Where to stay in London before cruise?

[goforyourdreams]

We just booked a cruise departing from Southampton, and are flying to Heathrow airport 2 days prior. Where should we stay for 2 nights?

 

We are a family with 3 kids, won't be renting a car, looking for a nice walkable area with shops and restaurants. Any recommendations on the neighborhood and hotels we should look at? Thanks in advance!

[Barley2010]

Hi, Heathrow to Southampton is at least a couple of hours' drive by car. (Not sure how you are planning to get there). Southampton cruise terminal is easily accessible from the main part of town and there is in fact a free bus from the main shopping centre to the port. A hotel in Southampton might be your best bet. There is really nowhere around Heathrow you would want to stay.

 

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Edited January 15, 2017 by Barley2010

[Wellard]

I Agree with Barley2010: LHR isn't a great place to stay.

Check out National express for buses direct from LHR to Southampton .. easy cheap and very doable with a family...

Southampton has lots to see.

 

Option 2: LHR into central London. Endless things to keep a family very busy.

Check out Premier inn hotels, many located in great central locations.

You can then take the train down to Southampton.

 

 

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[Baseball fan]

You could stay in London near Victoria Station. I stayed in a little B&B a couple blocks away. I took the bus from LHR to Victoria bus station and then a bus to Southampton. It was a short cab ride to the port. The tube system in London is one of the best and easiest to get around.

 

 

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[Knolmom]

If you are staying in. London, you might consider the south bank of the Thames near the Westminster Bridge. The area is very walkable, includes views across the river and the area includes The Eye, the Aquarium, docks for a quick trip up and down the river to Greenwich or the Tower Bridge. Instead of 2 rooms, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel has a spacious family room that sleeps 4 or 5 with a roll away.

[Bob++]

Yes; take them to London. The hotel won't be cheap, but you can show them as many famous places as they can stand. The Tower of London will be a must see, and maybe Westminster Abbey where Royalty get married. Add in a trip down the river under Tower Bridge (There is a glass floor on the walkway if you take them up there) to Cutty Sark and The Greenwich Museums which so many films have used as a location. (Its also where zero degrees longitude is)

 

You can easily (and cheaply) catch a train from Waterloo to Southampton on departure day.

[Globaliser]

Where should we stay for 2 nights?

Central London, without a doubt.

 

I suspect that this thread may have been moved to this board from somewhere else. But now that it's here, have a look at the numerous past threads on where to stay in London for lots of opinions and ideas.

 

Do the children have any particular interests that you know will be engaged by central London sights?

[dogs4fun]

Oh yes - I definitely agree that staying in central London is a must! In addition to the things already mentioned by previous posts, your kids would probably love a ride on the London Eye - it is especially magical after darkness falls. :)

https://www.londoneye.com/

[blrabbit]

We have book a service apartment in London (6/1-4) call: Linton Apartment at 1 Turnpike Lane, London, N8 0EP for 161.1 GBP per night and that will be better for your family and is very close to the tube (underground subway). :D

Bob :)

[Morgans]

Why have you chosen this particular area of London - it's not an area where tourists would normally consider. It's well out of the centre and there are much nicer and more convenient areas you could have chosen. I wouldn't recommend it.

[TMLAalum]

DD her DH & 3 sons rented an apartment in London over Christmas thru Airbnb. They were looking for 'reasonable' and ended up on Pond Place, far from the main area. They experienced more logistical issues including a tube delay in the wee hours, due to a suspicious bag left somewhere in the underground, than my son & his family (5 total with adult 'kids') in May who rented in the heart of London but at a price.

 

I agree that the south bank is a great location. Try using a site such as booking dot com or trip advisor so that you can search for properties that meet your family's needs. Having a kitchen is great for preparing breakfast or enjoying carryout after a long day sightseeing.

 

Good Luck!

[jcl410]

I did something similar in December. We had a red eye flight into Heathrow, so we looked at hotels close to Paddington Station (Which is where the Heathrow Express train stops.)

 

I found hotels within walking distance from $75 - $300+ within a block of the station. We stayed at the Royal Norfolk Hotel for $75 a night. The upside was the cost, location, working heat, clean towels and sheets plus American or English breakfast included. The down side was no elevator, small rooms, only 1 tv channel (ITV2), and no air conditioning. I'd stay there again as long as it isn't summer time.

 

Paddington Station has several underground lines to choose from, and it didn't take very long at all to get any where in Central London. We took mass transit every where we went in London for sight seeing.

 

We took a black taxi to Waterloo station to catch the train to Southampton. ( a prebooked "minitaxi" would have been cheaper, but I wanted to ride in a classic London taxi.)

 

Aloha,

 

John

[Cotswold Eagle]

DD her DH & 3 sons rented an apartment in London over Christmas thru Airbnb. They were looking for 'reasonable' and ended up on Pond Place, far from the main area. They experienced more logistical issues including a tube delay in the wee hours, due to a suspicious bag left somewhere in the underground, than my son & his family (5 total with adult 'kids') in May who rented in the heart of London but at a price.

 

 

Pond Place in Chelsea? That's pretty central, certainly compared to Turnpike Lane. And a much nicer area :)

 

I seem to remember we had someone on the board who stayed in Croydon and commuted in to London by train, and enjoyed it.

 

A potential difficulty for visitors is exactly what you say - relying on one mode of transport and not having a local's knowledge of alternatives if there's a problem. Most of the areas we recommend are a walk or non-ruinous cab fare from most of the tourist sites in central London. Turnpike Lane is 20 minutes away by tube.

Edited January 16, 2017 by Cotswold Eagle

[Cotswold Eagle]

only 1 tv channel (ITV2)

 

 

That is a great detail (and impossible to understand how!) - I know exactly the sort of hotel you mean, but it obviously did the job. Which is why questions like "Where to stay in London" are so hard - you clearly worked out your criteria, did your research and got a good result.

 

"Minicab", not "minitaxi", for future reference :)

Edited January 17, 2017 by Cotswold Eagle

[jcl410]

That is a great detail (and impossible to understand how!) - :)

 

 

To be fair, they were doing restoration work on the outside of building, so I'd imagine that the cable carrying the TV feed was cut some how. We got to see reruns of Emmerdale while getting dressed, and Family Guy reruns at night! ( With the occasional Ellen show thrown in.) :-)

 

Aloha

 

John

[Globaliser]

We have book a service apartment in London (6/1-4) call: Linton Apartment at 1 Turnpike Lane, London, N8 0EP for 161.1 GBP per night and that will be better for your family and is very close to the tube (underground subway).

Do you know this area of London at all? Have you stayed there before?

 

If not, I have three short words of advice about that area: Be very careful.

[texasgirl29]

We stayed at the London House Hotel near Paddington. Very reasonable and they have rooms for families. We stayed with our two teenaged daughters -- a double bed and two singles.

 

It's only a couple of blocks to the tube station. We're staying there again this summer.

[blrabbit]

Why have you chosen this particular area of London - it's not an area where tourists would normally consider. It's well out of the centre and there are much nicer and more convenient areas you could have chosen. I wouldn't recommend it.

 

Thanks, David for the info regarding our hotel location, we have since changed our hotel to Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden London instead. :D

Bob :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

Thanks, David for the info regarding our hotel location, we have since changed our hotel to Citadines Holborn-Covent Garden London instead. :D

 

Bob :)

 

 

Good decision to move from Turnpike Lane!

 

That's a pretty creative name from Citadines. It's on High Holborn so a good 10 minute walk from Covent Garden :)

 

 

 

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Edited February 1, 2017 by Cotswold Eagle

[Morgans]

Yes a very good decision! Citadines are very good and from this one you can walk to lots of tourist spots. St Paul's, museum of London , British Museum, St Pauls etc. if you prefer to get the tube you're near to Holborn . You will enjoy this spot much, much better than Turnpike Lane!

[Bob++]

Yes - it's not in a tourist area, but there are easy links to anywhere you want to go. These hotels, whose main customer base is business people, often offer good deals at weekends. The standard is pretty high too.

[phabric]

I stayed at Premier Inn Waterloo, close to pubs, restaurants, Westminster Àbbey, Thamas, Parliament, London Eye, Hop On Hop Off, tube, Waterloo train station.

 

Take a private car service http://www.justairports.com from LHR to your London hotel, use hotel's postal code to get a quote, cost is per car.

 

You can take the train from Waterloo train station to Southampton. Or since there are 5 take a private car service to Southampton, check on Britain thread for recommendations.

[gkrnjlr]

Does anyone know if Holiday Inn Express Victoria is a decent place? Reviews have been mixed and recently mentioning mold and noise. These things concern me.

 

We're torn between HIE Victoria or Staybridge Suites Vauxhall. Victoria is a great location but Vauxhall is a far better hotel it seems.

 

Since we'll only be there for 3 days we are taking tours that leave from Victoria Station.

[Baseball fan]

Does anyone know if Holiday Inn Express Victoria is a decent place? Reviews have been mixed and recently mentioning mold and noise. These things concern me.

 

 

 

We're torn between HIE Victoria or Staybridge Suites Vauxhall. Victoria is a great location but Vauxhall is a far better hotel it seems.

 

 

 

Since we'll only be there for 3 days we are taking tours that leave from Victoria Station.

 

 

I stayed at a little B&B near Victoria. It was about a block from the bus station and 2 blocks from the train. I loved the area and easily walkable to a lot of sites (Buckingham Palace, Royal Mews, Kensington Palace, Harrods, etc. it is called the Lime Tree hotel. No elevator but they helped with luggage. There is also a Sainsbury market around the corner.

 

 

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[Morgans]

Does anyone know if Holiday Inn Express Victoria is a decent place? Reviews have been mixed and recently mentioning mold and noise. These things concern me.

 

We're torn between HIE Victoria or Staybridge Suites Vauxhall. Victoria is a great location but Vauxhall is a far better hotel it seems.

 

Since we'll only be there for 3 days we are taking tours that leave from Victoria Station.

 

If you're sure that you want to stay in the Victoria area have a look at Dolphin Square Hotel (sometimes known as Dolphin House) which is a very pleasant hotel not far from the station. Also The Taj St James Court hotel which is very comfortable and in an excellent area.

The Holiday inn Express is fine but the rooms are very small and facilities are limited ie no bar to speak of. They do free breakfasts however.