Where to stay in London pre-cruise?

[teacherplus]

I would appreciate any help on where to stay in London for two nights in June. We have Marriott points but not sure that is a good use of them. We have never been to London so hope to see the sights and maybe a play. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Twickenham]

If you have the points, I would certainly spend them at one of the Central London Marriotts - they're all Cat. 8, however as London hotels are expensive it's probably one of the better per-night uses of your MR points you can make (we're not talking vacation pkg value here, but better than spending them at at CY somewhere).

 

Stayed at Grosvenor House in November, and it was excellent. County Hall also gets high marks. If you have Gold or Platinum status, lounges are I believe open 7 days, and include complimentary beer & wine.

[KirkNC]

We very much enjoyed Luna Simone last July.

[teacherplus]

We very much enjoyed Luna Simone last July.

 

 

I read it was not air conditioned. Was it hot?

[SharonK]

We will also need a hotel precruis(2 or 3 nights) at the beginning of August. Where is the best area to stay? I'd like to find something around $200/night if possible-great location to the local sights.

[Cotswold Eagle]

The problem with both these requests is use of the word "sights". London is a large place and the sights are spread all over it. So, to use an extreme example, a hotel convenient for Hampton Court is a very long way from the Tower of London.

 

That said, of course, the public transport system is so extensive it doesn't really make that much difference. Many Cruise Critics seem to stay in Westminster/Victoria or just over the river in Waterloo, in many of the modern hotels that have sprung up round the old County Hall. Both these areas are right in the centre of London, close to many different transport links, and the main theatre district. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, "Big Ben" and the Houses of Parliament are on your doorstep, as is the London Eye.

 

But if there is something in particular you want to see, these areas may not be the best.

[teacherplus]

I want to see the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and maybe do a river cruise and maybe see a play. I only have 2 days so I don't know how much more I can possibly do. I would also like to go to the British Museum if there is time. The hotels seem so expensive. Is there anything around $200 a night?

[lamchops]

I want to see the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and maybe do a river cruise and maybe see a play. I only have 2 days so I don't know how much more I can possibly do. I would also like to go to the British Museum if there is time. The hotels seem so expensive. Is there anything around $200 a night?

 

We stayed at the Bestwestern Victoria Palace Annex for $100us a night last October. The room met all our needs as we basically just slept there as we were out early and back late. The hotel is just 2 blocks from Victoria Station if you need transit.

 

http://www.bestwestern.co.uk/hotels/victoria-palace-london-83873/hotel-info/default.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=places&utm_campaign=Best_Western_Victoria_Palace

 

There were 2 theaters within walking distance and we saw "Billy Elliott" and "Wicked".

 

If you are organized you can see everything on your list.

 

http://www.tripomatic.com/United-Kingdom/London/?lpvar=1&gclid=CKj1t8OX_K4CFUoZQgodXUY82g

 

If you stay in the Victoria Station area I suggest:

 

Day 1 (walking)

The Royal Mews 10am

Buckingham Palace (11:30 changing of the guards)

Churchill War Rooms 2:00pm

Trafalgar Square 4:00pm

British Museum 4:15

Picadilly Circus area at night

 

Day 2 (transit)

Tower of London 9:00am

Tower Bridge tour 12:15

River cruise to Big Ben 2:00

Big Ben 3:00

Westminster Abbey 3:30

Play at night

[English_in_Spain]

We will also need a hotel precruis(2 or 3 nights) at the beginning of August. Where is the best area to stay? I'd like to find something around $200/night if possible-great location to the local sights.

 

Have a look at the Premier Inn group of hotels. They are simple, no frills hotels but are good places to stay if all you want is a base for sightseeing.

 

They have hotels in the following areas

 

 

Blackfriars/Fleet St - 350 yards from Blackfriars underground.

County Hall - Next to London Eye

Earl’s Court - 2 minutes from Earls Court underground

Euston - 5 minutes from Euston underground

Kensington Olympia - 5 minutes from Earls Court underground

Kings Cross - 5 minutes from Kings Cross & St Pancras stations.

Leicester Square - 5 minutes from Leicester Square underground

Old Street - 2 minutes from Old Street underground

Tower Hill - 5 minutes from Aldgate underground. 5 minutes from Tower of London.

Victoria - 5 minutes from Victoria rail & bus stations.

 

In August, you can expect to pay around $200-220 a night for County Hall or Victoria and around $175 for Earl’s Court or Kensington Olympia

 

The ones in Earl’s Court & Kensington are cheaper than the other, more central ones but you have to balance the extra cost of a hotel against the amount you will spend on travelling around.

 

[disneygal94]

We have booked the Sanctuary House Hotel for our trip in August. Cost is £160/night. The rooms are air conditioned, recently refurbished, and there's a free continental breakfast in the first-floor pub. It's very close to many of the major sites, so we plan to walk everywhere except the Tower of London, which we'll reach by HOHO bus or river cruise:

Westminster Abbey - .1 miles

Big Ben/Parliament - .3 miles

Buckingham Palace - .5 miles

London Eye - .8 miles

Trafalgar Square - .8 miles

Hard Rock – 1 mile

Hyde Park – 1.1 miles

St. Paul’s Cathedral – 1.1 miles

Tower of London – 3 miles

[Globaliser]

We have booked the Sanctuary House Hotel for our trip in August. ... It's very close to many of the major sites, so we plan to walk everywhere except the Tower of London, which we'll reach by HOHO bus or river cruise ...

Another easy option for you for this will be District Line Tube direct from St James's Park to/from Tower Hill.

[teacherplus]

Thank you all for the great information. I really appreciate it.

[Cotswold Eagle]

We have booked the Sanctuary House Hotel for our trip in August. Cost is £160/night. The rooms are air conditioned, recently refurbished, and there's a free continental breakfast in the first-floor pub. It's very close to many of the major sites, so we plan to walk everywhere except the Tower of London, which we'll reach by HOHO bus or river cruise:

 

What a coincidence, I walked past the Sanctuary today and wondered what it would be like for Cruise Critics :) Brilliant location, although the immediate surroundings are offices - the pub gets very busy after work, but be sure to try at least one of the Fuller's Ales (London Pride is a personal favourite).

 

I worked literally round the corner for many years so can help with the area if you have questions.

[Giantfan13]

We stayed pre Cruise and post cruise.

 

In our pre cruise stay, also 2 nights, we opted for the Hilton Tower Bridge.It is not far from the Tower Of London. It was not that expensive and was perfect for what we wanted to do in that time frame.

We were able to get to the Tower of London as early as possible, finish that, and took a great stroll along the Thames passing the Globe Theater, Millennium Bridge, St Paul's, and on to the London Eye, Parliament and Big Ben.We stopped several times for snacks and had a great dinner at a local restaurant. Coming back, we rode a Thames River cruise (the last one of the night, about 9:00PM) back to the Tower Bridge and then back to our Hotel. Just a long, but Grand day.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[jam&tea mom]

We stayed at the Thistle Euston last spring- great online rates. Easy access from airports and to the tube. My 2 children were with me and we used the tube w/oyster card to get everywhere- very easy to get around. They also held our luggage for us while we were in Barcelona. Would definitely recommend and stay again. Thistle also has several other properties throughout London.

[cruises42]

We stayed at the Thistle Euston last spring- great online rates. Easy access from airports and to the tube. My 2 children were with me and we used the tube w/oyster card to get everywhere- very easy to get around. They also held our luggage for us while we were in Barcelona. Would definitely recommend and stay again. Thistle also has several other properties throughout London.

 

Any details about the hotel/room?

[mauimary]

After much looking for a hotel in central London for our cruise in June we have finally settled on The Sanctuary House. The price was apx 250 USD which includes the VAT tax. We have been looking and reading alot of posts so thankyou cruise critic fans. We have found numerous great small hotels in Europe ....thanks to your help. It has all been quite confusing and you guys are the ones we trust most on your reviews and recomendations.

 

Now for you cruisers for those in the know ---How far do you need to walk to find restaurants since the hotel is in the business district?

 

Mary:)

[Cotswold Eagle]

After much looking for a hotel in central London for our cruise in June we have finally settled on The Sanctuary House. The price was apx 250 USD which includes the VAT tax. We have been looking and reading alot of posts so thankyou cruise critic fans. We have found numerous great small hotels in Europe ....thanks to your help. It has all been quite confusing and you guys are the ones we trust most on your reviews and recomendations.

 

Now for you cruisers for those in the know ---How far do you need to walk to find restaurants since the hotel is in the business district?

 

Mary:)

 

You could eat in the pub on the ground floor of your hotel or several other pubs in the immediate area. You are about 10 minutes to Victoria with a variety of places there, or 15-20 minutes up to Leicester Square and Chinatown, and another 5-10 through to Covent Garden. Also remember you are ideally situated for a number of bus routes and the tube at either St James's Park or Westminster.

[teacherplus]

It is very confusing to look for a place to stay when you don't know the area so based on some recommendations we decided on Luna Simone. Any suggestions on places to eat near there or how best to get to the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London?

[lamchops]

It is very confusing to look for a place to stay when you don't know the area so based on some recommendations we decided on Luna Simone. Any suggestions on places to eat near there or how best to get to the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London?

 

We used this website to plan our days in advance. Just make sure you leave plenty of time to enjoy the sights. I bought a 3 day London Pass for our 5 days and created a couple of nice walking tours to see the sights. You can even program your transit if the distances seem to far apart.

http://www.tripomatic.com/United-Kingdom/London/

[Cotswold Eagle]

It is very confusing to look for a place to stay when you don't know the area so based on some recommendations we decided on Luna Simone. Any suggestions on places to eat near there or how best to get to the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London?

 

I don't know this hotel, but I know where it is and you have two great public transport options. The bus route 24 runs right past and is one of London's best routes - it will take you through Victoria, Westminster, Trafalgar Square. A few stops on the bus or a 10-15 minute walk gets you to Victoria Station for access to the underground.

 

For your specific questions:

British Museum - take the bus to Tottenham Court Road, it's a short walk along Great Russell Street

Buckingham Palace - could walk, or take the bus to Victoria and walk from there

Tower of London - take the District & Circle underground line (yellow and green line on the underground map) from Victoria to Tower Hill - the tube journey will take about 15 minutes

 

London transport options can be confusing from afar (as with any big city), but it will all become clear :) The Transport for London website has a good journey planner, which will help you work it all out.

 

EDIT: eating - plenty of places in the area and up towards Victoria, in Wilton Road for example, including one of the best fish and chip places in London, Seafresh. A couple of old favourites from years ago in Churton Street, literally round the corner from your hotel, are Grumbles and Chimes, assuming they are still there!

[teacherplus]

Thank you Cotswold Eagle. I'm sure we can figure out the system once we are there.

[sparky-elpaso]

One easy way to find restaurants is by using Google Earth. Find your hotel and then look for some nearby knife and fork symbols - click on the symbol and it should take you to the restaurant website (lots of them even post their menus on-line).

[Cotswold Eagle]

Good to have recommendations, though :)

 

Another name has come back to me, if you can stand the pun - About Thyme in Wilton Road.

[Globaliser]

Good to have recommendations, though :)

In addition, the knife and fork symbols on Google are not always accurately placed. And without knowing more about each place, the appearance of the knife and fork wouldn't constitute any kind of endorsement or recommendation. There are some truly dire places that have got themselves located on to Google's maps.

 

So I wouldn't myself use a Google map as anything other than as a rough guide to the general location of a place that I was already specifically searching for.

Another name has come back to me, if you can stand the pun - About Thyme in Wilton Road.

I second that - a great place.

 

Nearby on Wilton Road is a fish and chip place called Seafresh. I have no personal experience but it seems to be highly thought of.