set the heating schedule and ask where wet clothes can dry, since London winters are damp. A good provider will explain all of this before you need to ask twice. Money plays a part too. Outside the Christmas and New Year peak, January and February are among the quietest stretches of the London calendar, which often means better availability and better value on a long booking than the same stay in summer. A full kitchen helps even more, because cooking in on a cold night costs far less than eating out. Contactless fares on the Tube, DLR and buses are capped daily and weekly, so travelling around regularly costs less than most newcomers expect. Pack layers instead of one heavy coat, since shops, trains and apartments are warm and the street is not. Bring a proper waterproof and comfortable shoes, and plan indoor days alongside outdoor ones. Darkness arrives early, so late museum openings and evening events are worth looking out for. London gets quieter, warmer in spirit and far more personal when the weather turns. Marlex Apartments looks after more than fifty-five apartments across London, and our team can help you choose the neighbourhood and apartment that suit your month. Visit the Marlex Apartments website, pick the apartment that fits your dates and message our team with any question about heating, laundry or location before you book. Secure your winter base early and arrive to a warm welcome when the first cold evening comes.
by Marlex Apartment
Blog Thirty nights is a long time to spend away from home. There are suitcases to unpack, routines to establish, places to discover and all the little things that come with living somewhere new. For a family travelling from India to London, a month in the city meant more than having somewhere to sleep. It meant finding a comfortable rhythm, getting familiar with their surroundings and making the most of their time away. For this family, Greenwich was home for 30 nights. And when it was time to leave, they had a special way of saying thank you. They presented a large bouquet of flowers to Amanda at Marlex Apartments, a thoughtful gesture that turned an ordinary checkout into a moment worth remembering. The flowers were unexpected. There was no special occasion or formal reason to give them. The family simply wanted to show their appreciation for the care and attention they had received during their stay. For the Marlex team, it was a lovely surprise. For us, it was a reminder of how a month in a new city can become about much more than the place you book. Thirty Nights in Greenwich Anyone who has travelled internationally with family knows that the experience begins long before the first sightseeing trip. There is the journey itself, the luggage, the airport transfers and the task of settling everyone into a different environment. Once the initial excitement wears off, everyday needs take over. People need to eat, rest, get organised and figure out how things work in their new surroundings. When the stay lasts a month, those needs become even more important. A hotel room may work perfectly well for a short visit, but an extended stay calls for a different kind of comfort. Families need room to spread out, somewhere to sit together, and the freedom to organise their days without feeling as though they are constantly living out of a suitcase. This is where a serviced apartment makes a difference. At Marlex Apartments, guests have a furnished space that offers more than a bed for the night. Depending on the apartment, separate sleeping areas, a living room and kitchen facilities allow families to prepare meals, enjoy time together and maintain some of the routines they would ordinarily have at home. There is no need for every meal to be eaten out or every moment of downtime to take place in the same room. After a busy day in London, everyone can return to their own space, relax and decide what the rest of the evening should look like. For a family staying 30 nights, that flexibility is not a small convenience. It becomes part of what makes the stay work. Seeing London Beyond the Apartment Of course, spending a month in London is also an opportunity to experience the city beyond the usual tourist checklist. Greenwich offers its own character, with riverside walks, historic streets, green spaces and attractions that give visitors plenty to explore. It is a place where a day out can involve discovering local history, taking in views across the Thames or simply spending time in a different part of the city. For someone visiting from India, there is plenty to take in. But exploring an unfamiliar city can also come with practical questions. Where should you go? What is worth seeing? How do you get there? And what can you do when you want to experience London without spending every day planning an elaborate outing? During the family’s stay, the Marlex team took the mother on a tour around London, giving her an opportunity to see more of the city and become more familiar with her surroundings. It was a personal touch that added something different to the experience. Rather than leaving the family to discover everything independently, the team helped make exploring London part of their stay. A tour might be a small thing in the grand scheme of a month-long visit, but it can make a difference to how someone experiences a place. Familiarity grows when you have seen more of a city, discovered places you might want to revisit and had the chance to enjoy your surroundings with a little more confidence. For a guest who has travelled thousands of miles, that can be a welcome addition to the accommodation itself. The Service Beyond the Stay Good serviced accommodation is about more than furnishing an apartment and handing over the keys. Guests may need help with practical arrangements, local recommendations, questions about the apartment or simply a little guidance as they settle into an unfamiliar environment. For international visitors, even straightforward tasks can feel different when everything around them is new. The value of having a team available is that guests have someone to contact when they need assistance. The apartment provides the space and independence to live comfortably, while attentive service helps make the experience easier to navigate. That balance matters during an extended stay. Guests want the privacy to enjoy their own routines without feeling as though they are in a hotel every hour of the day. At the same time, they appreciate knowing that help is available when a question arises or they need support with something unfamiliar. For families, the combination can be especially useful. There is room to spend time together, flexibility around meals and daily plans, and the reassurance of having a point of contact when needed. During those 30 nights in Greenwich, the family experienced both sides of that arrangement: the comfort of having a place of their own and the personal attention of a team willing to go beyond the basics. The bouquet offered at checkout gave that experience a fitting conclusion. A Bouquet for Amanda By the time checkout arrived, the family had spent a full month in London. Thirty nights of settling in, going out, returning to the apartment and making the city part of their temporary routine were coming to an end. Then came the flowers. The family presented a large bouquet to Amanda as a gesture of appreciation for the support and attention they had received from Marlex. It was not something the team had asked for or expected. It was simply the family’s way of saying that the experience had meant something to them. There is a particular warmth in receiving a gift when there is no obligation behind it. The person giving it has taken the time to think about what they want to express and chosen a way to make that feeling known. In hospitality, those moments can be especially meaningful. Teams work to ensure apartments are prepared, guests are comfortable and practical needs are addressed. Much of that effort happens quietly, as part of the everyday responsibility of looking after people. A bouquet like this offers a glimpse of the experience from the guest’s perspective. It reminds the team that the small acts of assistance, the time spent answering questions and the willingness to help someone feel at ease can leave an impression that lasts beyond the booking. The flowers were a thank-you for a stay in London. They were also a personal acknowledgement of the people who had helped make that stay what it was. A Month Away, A Memory to Keep With more than 55 apartments across London, Marlex Apartments welcomes guests visiting for holidays, family trips, business, relocation and extended stays. Each guest arrives with different plans, and every length of stay brings its own needs. For some, the priority is a convenient base for a few nights in the city. For others, it is having enough space and flexibility to settle in for several weeks or longer. A well-chosen apartment helps make that possible. A comfortable living area, suitable sleeping arrangements and kitchen facilities can make everyday life easier, while access to a responsive team adds reassurance when guests need assistance. The family from India spent 30 nights in Greenwich. They had time to settle in, explore London with help from the Marlex team and experience the city at a pace that a much shorter visit would not have allowed. When it was time to leave, they chose to thank Amanda with a bouquet of flowers. The flowers will eventually fade, but the gesture remains a lovely part of the family’s story with Marlex. It is a reminder that a successful stay is not defined only by the apartment or the number of nights booked. Sometimes, it is reflected in a guest’s decision to take a moment before leaving and say, in their own way, that the people they met made a difference. And sometimes, that thank-you arrives in the form of a bouquet. Planning an extended stay in London? Whether you are visiting family, exploring the city or spending several weeks away from home, Marlex Apartments offers furnished accommodation designed to give you space, flexibility and a comfortable place to return to. Explore our apartments across London and find a stay that suits your plans.
by Marlex Apartment
London doesn’t have a single “best” season it has different personalities throughout the year, each with its own magic and challenges. The London you experience on a crisp October afternoon, leaves crunching underfoot in Regent’s Park, feels entirely different from the buzzing energy of a June evening when daylight stretches past nine o’clock and pub […]
by Marlex Apartment
Picture this: you’ve just touched down at Heathrow after a long flight, excitement buzzing through your jet-lagged mind about finally seeing London. You’ve got a list of must-visit attractions Big Ben, the Tower of London, maybe a West End show and limited time to experience them all. Then reality hits: your accommodation is a forty-minute […]
by Marlex Apartment
There’s something intoxicating about the idea of London luxury waking up in a sun-drenched apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Thames, preparing morning coffee in a sleek kitchen with marble countertops, then stepping out into tree-lined streets where Georgian townhouses meet contemporary cafes. It’s the fantasy that draws millions to this city every year. The […]
by Marlex Apartment
Imagine stepping off a long-haul flight into London Heathrow, jet-lagged but excited, only to discover your accommodation isn’t quite what you expected. The photos looked stunning online, but the reality? A cramped basement flat in an inconvenient location with a landlord who’s impossible to reach. It’s the kind of travel nightmare that can derail your […]
by Marlex Apartment
London’s rental market can feel like navigating the Tube during rush hour complex, fast-moving, and slightly overwhelming if you don’t know where you’re headed. Whether you’re relocating for work, exploring the city for a few months, or simply seeking a temporary base in one of the world’s most exciting capitals, understanding the difference between short-term […]
by Marlex Apartment
Blog London has always attracted people... Read More
Blog A business trip to London can begin with a flight booked around a meeting, a hotel selected for its location and a calendar filled with appointments. By the time the last meeting ends, it may feel as though the city has passed by outside the window. But what if the trip did not have to end when the work did? For professionals travelling to London, extending a business visit by a day or two can create room to explore the city, meet friends, enjoy a good meal or simply spend time somewhere beyond the conference room. Others may have enough flexibility in their schedules to work remotely for part of the trip, provided their employer’s policies and the practical arrangements allow it. This combination of professional commitments and personal travel is known as *bleisure*, a blend of business and leisure. It has become a recognised subject in the hospitality industry, as accommodation providers respond to travellers who want more flexibility in how they use their time away. For anyone planning a business visit to London, the opportunity is worth considering. The key is to plan it properly. ... Read More
Blog On your first morning in... Read More
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