It’s too early to check in to Native Glasgow but we try anyways, rocking up to an admittedly ornate door in the middle of downtown Glasgow in the aftermath of a deluge. We’d trained across from Edinburgh so had missed it and the proximity to the station made us appreciate the hotel’s location.
Buzzing for reception brought a brief conversation: “Hi, I’d like to check in please” “Ok, come up to level 1” followed by a brief walk up the corridor to the stairs. The reception was tiny – a very small vestibule with a pair of chairs plus a similar sized room with a desk. While it was too early to check in, we were allowed to leave our luggage while we went into Glasgow to see the sights.
On our return we collected our luggage and headed up to our room, conveniently one floor up on level 2. Upon entry we looked around, trying not to be impressed.
The room was divided into three parts. The first part was the kitchenette which featured a hot plate, microwave, dishwasher and fridge. The tasteful design of the kitchen cupboards hid the full complement of cutlery and plates. Under the sink sat a collection of dishwasher tablets and cleaning equipment. Tucked in the corner by the entrance sat a small table and two chairs – definitely a couples only set up!
Large windows flooded the room with natural light and I was keen to see what kind of view they afforded. The windows opened to allow fresh air, so I opened them and stuck my head out. Immediately the room was filled with the thrum of machinery and I could see why.
The windows opened into an inner atrium (we must have had an inwards facing room), high above a skylight diffused the light and a floor below a collection of air conditioning pipes skirted the transparent roof of a restaurant.
I bemused at the contrast between the elegance of the room decor and the industrial honesty of the view out the window. The pattern on the glass in the window did a great job of obscuring the view but allowing natural light into the room.
Separating the kitchen from the bedroom was a large bookshelf/wardrobe with a large screen TV embedded inside it. Some of the shelves had mirrors behind them and some didn’t which lead me to a surreal experience. I was standing in the bedroom part of the room, looking through the bookshelf to the kitchen.
The section of the bookshelf beside where I was looking was mirrored, and in that mirror was the reflection of Ange as she walked through the bathroom door. But because my eye was tricked by the bookshelf it looked exactly like Ange was walking out of the front door. Disconcerting!
The rest of the second part of the room was taken up with a large and luxurious bed, tastefully decorated with blue cushions, the electric blue contrasting appealingly with the copper bed runner (bed scarf) and headboard.
Finally the bathroom. The size was impressive, and deep blue tiling of the shower had Ange wanting something similar for our place back home. For me though the high pressure shower was the highlight – it took me a few tries to get out, it was just that relaxing and addictive. Awesome! The toiletries were Elemis Body Exotics.
After an enjoyable evening out and about in Glasgow, we headed back to the room for a good night’s sleep. We pulled the curtains, turned out the light and snuggled under the blanket. The bed itself was perfect – like laying on a cloud.
But I couldn’t sleep – the whole room was bathed in an eerie green glow. It was incredibly bright, made even more noticeable by the total darkness made possible by the blackout curtains. I looked up and high above on the ceiling was the router, enabling our room to have our very own super fast wifi, but at the cost of the green light. We really couldn’t do much about it, so I got the sleeping mask from one of my flights and made do with that to provide darkness.
Would I Return?
Oh definitely! There’s so much to love about the Native Glasgow experience: the location is fantastic, the bed super comfy and the shower was phenomenal. The fact that it has a kitchen means you can self cater and the dishwasher means you can concentrate on enjoying yourself instead of worrying about who will do the washing up.
Finally, although the green light was a pain, the internet was blindingly fast and because you had your own router, you didn’t have to worry about sharing it with anyone or having it drop out at inopportune moments. The next time I go I will ask about the options for either turning off the router at night or else getting a ladder to affix a piece of cardboard to block the light.
