Taste of London

[Host Bonjour]

I'm afraid our assertion about the luggage is incorrect, as others have pointed out, and I am struggling to follow the logic of spending perhaps up to an hour going to and from an airport hotel on the Hoppa or by cab and then taking the HEX to where the OP is planning to stay anyway? Have I misunderstood your suggestion?

 

If one is prepared to use the HEX to/from, the Hilton at Paddington (entered directly from the station) is to all intents and purposes an airport hotel, with considerably more convenient transport options than almost all those actually at the airport :)

 

OP, your plan is pretty sound. I wouldn't leave Paddington (on the Express) more than three hours before your flight, especially if you have got boarding cards along the way.

 

 

Yes, wow! Duly noted and thank you CE, member donan for sharing the info. It's becoming less common anymore to find this available (left luggage service) anywhere. I recall with ease and convenience leaving my bags at Waterloo whilst heading out to visit friends for a night in Hampshire years ago; it's no longer possible to do this anymore.

 

Someone had asked on the second page what HEX stood for = Heathrow Express, the train from Heathrow into Paddington station in Central London; it was in a post inquiring about single/return (one way/round trip) ticket lingo. Sometimes we can get a bit lost with abbreviations, acronyms and flat out different dialogue but then I always found that to be - language - one of the most fun and intriguing parts of traveling; simply talking to each other with the *hopes* of understanding what is being said :)

 

The languages haven't ever put me off.......only those roundabouts do! :eek: Thank goodness for mass transit ;)

 

Have a great trip OP!

Edited January 2, 2017 by Host Bonjour

[Globaliser]

It's becoming less common anymore to find this available (left luggage service) anywhere. I recall with ease and convenience leaving my bags at Waterloo whilst heading out to visit friends for a night in Hampshire years ago; it's no longer possible to do this anymore.

Actually, it is still possible to do this, and the service has never stopped.

 

The Excess Baggage Company's left luggage service continues to operate at all four terminals at Heathrow airport, both terminals at Gatwick airport, and also at Luton airport. The service is also offered by this company at the following London mainline railway stations: Charing Cross, Euston, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington, St Pancras, Victoria and Waterloo. Source: https://www.left-baggage.co.uk/index/locations

 

At Stansted airport, the service is instead provided by a company called Luggage-Point.

[hvsteve1]

I was in London two years ago. It was originally scheduled for a week to attend an international conference that involved some events. After thinking about what it cost to fly to and from London, I decided that, so long as I was there, I'd stay another week for some sightseeing on my own. So far as what I saw, I pretty much walked all over the city as that is the way to not miss any of the small features. Note that when I travel alone I try to stay at dormitories so the extra week involved hundreds and not thousands of dollars. In this case, why not add an extra night and see what you want?