Outcall only, by appointment
The Isle of Dogs by DLR: E14 from South Quay to Island Gardens
The island is eight minutes long. South Quay at the top, Island Gardens at the foot, and a DLR train every few minutes between them. That is very nearly all you need in order to plan an evening here, because nothing on this page is more than a short walk from a platform.
What follows: the three stations and their walk times, the lobbies at the north end, the kind of booking that comes out of the towers, the companions who cross the footbridge for it, and the three districts that touch the island.
Doors she arrives at
- E14 9SHSouth Quay
- E14 9SJIsle of Dogs
- E14 9TPSouth Quay
Nearest stations
- South Quay3 min walkDLR
- Crossharbour5 min walkDLR
- Island Gardens8 min walkDLR
Nearest to Isle of Dogs
One of them works from Isle of Dogs itself, and the other 5 are a district or two away on the same arrival window. Any of the 28 in the desk can be asked for by name instead.
Three platforms, nine minutes end to end
South Quay is three minutes from the Marsh Wall towers and one stop from the estate above. Crossharbour is five minutes from the middle of the island and stands beside the old Millwall dock. Island Gardens, at the southern tip, is eight minutes from the foot tunnel entrance and the shortest way under the river to Greenwich.
From confirmation to your door, allow forty five minutes to an hour, the same as the estate. The DLR runs until roughly half past midnight; after that it is a car down Westferry Road, which adds about ten minutes. Maude gives an arrival window rather than a promise, and revises it if the road disagrees.
Where guests actually stay down here
The broad block on South Quay at E14 9SH is three minutes from its own DLR platform and takes most of the island's hotel bookings. A second at E14 9SJ stands on the west side of the dock with rooms looking straight at the towers. The tower at E14 9TP is a few doors along Marsh Wall from the first.
Past those three the island is flats. Pan Peninsula, the Millharbour blocks, the newer towers around Cuba Street: most of what happens here is a concierge desk, a lift and a floor number. A residential booking is arranged exactly as a hotel one is, and none of the hotels named above has any arrangement with us.
Who books from the towers
Residents, mostly, which is what makes the island different from the estate above it. People who work five minutes north and have no wish to travel in order to stop working. Contractors on six month placements in serviced flats. Owners who let the place out and come back for a fortnight at a time.
The lengths follow from that. Ninety minutes at £400 is the island's most booked format, long enough for supper sent up and a proper conversation, short enough to be a Tuesday. Two hours at £500 buys the same evening with the foot tunnel walk inside it. Overnight at £1,800 is counted from the minute she arrives and ends with coffee rather than a scramble.
Names who know the island
Lucy and Rosa are anchored here and can tell you which of the tower bars justifies the lift. Molly works the whole postcode and is as comfortable on Marsh Wall as on Canada Square. Cindy crosses under the river from Greenwich in about twelve minutes on foot when the weather allows it.
Six to eight companions appear on this page, picked for proximity rather than for a sales pitch, and all twenty eight are on the desk. If describing the evening suits you better than choosing a face, do that; Maude replies with two or three names and their real availability.
What the island touches
Canary Wharf starts at the footbridge, one stop or a seven minute walk from Marsh Wall. Limehouse is two DLR stops north west, about five minutes, and much quieter after dark. Greenwich lies under the river at Island Gardens, twelve minutes through the foot tunnel or three by train to Cutty Sark.
All of it is Zone 2, so travel is already inside the figure you are quoted and nothing is added on arrival. The ladder from one hour to overnight is on rates, and the confirmation sequence is on booking.
Two pages worth reading for Isle of Dogs
Asked about Isle of Dogs
Is the foot tunnel a sensible way to reach Greenwich in the evening?
Until about 21:00, yes, and it takes twelve minutes at an unhurried pace. Later than that most guests prefer the DLR from Island Gardens, which is three minutes to Cutty Sark. She will do either, but say which when you book so the timing is right.
The concierge in my building logs visitors. Is that a problem?
No. She gives your name, signs in and goes up, which happens twenty times an evening in these buildings. What matters is that the flat number is in writing beforehand, so there is no conversation at the desk about who she is looking for.
Can a booking start on the island and finish at the Wharf?
Yes, and it often does. The two are one fare area and one short walk. Tell Maude the plan when you write so the length is set correctly; moving mid evening costs nothing, running out of hours does.
How far in advance should I write for a weekday evening?
Two or three hours is comfortable and the same afternoon is usually workable. Under an hour she may simply not be able to reach the island in time, and you will be told that rather than strung along on a maybe.
Is there anything to do on the island itself?
Honestly, not a great deal after nine. A handful of tower bars, the pubs at the southern end and the river path. Most island evenings stay indoors or go one stop north for a table, which is why ninety minutes at £400 suits the district so well.
Next to Isle of Dogs
Send the room and the hour
Write the district, the time and the length of the booking. The desk answers with a name and an arrival window, and the evening is set.