hotels in London

Has nobody gotten off at Russell Square? I know I will never again....

 

Can't believe none of our English friends have commented.... or maybe they are just born knowing better.

 

JC

Well, Russell Square is right around the corner from the British Museum (with about 8 million things to see) and the the main buildings of the University of London. What do you mean?

Premier Inn Waterloo. Walking distance to Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye. Waterloo Station two blocks, HoHo pickup one block. Check out the London Pass and Oyster Card.

I am a Marriott person

I typically stay at Marriott Marble Arch (a couple of blocks up from Hyde Park and Oxford Street) or Maida Vale (further out, but close to tube station).

Would also recommend the Amba at Charing Cross. Stayed multiple times, wonderful staff and centrally located. Enjoy London!

phabric

 

Did you get the breakfast included option at PI Waterloo? We are staying there next year and added the breakfast because it seems convenient (and good) and we like to sleep in a bit. Would it be a lot cheaper to get breakfast outside the hotel? Any suggestions on places to get breakfast if not at the hotel?

 

Thanks

ML

I took the breakfast only deal at the hotel as it is the convenience to start off the day without going outside the hotel to look for food. The breakfast is a buffet in the basement with a bar at one end of the room. The buffet is very good with the usually British breakfasts - sausage, bacon, beans, tomatoes, scrambled eggs, ham, cereals, toast, fruit, yogurt, juice, tea, coffee.

I am sure there are plenty of small restaurants/cafes that are cheaper or if you only want a muffin/coffee.

We would eat our dinner out before heading back to the hotel, as London has many restaurants/pubs to choose from.

When I stayed at the Premier Inn Ferry Terminal, Dover, I took the breakfast and dinner meal deal as there were not any reastaurants around that hotel.

We have used our Marriott Rewards points to stay at various Marriott properties in London and have been very satisfied with their locations and their facilities. We have also stayed at the Doubletree in Westminster when it has been offered by RCI and found it more than adequate. In contrast, our stay at the Holiday Inn Kensington was fortunately brief as the room was so dreadfully small that we found it difficult to store our luggage anywhere in the room that didn't make navigating the room extremely difficult. we only stayed there for one night because it was a pickup stop for the RCI bus taking us to Harwich. Everything in London is expensive but there are some bargains if you make the effort to seek them out.

I prefer the stations with lifts. The escalators seem terribly slow. I have done the spiral stairs at Covent Garden. Do not think I would do them now. It makes you realise how deep those stations are.

 

 

 

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if you don't like the spiral stairs at Covent Garden then be warned there are similar ones at Russell Square-175 to get from platform level to street level

The alternative is the lifts /elevators mentioned

there can be a build up of people waiting to access them many with luggage so can be a claustrophobic experience especially at peak times

O, back to the Doubletree West End... do not get off the tube at Russell Square because it is close to the hotel. Nice little park there, too. Do not stop at that station!!!! :eek::evilsmile:

 

JC

How about the Doubletree Westminster?

can anyone recommend a few reasonably priced hotels in London or some that you may have really enjoyed? We will be staying for 2 or 3 days in London before our cruise and would need shuttle service to the Southampton cruise port and are considering doing tours through Viator. thank you.

Chesterfield Mayfair: exquisite!

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O, back to the Doubletree West End... do not get off the tube at Russell Square because it is close to the hotel. Nice little park there, too. Do not stop at that station!!!! :eek::evilsmile:

 

 

 

JC

I didn’t use the Russell Square station when I stayed at the Doubletree. I didn’t hear about any problems with it, I just used the Holborn station because that is the one someone told me to use. It is only about 2 blocks from the Doubletree.

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phabric

 

Did you get the breakfast included option at PI Waterloo? We are staying there next year and added the breakfast because it seems convenient (and good) and we like to sleep in a bit. Would it be a lot cheaper to get breakfast outside the hotel? Any suggestions on places to get breakfast if not at the hotel?

 

Thanks

ML

Keep checking the price of your hotel reservation. My Premier Inn Waterloo reservation went down £16. I make a new reservation and then cancelled my old reservation.

We’re pretty thrifty and like to DIY.

We’ve stayed at the Bestwestern Victoria Palace a couple of times in a small basic room and I considered it cheap for London. It was about 4 blocks from the tube station as well as the coach station. It was an easy train ride in from the airport on one occasion and a long bus ride on the first visit. (Nice nap on the bus)

From our hotel we ended up walking to the:

Royal Mews

Buckingham palace

Churchill war rooms

Westminster abbey

Big Ben

Household Calvary museum

Trafalgar Square

Piccadilly Circus

Then taking the tube back to the hotel.

We took the National Express bus to Southampton and stayed at the premier inn quay for an evening. The bus was $5bps when purchased early and the hotel was a lot cheaper than staying in London an extra night.

On one occasion we took a day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge from Southampton by train and HOHO bus.

Lots to consider and plan but London is a wonderful place to visit.

I made a sweeping statement about avoiding hotel food but I would make an exception with Premier Inn. The brand links a good restaurant with the hotel so the food is in my opinion good value. For convenience I would eat there, especially on first morning.

 

There are plenty of options in the area but not sure if any are cheaper. Pubs tend to do breakfasts but many are over-priced and there is no guarantee regarding quality. There are eating options at the railway station and quite a few places along Waterloo Road. For low cost options, look out for cafes these tend to offer cheapest breakfasts.

 

If you are a fan of fast food chains like McDonalds then you will find them in the railway station.

yuvraj

Thank you for your answer, very helpful. We were mostly thinking of convenience when we took the breakfast included option. Cost seemed reasonable and we don't have to go out looking for someplace to eat in the morning. We will be in London for a week, so we don't have to rush aroud to see everything and thought it might be nice to start with PI breakfast, make our plan and then find places for lunch or dinner that fit with where we wil be. And I want to take DH up to Bloomsbury area where I sayed last time I was there. Lots of pubs and other places to eat that were reasonably priced. No McDonalds for us :D

Thanks again, happy holidays,

ML

I took the breakfast only deal at the hotel as it is the convenience to start off the day without going outside the hotel to look for food. The breakfast is a buffet in the basement with a bar at one end of the room. The buffet is very good with the usually British breakfasts - sausage, bacon, beans, tomatoes, scrambled eggs, ham, cereals, toast, fruit, yogurt, juice, tea, coffee.

 

I am sure there are plenty of small restaurants/cafes that are cheaper or if you only want a muffin/coffee.

 

We would eat our dinner out before heading back to the hotel, as London has many restaurants/pubs to choose from.

 

When I stayed at the Premier Inn Ferry Terminal, Dover, I took the breakfast and dinner meal deal as there were not any reastaurants around that hotel.

phabric

Thanks for your help. I agree about convenience and didn't think there would be places not near restaurants for dinner. I think a nice hearty breakfast will be a good way to start our days, while we explore and find "perfect" lunch and dinner places :)

Pubs and cafes will work for us for most meals, hoping to find some good Indian fare too.

Merry Christmas

ML

Keep checking the price of your hotel reservation. My Premier Inn Waterloo reservation went down £16. I make a new reservation and then cancelled my old reservation.

Yes, we checked our reservation last night, and it has gone up about £40. I will keep checking but we are staying right around the time of the royal wedding, so I'm not optimistic. We are planning to switch from 'cancel anytime' to the flexible rate (or whatever they call the lower price that you can pay in advance) about a month before and save some money that way.

I have canceled and re-booked 3 times already! Saved about £100 so far, almost enough to cover breakfast :)

ML

NoWhiners - just to avoid any confusion the premier Inn definition of prices is:

Flex

Amend or cancel up to 1pm on the day

Saver

Our lowest prices. No amends or refunds.

The flex(ible) rate is the one to opt for until you know for definite that you will be travelling and are prepared to lose the cost if anything changes.

NoWhiners - just to avoid any confusion the premier Inn definition of prices is:

Flex

Amend or cancel up to 1pm on the day

Saver

Our lowest prices. No amends or refunds.

The flex(ible) rate is the one to opt for until you know for definite that you will be travelling and are prepared to lose the cost if anything changes.

Yes, this is what I meant, I just couldn't remember the 2 options. Thanks for posting the 2 options.

So, to be clear, we booked the Flex rate (with breakfast) and will switch to Saver when we get much closer to sailing.

Thanks for clarifying this.

ML

Chesterfield Mayfair: exquisite!

 

 

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I second the Chesterfield. But is pricey.

I second the Chesterfield. But is pricey.

Their prices do fluctuate and they often do things like "book 4/pay for 3 nites" specials with added credits for dinner discount at their higher end restaurant. Still more expensive than a doubletree but a real treat for first timers in London.

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How about the Doubletree Westminster?

I am also interested in knowing more about Doubletree Westminster. We will be in London 3 days prior to our cruise. We mainly are interested London theatre, Buckingham Palace, HOHO bus tours and then transportation to Southampton.

Thank you.

I am also interested in knowing more about Doubletree Westminster. We will be in London 3 days prior to our cruise. We mainly are interested London theatre, Buckingham Palace, HOHO bus tours and then transportation to Southampton.

Thank you.

The best place to stay for theatre in our opinion is the Hampshire Leicester Square. It is a five star with the best service in London. HOHO on the corner, hundreds of restaurants, Coventry Garden, museums and China Town in walking distance as are many many theatres.

There are also several lower priced hotels in and around the square.

The best place to stay for theatre in our opinion is the Hampshire Leicester Square. It is a five star with the best service in London. HOHO on the corner, hundreds of restaurants, Coventry Garden, museums and China Town in walking distance as are many many theatres.

There are also several lower priced hotels in and around the square.

Thank you, orchestrapal, we will check it out.

Happy New Year.

I find it best to stay a little bit away from the tourist areas for better availability and pricing. By away from the tourist areas I mean Kensington, Paddington, etc. Those areas aren’t far from the action, especially with an Oyster Card. I lived in London many years ago, and still find it one of the world’s easiest cities to get around.

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Our first trip to London was in October and we stayed at the Hotel Indigo. It’s a boutique hotel that’s part of IHG group. Very cool decor and decent sized rooms.

Great location within walking distance to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The tube was right down the street.

Smiths for Airports was fully booked so we hired Black Cabs and they were fine.

Our first trip to London was in October and we stayed at the Hotel Indigo. It’s a boutique hotel that’s part of IHG group. Very cool decor and decent sized rooms.

Great location within walking distance to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The tube was right down the street.

Smiths for Airports was fully booked so we hired Black Cabs and they were fine.

We’re staying at the Hotel Indigo (Kensington) in June. I think their rates are very reasonable for London, especially if you’re willing to go non-refundable. We booked through the IHG Club and got a rate that includes breakfast.[emoji846]

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For a first timer staying in Westminster is a great area. Can walk to so many top tourist sites. The tube or bus can take you to the rest. We even walked to Victoria coach station to catch bus for Stonehenge and Windsor Castle Tours.

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