suggestions hotels London UK

we sail out of Southamapton 25 Sept 2017 would like to spends 3 to 4 days in London, 2 people, suggestions, would like to be close to tourist area and sites

London is stuffed with hotels at all prices. All the hotel chains are represented so if you have points from anywhere that might be the place to start. You should try being a little more specific: Price range, attractions that -err - attract you etc.

Note that London hotels are expensive and the rooms are probably smaller than you are used to. Not all of them are air conditioned either. Busses, tube and taxis make London an easy city to get around, so you might want to put price ahead of location. There are bargains to be had in the City at weekends for example.

we sail out of Southamapton 25 Sept 2017 would like to spends 3 to 4 days in London, 2 people, suggestions, would like to be close to tourist area and sites

You should take a look at a map of Central London and where some of the main tourist attractions are as well as the tube map. As has been pointed out, a great many of the main hotel chains have multiple options to choose from throughout the city so if you are a fan of one brand, they have a place for you. Boutique hotels are also popular in London and a nice option too.

Not all of the London attractions are in one part of London so it will still come down to choosing an area - hence studying the map a bit and deciding where you might like to be. The tube is easy enough to use and quick to get around on so don't worry about having to get from the Tower Of London to the Churchill War Rooms, it's quick enough and easy to do so.

Many I have stayed most recently in an area not far from Paddington that I liked quite a lot. It was quite convenient for me. A lot of people on these boards like to stay close/near Park Lane in the vicinity of Hyde Park which is also wonderful, others prefer being near Victoria Station or Waterloo. All have their preferences and practical concerns depending upon luggage, mobility, duration of visit, transport, etcetera.

Have a look at the map as compared to your touring plans and let us know further what looks interesting to you. Everyone will be glad to assist with hotel help.

I like the Waterloo area. I have taken the train from Southampton to London Waterloo train station and then walked to my hotel.

I have stayed at Park Plaza Westerminster and Premium Inn Waterloo, both hotels were within one block of each other.

The area has regular bus, Hop On Hop Off bus (HOHO), tube station, train station, pubs, restaurants, stores, ,Westerminster Abby, London Eye, Thamas River, Parliament, walking distance to many other attractions.

I have also stayed in the Victoria area. I have taken the National Express Coach to/from Victoria Coach station to Southamptn Coach station. You can also take the National Express to/from Heathrow.

The area has regular bus, HOHO bus, tube station, train station, National Express Coach station, pubs, restaurants, stores, Buckingham Palace, The Mews, Queens Gallery, The Mall, walking distance to many other attractions.

The yellow route on this ho-ho map covers the major sights.

https://www.theoriginaltour.com/media/1936/the-original-tour-map-hr.jpg

As you can tell, no hotel is close to everything so you will be using public transport to get around the city - the tube (metro) is quickest & easiest although the views aren't great ;)

But hauling luggage around London is no fun, so best to choose a hotel handy to links to your airport (guessing that's Heathrow, mebbe Gatwick) or to Southampton.

From Heathrow - the Heathrow Express train gets you to Paddington station (top left on that map) in 15 minutes. Walk-up fares are high (over £20) but very early bookings cost a quarter of that.

Or the frequent National Express coaches (buses) to Victoria coach station (centre bottom of the map).

So a hotel in Paddington or Victoria would be an economical & tolerably convenient base, & both have a wide choice of small independent & international hotels.

But a pre-booked private transfer from Heathrow to any central London hotel is only around £45

From Gatwick - direct trains to a number of stations, including Victoria, St Pancras & London Bridge. Or Nat Express coach to Victoria (or a couple of stops on the route). St Pancras isn't particularly convenient except for the London Museum, and isn't on a main ho-ho route. But, like the rest of central London, has plenty of tube connections.

Gatwick is some distance from central London, a private transfer would be relatively expensive.

To Southampton - train from Waterloo station (centre right of that map), or Nat Express bus from Victoria coach station.

I'll second Phabric's choice of Waterloo. As well as trains to Southampton it's in walking distance of a great many sights like the London Eye, river cruises, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Churchill's War Rooms & Whitehall. And pleasant for evening walks along the South Bank of the river, with plenty of eateries & watering holes. Hotels are mainly large national or international chains, generally more expensive than Victoria or Paddington but not the eye-watering prices of those slap in the middle.

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

JB :)

Everyone will be glad to assist with hotel help.

Collectively, they form an impressive collection of collective wisdom on the subject.

Earlier this year we stayed at the Doubletree Westminster for a couple of nights post cruise, and were very pleased with the hotel and the location. HoHo bus stop about 5 minutes walk away. Very nice comfortable room, helpful staff. It's in an area where we felt safe walking around in the evening, and the staff directed us to a pub, The White Swan, about 4 blocks from the hotel, where we had dinner one night and really enjoyed it.

A suggestion for getting from whatever hotel you choose to the port .... "International Friends" runs a bus service between London and the port at Southampton. We used them to get to the hotel at the end of our cruise. We chose their route that included visits to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and Windsor Castle, before dropping us off at the door of our hotel. Excellent tour!! I know they also offer a similar transfer going the other way. They do pickups and drop-offs at many London hotels. I am pretty sure they also do just transfers with no sightseeing stops. It's worth checking out.

Earlier this year we stayed at the Doubletree Westminster for a couple of nights post cruise, and were very pleased with the hotel and the location. HoHo bus stop about 5 minutes walk away. Very nice comfortable room, helpful staff. It's in an area where we felt safe walking around in the evening, and the staff directed us to a pub, The White Swan, about 4 blocks from the hotel, where we had dinner one night and really enjoyed it.

 

A suggestion for getting from whatever hotel you choose to the port .... "International Friends" runs a bus service between London and the port at Southampton. We used them to get to the hotel at the end of our cruise. We chose their route that included visits to Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral and Windsor Castle, before dropping us off at the door of our hotel. Excellent tour!! I know they also offer a similar transfer going the other way. They do pickups and drop-offs at many London hotels. I am pretty sure they also do just transfers with no sightseeing stops. It's worth checking out.

Yes, Doubletree Westminster is about a 10-15 minute walk from Parliament Square / Big Ben / Westminster Abbey, and popular amongst CC members. Only downside is that pretty-well everywhere - sights, ho-hos, tube, etc - starts with that same 10-15 minute walk to Parliament Square. Exception is the Tate Britain Gallery, just around the corner.

And the International Friends cruise transfer-tour bus is popular too.

Better value in the Southampton-to-London direction (as flamomo did) because there's no constraints on time. But because of the need to get to the ship in good time for registration, in the London-to-Southampton direction it only visits Stonehenge en-route.

For whatever reason, it's slightly cheaper by booking through

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_cruise_shuttles.htm

That said, travel to Southampton is only about £10 by National Express from Victoria. Or about the same cost by train from Waterloo using the bucket ticket website https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

Megatrain, International Friends, and London Toolkit are all long-established & trustworthy.

And other pages on that London Toolkit website give a mine of information about London's infrastructure & logistics - well worth browsing, but mebbe avoid the over-priced private transfers advertised on their site.

JB :)

Or have already been glad to assist in hundreds of previous threads on the subject.

 

Collectively, they form an impressive collection of collective wisdom on the subject.

Indeed a most helpful, and beyond impressive collection of London, UK residents combined with well traveled CC members (most are both!) whom we appreciate - you are these boards!

In my almost 20 years with our boards (first Independent Traveler, occasionally CC, now CC exclusively) the best part of this role for me has been seeing how well everyone helped each other and the reliability and kindness with which the participation on the boards has always continued.

It only seems fitting to say so once in awhile, that's all - sometimes we have folks visiting our boards and London/UK that aren't here on a regular basis :)

Cheers and thanks everyone!

Yes, Doubletree Westminster is about a 10-15 minute walk from Parliament Square / Big Ben / Westminster Abbey, and popular amongst CC members. Only downside is that pretty-well everywhere - sights, ho-hos, tube, etc - starts with that same 10-15 minute walk to Parliament Square. Exception is the Tate Britain Gallery, just around the corner.

 

And the International Friends cruise transfer-tour bus is popular too.

Better value in the Southampton-to-London direction (as flamomo did) because there's no constraints on time. But because of the need to get to the ship in good time for registration, in the London-to-Southampton direction it only visits Stonehenge en-route.

For whatever reason, it's slightly cheaper by booking through

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_cruise_shuttles.htm

 

That said, travel to Southampton is only about £10 by National Express from Victoria. Or about the same cost by train from Waterloo using the bucket ticket website https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx

Megatrain, International Friends, and London Toolkit are all long-established & trustworthy.

And other pages on that London Toolkit website give a mine of information about London's infrastructure & logistics - well worth browsing, but mebbe avoid the over-priced private transfers advertised on their site.

 

JB :)

I have rec'd a quote from Smiths Airport Transfers to bring 2 pax in a Private Transfer from Southampton Port to Central London Hotel for £122. International Friends will charge £138 according to their pricing for the same transfer. Am I doing something wrong or is Int'l Friends really not that cost effective?

I have rec'd a quote from Smiths Airport Transfers to bring 2 pax in a Private Transfer from Southampton Port to Central London Hotel for £122. International Friends will charge £138 according to their pricing for the same transfer. Am I doing something wrong or is Int'l Friends really not that cost effective?

Int's Friends is an agency and the information on their website is comprehensive and free. They have to make money from somewhere and charging private hire companies for bookings may well be one way.

I assume that Smith's Airport Transfers is actually "Smiths for Airports". If so £122 is a reasonable price from a company that comes highly recommended on this board.

Int's Friends is an agency and the information on their website is comprehensive and free. They have to make money from somewhere and charging private hire companies for bookings may well be one way.

 

I assume that Smith's Airport Transfers is actually "Smiths for Airports". If so £122 is a reasonable price from a company that comes highly recommended on this board.

Ok, thanks for the clarification. And yes, Smiths for Airports is the correct name.

I have rec'd a quote from Smiths Airport Transfers to bring 2 pax in a Private Transfer from Southampton Port to Central London Hotel for £122. International Friends will charge £138 according to their pricing for the same transfer. Am I doing something wrong or is Int'l Friends really not that cost effective?

For a simple transfer, no - they're no more competitive than ships' Southampton to London transfers.

For a direct ship to London hotel transfer, your private transfer with smithsforairports is the way to go :)

Where International Friends score is with their guided tour-transfer coaches.

For instance, ship to Salisbury cathedral to Stonehenge to Windsor Castle & arriving at your central London hotel by early evening. Excluding admission - charges, at £84 pp (£168 for two) that's a very full day's transport making great use of your time, and at a cost of just £15 more than their direct transfer.

Your transfer with Smiths will take under 2.5 hours, and they'll probably be able to tie it in with another client who's booked London or Heathrow to Southampton. Hence a competitive fare.

But if you booked them for a private transfer via Salisbury, Stonehenge & Windsor and arriving at your London hotel early evening the cost would be double - and some more. :eek:

Horses for courses ;)

BTW - International Friends are a coach operator, not a coach agency. But I don't know whether they also operate their own vans, or act as agents for van operators.

JB :)

Considering the Hampton Inn in Waterloo. Any feedback would be appreciated. Hampton Inn a major chain in the US and always quite good.

The Waterloo location looks nice and has great reviews.

Considering the Hampton Inn in Waterloo. Any feedback would be appreciated. Hampton Inn a major chain in the US and always quite good.

The Waterloo location looks nice and has great reviews.

I know the chain in the US (very acceptable) though I don't know this one.

But it's location is pretty convenient for the sights, the main ho-ho routes, the tube (London's metro) and for trains to Southampton (post if you don't know about the cheap megatrain tickets & we'll provide a link and details).

Member Lmack posted this a couple of months back, so will be a recent client at that hotel.

You can perhaps ask them by finding their most recent post & piggybacking onto it.

We'll be doing our first Princess and British Isles cruise the end of Aug. Needless to say I've been doing a lot of research. We're flying into Heathrow a few days early & staying at the Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo hotel. At the moment we're trying to decide the best mode of transportation for us from Heathrow to the hotel, and from the hotel to Southampton to the cruise port. Any advice or suggestions you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

JB :)

I note that the OP never came back.

There are many hotels along Cromwell road within a block or two of the Gloucester Road underground station - about half an hour on a very inexpensive tube ride on Picadilly Line from Heathrow. Because District and Circle Line trains also stop there, it is an ideal location from which to get anywhere in London. We've stayed at Radisson Edwardian, a Best Western and one other - and enjoyed many of the restaurants in the immediate area.

Or have already been glad to assist in hundreds of previous threads on the subject.

 

Collectively, they form an impressive collection of collective wisdom on the subject.

But, how do find this collective wisdom without having to read through hundreds of threads?

But, how do find this collective wisdom without having to read through hundreds of threads?

Have you used the "search" facility?

At the bottom of the Britain / Western Europe forum, below the questions, is a "search this forum" box.

Type in a key word or two, such as "London hotel" & hit "go".

This will bring up threads which include those words.

I've done exactly that, & come up with this list of threads:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=94060498

Not fool-proof, the search facility looks for threads which include the words London and hotel, not the phrase London hotel, so there will still be a few red-herrings such as a threads about a Southampton hotel where someone has mentioned trains to London, but it will drastically reduce the number of irrelevant threads.

Do make sure to click to the Britain/ Western Europe forum before you search - don't do it on the page you're reading now, because it will "search this thread" only.

You might also like to do the same on the "Northern Europe" forum, for any suitable threads which have strayed there.

You can alternatively use the "search" button in the brown bar near the top of each forum - but this searches ALL forums, so unless you select specific potentially-worthwhile forums before you hit "search now" it will include a huge stack of irrelevant threads that happen to include the two words in different contexts.

Of course you can use the same facility to search on the Britain forum for words like Windsor or Mayflower, on the Italy forum for pizza Naples, on the RCI forum for Windjammer open, etc

Have a play with the search facilities. Won't be long before you've got the hang of it & you stop swearing ;)

JB :)

But, how do find this collective wisdom without having to read through hundreds of threads?

Here's some reassurance: There is no single best hotel and there's really no consensus. The theater goers enjoy West End hotels. The Gloucester Road/British museum enthusiasts make different hotel choices. And so on.

Here's a link to a map for the London Underground:

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

Looking at this map, you'll notice there's a bottle-shape-lying-on-its-side created by the yellow (Circle) and green (District) lines. If you stay close to the underground stations along that bottle shape or along the red (Central) or blue (Piccadilly) lines that intersect the yellow/green lines you'll have easy access to the places you want to visit.

Your question appears to ask for a method, so here's the one I use: I make a list of my priority destinations in London. I note where they're located and the underground lines that serve those destinations. Then, I look at hotels in the areas that seem most convenient.

Over several visits to London, we've never stayed in the same hotel twice. This is not the result of dissatisfaction with the choices we've made! It's simply the result of wanting to be close to specific areas of London or to transportation for day trips outside of London.

Even if you're making your first trip to London and you want to see "everything" the above method will work. The reality is that you simply can't see everything. You'll have to prioritize and that process will provide you with guidance about the best hotel area for you.

People are more inclined to answer a question about hotels near a specific underground station or assist you in choosing among several hotels than answering a too-broad question about the "best hotel in London."

Here's a link to a map for the London Underground:

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

 

Looking at this map, you'll notice there's a bottle-shape-lying-on-its-side created by the yellow (Circle) and green (District) lines. If you stay close to the underground stations along that bottle shape or along the red (Central) or blue (Piccadilly) lines that intersect the yellow/green lines you'll have easy access to the places you want to visit.

 

Just to clarify, are you talking about the stations running horizontally on that bottle-shape-lying-on-its-side from Gloucester Road to Temple?

Or, are you talking about all the green-yellow stations on bottle-shape-lying-on-its-side from Edgware Road to Tower Hill?

Just to clarify, are you talking about the stations running horizontally on that bottle-shape-lying-on-its-side from Gloucester Road to Temple?

 

Or, are you talking about all the green-yellow stations on bottle-shape-lying-on-its-side from Edgware Road to Tower Hill?

As I look at the map, I see a "bottle" the begins with the Edgware Road station and continues in a counter clockwise direction up to Aldgate. I've never stayed in the Notting Hill area, the one made famous by the movie of the same name, although my husband and I were surprised to find ourselves in the middle of the Notting Hill Carnival one visit. (Very overwhelming!)

On my most recent trips, I've stayed near...

... Gloucester Road station for a trip that included the V & A Museum, Kensington Palace, and the Churchill War Rooms.

... Green Park station for a trip that included the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and St Paul's Cathedral.

... Russell Square station for a trip that included the British Museum and multiple evenings at the theater. (That included a bit more walking back to the hotel in the evening than was ideal, but a Covent Garden location seemed too congested to appeal. A regular on this board may have a Covent Garden hotel suggestion since she is a super-dedicated theater goer.)

At any rate, this is the method I've used successfully to choose a hotel.

As I look at the map, I see a "bottle" the begins with the Edgware Road station and continues in a counter clockwise direction up to Aldgate. I've never stayed in the Notting Hill area, the one made famous by the movie of the same name, although my husband and I were surprised to find ourselves in the middle of the Notting Hill Carnival one visit. (Very overwhelming!)

On my most recent trips, I've stayed near...

... Gloucester Road station for a trip that included the V & A Museum, Kensington Palace, and the Churchill War Rooms.

... Green Park station for a trip that included the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and St Paul's Cathedral.

Russell Square station for a trip that included the British Museum and multiple evenings at the theater. (That included a bit more walking back to the hotel in the evening than was ideal, but a Covent Garden location seemed too congested to appeal. A regular on this board may have a Covent Garden hotel suggestion since she is a super-dedicated theater goer.)

At any rate, this is the method I've used successfully to choose a hotel.

Don't know if you meant me but we are London devotees who are currently booking theatre tickets for our 42 visit in May-June. Our area of comfort has always been Mayfair and Covent Garden and currently, for the last ten years, Leicester Square. When we find a hotel we love we book regularly.

The Radisson Blu hotels are of high quality and mostly very well located and

are all 4 or 5 star. 3 star hotels are also located in these areas for those with a tighter budget.

Our hotel Radisson Blu Hampshire is within a five minute walk of three underground stations covering 5 or six lines.

As for crowds, yes the area is crowded but so is most of Central London. We enjoy people watching from our suite and having short walks to most theatres and many, many restaurants including those in China Town.

Don't know if you meant me but we are London devotees who are currently booking theatre tickets for our 42 visit in May-June. Our area of comfort has always been Mayfair and Covent Garden and currently, for the last ten years, Leicester Square. When we find a hotel we love we book regularly.

The Radisson Blu hotels are of high quality and mostly very well located and

are all 4 or 5 star. 3 star hotels are also located in these areas for those with a tighter budget.

Our hotel Radisson Blu Hampshire is within a five minute walk of three underground stations covering 5 or six lines.

As for crowds, yes the area is crowded but so is most of Central London. We enjoy people watching from our suite and having short walks to most theatres and many, many restaurants including those in China Town.

Yes, I did have you in mind when I wrote my post. Thanks for sharing your Leicester Square rec.

After having skipped London in 2016, it appears that we'll be heading back in 2017.

Yes, I did have you in mind when I wrote my post. Thanks for sharing your Leicester Square rec.

 

After having skipped London in 2016, it appears that we'll be heading back in 2017.

Hopefully the exchange rate will remain, or improve, as it is today. We keep saying maybe we won't go this year but wound up going twice the past 12 months.

Booked for six weeks 2017 and just waiting until all the dramas are announced. Sooo many musicals which we mostly avoid!

Plan your visit and enjoy!