London Hotles

[Putterdude]

We are booked for a British Isles cruise next August. We would like to spend 5 days to week in London pre cruise. Anyone have thoughts on hotels in London that are accessible, easy to access from Heath Row and are at or under $200 a night?

[WatchHill]

For up to date information, check out inclusivelondon.com for hotel, transportation, dining and tour info. The under $200 will be a challenge in August. My cruise TA often mentions Holiday Inn Kensington Forum as an option.

 

When we took my Mom to London pre-cruise, she was able to transfer with moderate assistance and walk very short distances with a rollator, otherwise it was W/C the majority of the time. Both DH and I both provided for her mobility needs and made this trip very memorable for her.

 

We used Heathrow Express from the airport to Paddington Station and for there, got a cab to our hotel - St. James Crown Plaza. It was an interesting experience going from LHR on the train with my using Mom's rollator with the carry-on bags and pulling a suite case, while DH pushed Mom in her W/C and also pulled our large suite cases. We must have been a sight!

 

We spent 6 nights pre-cruise in London, visiting museums, Buckingham Palace [very good about W/C accommodations], Westminster, shopping, theater, pubs, parks, and also took the train to Paris. Mom wanted to dine on the Eiffel Tower. Eurorail has special rates for W/C users.

 

Darcy

[katisdale]

I've not been to London in a few years but have reservations for next July. We are going to travel with our grandchildren and plan on a few days in London and Paris before traveling to Barcelona to begin a med cruise. I have a reservation at Premier Inn St. Pancras Station. It has an accessible room and the price is OK. A bit under $200 with OK reviews so we shall see. I'm considering as an adventure.

[LondonTowner]

As mentioned, Premier Inn cater for disabled guests. They also have a couple of new hotels in London. The further ahead you book, the cheaper it normally is.

 

You can look up TfL website for accessible London. Also, many museums and attractions will give your carer free entrance. State owned museums in the UK are free to every body. Most theatres will also provide a free place for your carer, but it does depend on the production.

[DonnasMom&Dad]

We are booked for a British Isles cruise next August. We would like to spend 5 days to week in London pre cruise. Anyone have thoughts on hotels in London that are accessible, easy to access from Heath Row and are at or under $200 a night?

 

Hi Putterdude: You may try "Booking.com" they list quite a few, some accessible and some with breakfast. ;)

 

Cato :) From Courtenay

 

Completed Cruises !

 

Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??

 

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA

2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.

3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.

4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)

5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning

6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.

7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning

8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning

9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning

10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B

12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning

14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.

We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines

16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.

17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean

19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07 April 2012, 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL

20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier

21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York

22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.

23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 30 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA

24th cruise - Coral Princess, 19 May - 22 May, 2013, 3 Day Repositioning Cruise, LA - Vancouver

25th cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice.

 

 

Future & Hopeful Cruises !

( Already booked )

 

26th cruise - Emerald Princess, 06 - 16 October, 2013, 10 Day Canada - New England, Quebexc city to New Yoek

.27th cruise - Royal Princess, 24 November - 01 December, 2013, 7 Day,Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale Ret.

28th cruise - Caribbean Princess, 29 Mar. - 05 Apr. 2014, 7 Day, Western Caribbean, Houston Ret.

29th cruise - Regal Princess, 02 June - 19 June, 2014, Venice - Barcelona, - Venice 17 days

30th cruise - Royal Princess 19 - 29 Dec, 2014, Christmas, Fort Lauderdale Ret.

31st cruise - Royal Princess 29 Dec - 08 Jan. 2014/2015, New Years, Fort Lauderdale. Ret.

 

[Putterdude]

Hi Putterdude: You may try "Booking.com" they list quite a few' date=' some accessible and some with breakfast. ;)[/size']

 

Cato :) From Courtenay

 

 

Thank you.....we were just over in Courtenay the weekend before last.

[raindropsalways]

I'm hesitant about saying anything because I do not have any idea of your capabilities or what you use and I have not yet made the trip.

 

We have booked Jurys Inn Croydon and plan to commute to and from London. The train station for commuting is less than ½ mile from the hotel.

 

If you use a wheelchair and are capable of climbing on a bus, there is a direct bus from Heathrow to Croydon. However, if you use a small scooter, it is rather complex. We will take the tube toward London, transfer south (tube) to Wimbledon and then transfer to the trolley that will take us within a few feet of our hotel. We do get rather adventurous at times.

 

For getting around in London, we plan on taking the train and depending on where we are going, start sightseeing from the arrival station or transfer to the tube or another train station to get closer to the sites. City bus service in London is great, but they only have space for one wheelchair or small scooter and we both require scooters. Many years ago, my granddaughter and I used the local buses.

 

The Oyster card makes public transportation very inexpensive. It can be used for trains, tube and buses.

 

We are leaving in early October and get home November 10th (2 cruises). I would know exactly how simple or difficult the trip was and would be willing to email you then.

 

In addition to the attractive hotel price, I was able to use my “Entertainment Book” membership to get an additional discount.

 

Betty

[Putterdude]

Thank you, I will look forward to hearing from you. You gave me a bunch of ideas about Rome trains and transfers earlier this year. We are flying to Rome on Thursday.:)

[LondonTowner]

I certainly wouldn't consider staying in Croydon as it will be a lot of unnecessary hassle using the tube and train, especially travelling in rush hour. Plus, the money saved on the hotel will be eaten up in transport costs.

 

IMHO Croyden is not the nicest area to stay either, and I can't think of anything there that would attract a tourist.

[raindropsalways]

Guess I cannot understand why any traveler would spend a leisurely day fighting rush hour traffic. Seems like it would be much more practical to wait until the mobs have subsided. You might try it sometime. As far as cost, apparently you have not made any comparisons. Our total train and tub expenses for all five days will still be considerably less than the savings for just one hotel night and we certainly do not plan to throw away our additional savings for the other four nights (we can use that toward a future trip). The transportation cost are well published and the Oyster card offers additional savings.

 

 

Not being familiar with the area is a problem anyplace one travels. In our case it is not normally a big issue because we do not go out and party all night. Matter of fact, we are safely in our room long before the sun sets.

 

 

So now, if you have checked your pricing and have some constructive comments to offer, I'm sure they would be appreciated.

 

 

Betty

[boingboingbaggy]

Hi

I recommend the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

Its across the river from the Houses of Parliament and next to the London Eye.

There are great with disabled people having received top quality disability awareness advice from my DW. They hosted one of the top Paralympic dinners there last year.

Maybe expensive for that time of year but the central location cuts out the travelling.

Worth a try

[kitty9]

Also, if you tour Westminster, its free for the person in the chair and a companion. We took mom there in her wheelchair, my sister pushing and me in my scooter. It's a very interesting visit. And, the bookstore is also accessible.

 

I agree with the Park Plaza hotel. We went there before going to ride the Eye, and the staff was wonderful.

Edited September 8, 2013 by kitty9

[Putterdude]

Has any one else got ideas or recommendations....please?

[boingboingbaggy]

We were back in London last week and tried the copthorne at Chelsea FC.

Very good rooms and facilities but car parking is very expensive at £36 a day!

Easy to jump on the number 14 bus into Piccadilly and theatre land.

Regards daz:)

[KateDen]

Has any one else got ideas or recommendations....please?

 

We used to love to stay in quaint, historic hotels. No more! This time (just a month ago) we stayed at the Doubletree Westminster. The prices vary, but if you watch you can often get a room for under $200. It's near the Tate Britain and a block from the Thames. We mostly used taxis to get around so I can't comment on public transportation.

 

The hotel is modern, has a very friendly staff and the rooms are bright and large, at least by London standards. They remind me of a nice large ship cabin. Best of all there are real, large elevators. It's used by many cruise lines for their package "deals" so you may be able to take one of their buses. There are restaurants in the area. They do have disabled rooms, but we did not use one.

 

As far as transport from Heathrow I would highly recommend a private car. It costs about 30-45 GBP per car and they greet you outside customs. Just Airports and Simply Airports are a couple of recommendations. Your party is the only one in the car and you go directly to your hotel. I would not recommend any type of public transportation from the airport.

 

Kate

[Putterdude]

Thank you very much, we will certainly look into the Double Tree, we have always enjoyed our stays at their hotels.:)

[Putterdude]

I shudder every time I look at this thread....the OP should learn how to spell hotels.;) That aside I am still interested in getting information on London Hotles.:D

[englishgal]

has any one else got ideas or recommendations....please?

 

we went to london this august and stayed at the premier inn in the guildhall. Right by the london eye and just across westminster bridge. I use a scooter and managed well. Premier inns are very basic, but spotless clean and the accessible bathroom very good. A little over $200, but it was august in london! If you book well enough in advance, you would be able to do a tour of buckingham palace. We went this year (again) and it was excellent and well organized for the disabled.

[Putterdude]

Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas, my ears are still up for ideas.

[Chunky2219]

I certainly wouldn't consider staying in Croydon as it will be a lot of unnecessary hassle using the tube and train, especially travelling in rush hour. Plus, the money saved on the hotel will be eaten up in transport costs.

 

IMHO Croyden is not the nicest area to stay either, and I can't think of anything there that would attract a tourist.

I too, wouldn't imagine spending good money on flights and a cruise then saving a few crumbs by staying in Croydon. I would have thought that with a name like LondonTower your exprerience is way better than mine as a northener, but even so, if I really had to or wanted to stay out on the edge of London, there are a hundred other names that would spring to mind before Croydon. And that's thinking back to the days when I was able bodied, let alone thinking about mobility issues. I'm not even sure I'd stay in Croydon if I had to be there briefly for work.

 

I sure do hope we don't see a review about what a rubbish experience it was.

 

I would offer some constructive suggestions for alternatives based on recent experience, but judging by the response your helpful suggestion got, something tells me I'd be wasting keystrokes.

 

 

.

[Putterdude]

 

I would offer some constructive suggestions for alternatives based on recent experience, but judging by the response your helpful suggestion got, something tells me I'd be wasting keystrokes.

 

 

.

 

As the original poster asking the question, I would like to assure you and anyone else who would share their experience with me, that any and all comments re accessible hotels in London are gratefully received. While from across the pond, we have been to the UK twice lately but they have been fleeting visits at LHR and off to somewhere else....so London is new to us and something that we are really looking forward to. :)

Thank you in advance.

[raindropsalways]

I do not do reviews, however I will attempt to explain the Croydon hotel down-falls and benefits.

 

Contarary to what someone from UK stated, the location is excellent if one is willing to take a 6 – 15 minuted train ride to and from the center of London. The cost difference is definitely worth the train trips (non-rush hours). Use the published information for transportation, and you should not have any problems. The transportation websites provide excellent information regarding accessibility.

 

Jurys Inn in Cryodon is a very nice hotel and an excellent location for public transportation. However, their handicap rooms are definitely not what we could classify as “handicap”. The shower is in the bath tub and the bath tub is not really accessible to anyone that cannot stand or lift their legs over fairly high edge. I was able to shower, but my traveling companion had to bathe using the sink. Both the tub and the sink had separate tap handles for hot and cold. The tub was long and narrow, as to where a heavier or broad person might experience problems sitting in it. I sat on the edge and only stood to rinse off. We stayed there a total of five nights (3 before and 2 after our cruise) and had a couple different rooms. The hotel is an older building, well kept, rooms clean and breakfast was very good.

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we do not venture out at night. One evening we did go to a local pub for fish and chips. The pub was a few blocks from the hotel and recommended by the local tourist office. We did not notice any undesirable looking people roaming around the streets on our way to or from the pub.

 

For clarification purposes, the "few" dollars amounted to a few hundred dollars. Many of us are able to see more because we spend our money wisely and do not throw it away on unnecessary things. The hotel money saved will pay for one of my up-coming cruises.

 

Please ignore the negative attitudes and enjoy your trip regardless of where you decide to stay.

 

Betty

Edited November 14, 2013 by raindropsalways

[leagle]

If you ask your question on the Trip Advisor London Forum you are likely to get a good range of answers:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g186338-i17-London_England.html

but please, as a courtesy, use a currency converter to put your budget in the local currency of pounds sterling.

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

As a London resident who travels all over greater London for work, I really would not recommend staying in Croydon for sight seeing in London.

While the fastest train to London Victoria is 16 minutes (not 6 minutes!) it is more like 30 minutes to get a First Capital Connect train further into the centre, the trains are very crowded at rush hour (although to be fair, so is the tube) the fares before 9.30 am would certainly add up over a few days and aren't exactly free after that and unless you were right by the East Croydon station, it could be a bit of a trek to get to the station.

With some research and advanced booking, it should be possible to find a more central hotel for the cost of a Croydon hotel plus the daily train fare.

There is a wide range of people who post on the London Forum and certainly some with disabilities of various sorts.

You are likely to find it a helpful place to ask questions about visiting London (although do take into account difference in the English and the American sense of humour)

[Slugsta]

I am unable to advise re accessible hotels. However, I do want to warn you that the tube, particularly in central London, is not very friendly towards people in wheelchairs and scooters. Please bear this in mind when planning sightseeing activities.

[nukester]

try rccl oasis or allure out of ft launderale.. you will be wowowed