Hotel and any other recommendations for London

[AK47bp]

Grosvenor House is a great location. Probably pricey. Stayed there for a while during a work trip once.

That’s all I got.

[Foggy_Goggles]

So small and expensive is going to be the normal before you even consider amenities. The tube is great, but very busy. Navigating with baggage will be no fun. Staying by Paddington probably makes sense for that reason. Have you thought about what you want to do when you are in London? Are you flying into Heathrow? I think the Elizabeth Line goes right to Paddington.

[Foggy_Goggles]

The Hilton is right in the station https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/lon...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Everyone values there money differently, but I'd try and spend as little time as possible hauling my bags around the city since you are only going to be there a couple of days.

[The AD]

The Hilton is right in the station https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/lon...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Everyone values there money differently, but I'd try and spend as little time as possible hauling my bags around the city since you are only going to be there a couple of days.

Fair point. Yes, the Elizabeth Line is a direct shot from Heathrow to Paddington. Of course we can always take taxis, but a couple taxi rides and you're starting to cut into that money you allegedly saved by staying a bit farther away! There's a reason the close in options are more spendy.

[Foggy_Goggles]

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-fares
Taxis are expensive and often not faster that public transpo. Its one think to be frugal sitting on the couch but after a long leg of travel, rush hour, in the rains, that money you thought you were saving comes flying out your wallet pretty quickly.

[The AD]

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-fares
Taxis are expensive and often not faster that public transpo.

Perhaps not faster but much easier to schlep luggage.

[Iowagriz]

We took the normal tube lines from the airport to town and the number of stops and time taken was pretty high. Departing, we took the Elizabeth high(ish) speed line from Paddington to the airport and it was worth the additional cost. Would definitely do that again for stops/time and less crowded trains.

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[The AD]

Agreed. It's not that expensive. Somewhere around £13 if I recall correctly.

[Foggy_Goggles]

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/#/

[The AD]

Are the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line the same thing or different? I'm confused now.

edit: apparently different although they use the same track. The Heathrow Express is faster and is designed for air travelers, so has luggage racks, etc. HEX takes about 15 minutes, Elizabeth about 30.

[Iowagriz]

I can't remember if there is a difference.

But, get the app - Citymapper. It helps you map a transit route and gives you the prices. It was super helpful.

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[PNWbrit]

Fair point. Yes, the Elizabeth Line is a direct shot from Heathrow to Paddington. Of course we can always take taxis, but a couple taxi rides and you're starting to cut into that money you allegedly saved by staying a bit farther away! There's a reason the close in options are more spendy.

Take the Heathrow Express to/from Paddington not Elizabeth Line.

Are the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line the same thing or different? I'm confused now.

Different.

[The AD]

I ended up booking at the Coach & Horses in Kew: https://www.coachhotelkew.co.uk/

Obviously not close in to the city, but I think it will be nice and we'd like to go to Kew Gardens. Another cool thing here is you can take a river boat down the Thames from Kew to Westminster.

Turns out we're going to be in London the same weekend as Taylor Swift is playing at Wembley, so I figured I better not wait on the hotel. The booking is fully refundable, so I could always change it if we decide wed rather stay elsewhere.

[warthog]

What weekend is that? We are planning a trip now too. London area- Chunnel- Paris area- Strasbourg- Bruges- London- Home.
Something like that. Trying to limit the wife's desire to move locations every 2 days. I am more of a, hang out and get a feel for an area and radiate out from there for day trips, other than dealing with constant movement. I am sure this will be the time I win. Just sure of it.

[The AD]

Jun 20-23.

[warthog]

I think we are shooting for the first 2 weeks of June, so we might be safe from Tay Tay.

Direct flights from TPA on Virgin dropped like crazy recently. Can't wait to get back over there.

[wfs989]

We were there for a graduation last January and stayed at the Claremont London Victoria, right next to Victoria Station. My wife and the whole group loved it. The best meal I had was at Mayfair Chippy - I would go back to London strictly to go there again. Also the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are all exceptional, as well as a side trip to Oxford.

[truckeelocal]

Take the Heathrow Express to/from Paddington not Elizabeth Line.

I take the Piccadilly Line which is much cheaper (get an Oyster Card), slower, grungier, stoppier. But it gets to other areas of London which opens up other (expensive) accommodation opportunities.

[bw_wp_hedonism]

I typically stay at the Marriott Grosvenor for work. Easy access to Paddington with the newish Elizabeth line.


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[The AD]

How about on the return trip? We'll be staying in the Cotswolds area so I'm wondering if it makes sense to return to London for one night before we return home or if we could stay somewhere like Oxford and just rely on transit to get us to Heathrow on departure day.

[bw_wp_hedonism]

I typically stay at the Marriott Grosvenor for work. Easy access to Paddington with the newish Elizabeth line.


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[PNWbrit]

I take the Piccadilly Line which is much cheaper (get an Oyster Card), slower, grungier, stoppier. But it gets to other areas of London which opens up other (expensive) accommodation opportunities.

Now he's staying in Kew the Piccadilly and one change of line to there probably he's best option.

Scew getting the tube into central London after a transatlantic flight though. (Former longtime local).

[The AD]

Now he's staying in Kew the Piccadilly and one change of line to there probably he's best option.

Yeah, there are a few options. Picadilly Tube with transfer to District Tube, tube plus bus, or Elizabeth Line to Ealing Broadway then take a cab. The latter option might actually be the best because the Elizabeth Line is substantially better for passengers with luggage (https://www.frommers.com/slideshows/...rport-and-more)

[warthog]

How about on the return trip? We'll be staying in the Cotswolds area so I'm wondering if it makes sense to return to London for one night before we return home or if we could stay somewhere like Oxford and just rely on transit to get us to Heathrow on departure day.

Watch Slow Horses season 2. You might want to avoid the Cotswolds.

[truckeelocal]

Watch Slow Horses season 2. You might want to avoid the Cotswolds.

I went to Clarkson's Farm's shop. Meh ! But watch Clarkson's Farm ... it's surprisingly sympathetic to farming and farmers