FACS

Is this the best way?
You can make the journey step-free from LHR. Take any Piccadilly line train from any of the three stations at Heathrow and alight at Hammersmith, where there is a lift up from the train platform to the ticket hall.
Make your way to the bus station (again via lift or escalator) and from stop F take any of the numbers 9 towards Aldwych, 10 towards King's Cross or 27 towards Chalk Farm. Alight at Kensington Olympia for the hotel. tfl.gov.uk/tfl/…hammersmith-2109.pdf

District line trains run from Olympia to Earl's Court but they're infrequent. Buses along Kensington High Street towards Knightsbridge and Hyde Park Corner are a good adjunct to the Underground. The C1 runs to Earl's Court if you want a quick connection to the District or Piccadilly lines. tfl.gov.uk/tfl/…kensingtonolympia-2145.pdf

livetoroam

We ( mom and two teens) took the Heathrow express from Heathrow to Paddington station. Then got a cab from there to the Hilton Olympia's front door. Seemed cost effective and easy with suitcases to lug. At Paddington we went to the ATM, grabbed a bite and headed to the line of taxis. Quick drive to the hotel from there.

FACS

Thank-you livetoroam.

janisj

>>We ( mom and two teens) took the Heathrow express from Heathrow to Paddington station. Then got a cab from there to the Hilton Olympia's front door. Seemed cost effective and easy with suitcases to lug. <<

Not at all cost effective IMO.

If one want to do it more expensively than the tube bus, but easier/cheaper than the HEX + a cab . . . book a car service. justairports.com will charge approx £35 door to door. That is a tiny bit more than just the HEX fare and doesn't involve any lugging of luggage anywhere.

FACS

Thanks Janisj

benterry

I agree with janisj regarding the booking of a car service, because having to take the tube and then to change again with luggage also, it does not sound like a really practical option. Personally I've used 247airporttransfer.co.uk a few times and for this journey they quote £33 for a saloon car which I believe it's quite ok.

The HEX for me is just a money eating train.

dotheboyshall

<i> We ( mom and two teens) took the Heathrow express from Heathrow to Paddington station. Then got a cab from there to the Hilton Olympia's front door. Seemed cost effective and easy with suitcases to lug. </i>

Probably the only option which makes taking a black taxi from the rank at Heathrow look "reasonable".

Neither cost-effective nor easy in my mind. Would be hellish if you did that during the morning rush hour

FACS

dotheboyshall-What do you think is the best way that is not too expensive?

livetoroam

It was not hellish at all and we found it worked well. At the time, four years ago, it was cheaper than the car services we looked at and we were at the hotel very quickly Sorry I shared a suggestion that worked for us. Won't make that mistake again.

newtome

@livetoroam- the comment was in reference to doing it at rush hour, when your option WOULD be hellish

newtome

hit submit too soon
and 4 years ago there were plenty of discounts on Heathrow Express. If you're going to give advice it's helpful for it to be current. With the plethora of car services, AND the Heathrow Conenct being faster than the Tune and cheaper than the HEx, your info is at the least outdated.

livetoroam

Well, I was hasty in my reply, as I meant the Heathrow Connect, not the Express. But it was at rush hour and we had no problems. When a post is falling down the board with no responses, I wanted to at least give the OP an option to consider when no one else had responded yet.

janisj

>>At the time, four years ago, it was cheaper than the car services we looked at <<

That would depend on <i>which</i> car services you looked at. True - some car service are very expensive. But the specialists like for instance, justairports, will be (and was 4 years ago) cheaper than either the HEX or Connect plus a taxi.

Most car services arranged by hotels will cost as much or more than a black cab. But those aren't recommended by most knowledgable travelers.

FACS

Janisj: do you think just airports will be less expensive than
www.expressways.co.uk, www.handicars.co.uk and www.swisscottagecars.com? (Those were listed on tripadvisor from 2012.) I couldn't get justairports site to work, I'll try later.

newtome

So you weren't even correct on what service you used - HEx and Heathrow Connect are very different pricewise. We often use Heathrow Connect even at rush hour with no problems,. However the taxi line at Paddington at those times is another story.

Dukey1

I just looked at the cost of taking the HEX to Paddington and a taxi from there to my hotel. I compared that with the cost of using JustAirports for the entire trip.

I think the Justairports "solution" is better overall and not only from a simple money cost perspective but also from an overall hassle-free perspective.

I've done the HEX which I didn't think was all that "money-eating" considering how much money and time I spent getting TO LHR in the first place. But everybody travels differently.

Perhaps my opinion is driven by the fact that I don't require coffee in the morning to function or collect my winnings from the Lottery but who knows (or cares, I realize).

janisj

FACS: I don't know the other two but know Swiss Cottage very well. They've been around for years and are good. But they do charge about 40%+ more than just airports. A typical £35 justairports journey would be approx £50 w/ Swiss Cottage (but that is still cheaper than a black cab)