Please help me decide on a London hotel

[cruisinqt]

I’ve been looking for a decent hotel in a safe area of London close to all of the sights with transportation nearby (we aren’t renting a car). I’m not wanting anything super expensive but I don’t want a dump either. I had almost decided on the Premier Inn in Waterloo since it’s reasonably priced and a great location. But first I decided to check my Hilton app and see how many points I have and if they had any good deals. Well I’m seeing some pretty good deals but they’re not in Waterloo (which is an area I researched a lot) so I’m unsure if the  new locations I’m considering are good ones. I’m looking at one hotel in Victoria (Hilton Doubletree), one in Westminster (Westminster London Curio Collection), and 2 in Hyde Park (a Hilton & a Doubletree) between Paddington and Knotting Hill right next to Hyde Park. Are these good hotels in safe areas close to all the sights with transportation nearby? If it were you which one would you choose? Or would you just stick with the Premier Inn?

[gnome12]

I will let others discuss the specifics. I will say, however, that London is a big city, and NOTHING will be close to all the sights. 

[cruisinqt]

4 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I will let others discuss the specifics. I will say, however, that London is a big city, and NOTHING will be close to all the sights. 

This is our first visit to London so we are looking at the the main stuff everyone wants to see when they first go there. Like Buckingham Palace, Windsor castle, taking a boat ride on the Thames, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of london, having a nice meal at a local pub, and seeing a show at the theater. I know all of those things aren’t together in the same spot but as long as I’m kind of in the middle of things where I can hop on the tube or a bus and get there in a decent amount of time I’m good. I just don’t want to be off in the outskirts away from the main attractions taking forever to get there. 

[milolii]

Given the list you have, I would stay near Westminster.  Hyde Park is a bit further out.   Both are safe areas.   So either one of the hotels you mention in Westminster/Victoria are good bets.  Premium Inn is not the quality of the Hiltons you mention.
 

 Windsor Castle is not in London so you  would need to get there by train or take a tour.   It is easy to reach by train; or a tour from Victoria Coach Station. 
 

 

[cruisinqt]

23 minutes ago, milolii said:

Given the list you have, I would stay near Westminster.  Hyde Park is a bit further out.   Both are safe areas.   So either one of the hotels you mention in Westminster/Victoria are good bets.  Premium Inn is not the quality of the Hiltons you mention.
 

 Windsor Castle is not in London so you  would need to get there by train or take a tour.   It is easy to reach by train; or a tour from Victoria Coach Station. 
 

 

Thanks I didn’t know Windsor castle was further away. Yeah the hotels in the Hyde Park area were a bit cheaper but after further investigation they have mixed reviews so with you saying it’s further away I’ll pass on them. So that narrows it down to just 2 hotels, thanks. 

[Ashland]

The Rubens At The Palace was a great location.

[cruisinqt]

33 minutes ago, Ashland said:

The Rubens At The Palace was a great location.

Thanks I’ll check them out

[kevey]

Hi there.  As long as you are close to a tube station then nothing is that far away in Central London so if you can get a decent price for a hotel you like the look of, just check on the distance to the nearest station.  
 

Quickest journey to Windsor is a train from Paddington to Slough to then connect to a regular shuttle train from Slough into Windsor (1 stop for the shuttle that goes every 5/6 mins).  You can also get a train from Waterloo direct to Windsor but this is a slower journey overall.

 

The Tower of London is situated in the City of London and a nice way to get there is to hop on the Thames Clipper boat along the Thames from Westminster/Waterloo to Tower Hill stop which is next to the Tower of London.

[Twickenham]

22 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

I’ve been looking for a decent hotel in a safe area of London close to all of the sights with transportation nearby (we aren’t renting a car). I’m not wanting anything super expensive but I don’t want a dump either. I had almost decided on the Premier Inn in Waterloo since it’s reasonably priced and a great location. But first I decided to check my Hilton app and see how many points I have and if they had any good deals. Well I’m seeing some pretty good deals but they’re not in Waterloo (which is an area I researched a lot) so I’m unsure if the  new locations I’m considering are good ones. I’m looking at one hotel in Victoria (Hilton Doubletree), one in Westminster (Westminster London Curio Collection), and 2 in Hyde Park (a Hilton & a Doubletree) between Paddington and Knotting Hill right next to Hyde Park. Are these good hotels in safe areas close to all the sights with transportation nearby? If it were you which one would you choose? Or would you just stick with the Premier Inn?

 

I will echo those who say that as long as you are close to transport (tube, but also buses) you're good.

 

I would have no problems with staying in any of these areas. I've often stayed in the Paddington area so would probably lean towards the 2 options next to Hyde Park (or even better, the Hilton at Paddington station, but I suspect that's way more points). From Hyde Park you can get a bus to nearly as close to Waterloo as the Premier Inn is, or go by tube with a transfer. Actually, to be honest, all of the areas mentioned I would prefer over staying in Waterloo.

[cruisinqt]

5 hours ago, kevey said:

Hi there.  As long as you are close to a tube station then nothing is that far away in Central London so if you can get a decent price for a hotel you like the look of, just check on the distance to the nearest station.  
 

Quickest journey to Windsor is a train from Paddington to Slough to then connect to a regular shuttle train from Slough into Windsor (1 stop for the shuttle that goes every 5/6 mins).  You can also get a train from Waterloo direct to Windsor but this is a slower journey overall.

 

The Tower of London is situated in the City of London and a nice way to get there is to hop on the Thames Clipper boat along the Thames from Westminster/Waterloo to Tower Hill stop which is next to the Tower of London.

That’s the info I was looking for. Thanks. 

[cruisinqt]

1 hour ago, Twickenham said:

 

I will echo those who say that as long as you are close to transport (tube, but also buses) you're good.

 

I would have no problems with staying in any of these areas. I've often stayed in the Paddington area so would probably lean towards the 2 options next to Hyde Park (or even better, the Hilton at Paddington station, but I suspect that's way more points). From Hyde Park you can get a bus to nearly as close to Waterloo as the Premier Inn is, or go by tube with a transfer. Actually, to be honest, all of the areas mentioned I would prefer over staying in Waterloo.

One of the hotels in Hyde Park had a room with an outdoor patio and I really liked it. But even though the bus was right next door, the Tube was a good 15 minute walk. I’d prefer a hotel with the Tube and a bus right next door so I’d have a choice of both pretty close by. I’m not sure which we will be using between a bus and the Tube. Is one better than the other? Is the price a big difference? 

[Twickenham]

2 hours ago, cruisinqt said:

One of the hotels in Hyde Park had a room with an outdoor patio and I really liked it. But even though the bus was right next door, the Tube was a good 15 minute walk. I’d prefer a hotel with the Tube and a bus right next door so I’d have a choice of both pretty close by. I’m not sure which we will be using between a bus and the Tube. Is one better than the other? Is the price a big difference? 

 

Which hotels are you looking at? I was thinking you were looking at the DoubleTree by Hilton London - Hyde Park and the Hilton London Hyde Park; the Hilton is adjacent to Queensway tube station, and the Doubletree is a 3-minute walk.

 

Here's the thing about tube vs. bus. The tube is great for quickly getting from A to B; the infamous London traffic makes the buses much slower, however the big advantage is you can see things. And you're a tourist; you're not in a rush! So while I will take the tube when I have to be a certain place at a certain time, the vast majority of the time I'll ride the bus - on the top deck for the best view😊.

[cruisinqt]

1 hour ago, Twickenham said:

 

Which hotels are you looking at? I was thinking you were looking at the DoubleTree by Hilton London - Hyde Park and the Hilton London Hyde Park; the Hilton is adjacent to Queensway tube station, and the Doubletree is a 3-minute walk.

 

Here's the thing about tube vs. bus. The tube is great for quickly getting from A to B; the infamous London traffic makes the buses much slower, however the big advantage is you can see things. And you're a tourist; you're not in a rush! So while I will take the tube when I have to be a certain place at a certain time, the vast majority of the time I'll ride the bus - on the top deck for the best view😊.

Yes those are the two I was looking at. But the reviews for the Hilton London Hyde Park had a lot of negative comments. They renovated an older building and guests say it’s a bit worn down so I may pass on that one. I don’t want to use my points for something that isn’t worth it. I’ve been leaning toward the Doubletree Hilton London Hyde Park. It has very good reviews, the tube and buses are nearby, and it doesn’t require as many Hilton points as some of the others. The Hilton hotel that was a good ways from the Tube that I was considering wasn’t the Hilton London Hyde Park one, I misspoke. It was the Westminster London Curio Collection Hilton. I was very interested in it because it sounds like a really cool hotel and it’s so close to the palace. But I’m thinking the Doubletree in Hyde Park may be the better choice it’s less points and is a great location. I like the Doubletree by Hilton Victoria too. It has great reviews but it costs more just like the Westminster one. And the Doubletree Hyde Park fits my needs just fine. For some reason I’m getting offered a rate of $205 a night for a king room with a view under some promotional sale and that’s without using my points. It’s hard to resist that price. The Premier Inn wants $159 a night. 
 

You make some good points on the bus versus the Tube. If we are in a hurry we will use the Tube but if we have time we will enjoy the bus. Thanks for the insight.