County Hall Area - London

[LovesToRead]

I'm wondering if anyone has stayed in this area and if so, what your thoughts are. I'm planning short pre- and post-cruise stays and I'm struck by the wonderful views, convenience, and the fact that it's a relatively newly developed area. Thoughts? Hotel recommendations? Many thanks!

Edited February 22, 2014 by LovesToRead
correct typo

[calmac]

At county Hall you are diagonally across the river from the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. You are close to the London Eye and can walk along the south bank to Borough Market.

 

For hotels there are Premier Inn County Hall, Marriott and Park Plaza. The main differentiator would be your budget.

[kevinyork]

Its a great location with lots within walkable distance. Its a safe area and has good transport with Westminster Tube across the bridge and Waterloo Station nearby.

 

 

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[consumermonkey]

If I could afford it, I would stay there. Yep, within walking distance of SO much and tube stations aplenty too. From what I am hearing, they are in the process of turning what was a small movie museum into the new London Dungeon attraction, Just next to the Eye.

[jtamchay]

we stayed at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in August...loved the location and could walk to most things and /or take tube...find the right pricing for yourselves and book a room soon.

[MeHeartCruising]

I have stayed at the County Hall Marriott and will say that it was a great location for access to the city sightseeing and transit to other locations around the city and region. It was safe, clean, walkable. All the things I wanted.

[LovesToRead]

Many, many thanks for the information; it was a great help in planning our pre-cruise stay!

[scrapycruiser]

Any good restaurants near the Eye ? British food, or American ?

Any suggestions ? Starbucks nearby ? We're staying at the Park Plaza County Hall hotel.

Thanks in advance :)

[John Bull]

Any good restaurants near the Eye ? British food, or American ?

Any suggestions ? Starbucks nearby ? We're staying at the Park Plaza County Hall hotel.

Thanks in advance :)

 

County Hall is a great location, walkable to many sights.

But whereas on the other side of the river, "visitor" London is a mile or two deep, on the south bank "visitor" London is mainly just along the riverside.

So unless anyone has a specific south-of-the-river suggestion, keep to the riverside walk & head downstream (if you face the river, that's to your right), perhaps as far as the Millennium Bridge & Shakespeare's Globe, a pleasant 25 minute walk with plenty of waterfront eateries on the way.

Or use the pedestrian-only Hungerford Bridge to cross to the north bank - a huge number of restaurants along The Strand & around Covent Garden, about the same distance or less.

Plenty of choices of Brit, European, US & ethnic restaurants. And don't overlook good food in many pubs too.

Unfortunately, plenty of Starbucks too. :p

 

JB :)

Edited March 10, 2014 by John Bull

[sammiedawg]

Marriott County Hall is one of the nicest hotels ever for us. Tremendous location within minutes to so many attractions. We had London eye and river views.

[Solara]

Opinions on staying in the County Hall area versus staying by Victoria Station. Deciding between those 2 areas.

[kevinyork]

Opinions on staying in the County Hall area versus staying by Victoria Station. Deciding between those 2 areas.

 

 

County Hall is right by the sights. Victoria has the connections by tube and train but besides Buckingham Palace requires transport elsewhere.

 

 

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[John Bull]

County Hall is right by the sights. Victoria has the connections by tube and train but besides Buckingham Palace requires transport elsewhere.

 

 

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..................so, like-for-like, Victoria should be cheaper.

 

Nowhere is close to all sights, so you'll be using transport such as the tube or ho-ho for some sights, but certainly County Hall is easily walkable to a great many. Plus rail to Southampton & Dover.

 

JB :)

[sparky-elpaso]

Any good restaurants near the Eye ? British food, or American ?

Any suggestions ? Starbucks nearby ? We're staying at the Park Plaza County Hall hotel.

Thanks in advance :)

 

Looks like great Texas minds think alike. :) We're thinking of the Park Plaza in August - also sailing on the Ruby Princess. How long in advance did you make your reservation?

 

I use Google Earth to check for restaurants - little knife and fork. There's a restaurant called The Slug and Lettuce a couple of blocks from the hotel - I love the name. They have a web site and it looks like the menu is pretty nice. I think I noticed a Starbucks in that area too (cup and saucer).

[Solara]

I narrowed it down now to 2 choices. Either Premier Inn Waterloo or Premier Inn County Hall. Are they far from each other & which would be a better choice? Thanks!!

[Cotswold Eagle]

They are within a couple of hundred yards, if that, so no real difference in location. County Hall is in the main County Hall complex, whereas Waterloo is on a fairly busy road, so might be noisier. It is brand new (opened a year ago), though. The lower part used to be a hospital many years ago and they built a tower next to it.

 

Personally, given that Premier Inns are very standardised, I'd take the best deal :)

Edited March 15, 2014 by Cotswold Eagle

[travellovers2]

We stayed at the Premier Inn County Hall in summer 2012. Although the location is close to the Eye and walking distance to other attractions, at night it was not a place to be. Right next to the eye there is a park full of young groups that sit around at night and are loud and obnoxious.

 

The hotel is run by machines. When you enter you have to take your luggage up 12 steps. Then you walk into a small lobby with a wall full of machines that look like ATM's. That's your check in. If you need help, there is someone standing around that can assist you, if not, you can call them. We were able to figure out the problem on our own because she didn't know what to do. They have a room where you can leave your luggage. It's locked, yet you walk in and choose which one is your luggage. So much for security. They dont seem to have it together.

 

We were not impressed with this hotel. If we choose to stay in this area again, which we may not, then we will stay at the Marriott County Hall. We avoided it last time because of the reviews that it's a bit worn out, but the location is good for the HoHo bus, although they are everywhere.

 

Not many restaurants in the area, except for a middle eastern restaurant almost across the street from the Premier Inn. Next to the eye there is an arcade hall. That's why there are mobs of young groups all over the place mixed in with tourists. We prefer a more relaxed area to walk around.

[nikel]

We found a good deal at the Sanctuary House hotel for just slightly more money than the Premier. The location is great, just down the block from Westminster Abey and has an excellent rating on tripadvisor. anybody know anything about it?