greyhavns

obviously safe, ease of getting to by metro. we'll be arriving by heathrow of course. so we currently have booked a hotel nearby paddington station, but one fodorian recommended it's not too close to the major attractions or it's a bit out of the ways. anyone have better recommendations?
we booked for around £80 a nite.
I guess i'm looking for more convenient and even open to B&Bs if recommended.
currently booked at Grand Royale London Hyde Park

jent103

How many people do you have? I assume you're planning to stay near Paddington because you plan to take the Heathrow Express or Heathrow Connect. The Tube is a much cheaper alternative (takes about an hour, direct from Heathrow on the Piccadilly [dark blue] line - so anywhere near a Piccadilly line stop will be convenient).

If you have several people, you might as well book a car service (justairports.com is often recommended here) for the cost of the Heathrow Express tickets. So there's really no need to stay near Paddington, and whoever told you that is correct - there are more central places to stay.

There are several b&bs in the Bloomsbury area, close to Russell Square station (which is on the Piccadilly line, so a straight shot from the airport). Bloomsbury is my favorite area to stay in - I think it's very convenient to a lot of tourist attractions, and I just like the area. The Arosfa is one I've heard of that should be about the same cost as what you have booked, though I haven't stayed there myself. There are several more - a search should give you several options. I've stayed at the Morgan (morganhotel.co.uk) and thought it was great for my needs. The Victoria/Belgrave area also has several b&bs like the Luna Simone, though that area isn't quite as convenient to the Piccadilly line. South Kensington is also a popular place to stay and pretty convenient, but I don't have much personal knowledge there.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...d-tube-map.gif

greyhavns

yeh, i guess what prompted me to paddington was the need to head out to bath/stonehenge potentially. but since that maybe be a backup plan, depending on if my wife and I have enough time to venture out, we'll just stay in london. so now, staying near paddington isn't just cause for that area.

sassy_cat

Just like Paris there's no one ideal location in London.
Your budget will dictate your choices for the most part.

It's the Tube in London (not called the metro here!). I use a combination of the Tube, buses and occasional taxi in London but mostly walk.
Good areas to stay include South Kensington, Gloucester Road, Bloomsbury but there are many others. I like the area just South of the river near Waterloo.

As you've already booked your stay in Paddington which is close to the Tube then I'd stick with it as while it might not be close to the major attractions it's certainly not terribly far (a few extra minutes here and there).

Study a Tube map and work out where you want to go.
Aren't you taking Eurostar to Paris? Paddington tube station to St.Pancras is easy (no changes).

greyhavns

yeh sassy_cat, we will be taking eurostar to paris. sorry bout the metro, yes, tube hehe. i guess tripadvisor had so so to say bout our place though booking.com gave higher marks, so I was pondering possibly moving if i found something better. I think we do need to find out what we want to visit 1st, then figure out if there's something more ideal. I just knew that my reasons for being nearby paddington had slipped so I was looking for other recommendations.

jent103

Paddington isn't a bad area to stay in - if you decide to stick with what you have, you'll still have a great trip. But if you feel like finding somewhere else, there are more central places to stay where you can walk to some more things. From your hotel, if you're good walkers, you can get to Hyde Park, Harrod's, and the museums around South Kensington (Natural History, V&A and Science). For most other things, you'll need to get on the tube or take a bus. The rides won't be terribly long, as sassy_cat said - it's just a matter of relative convenience.

If you do feel like moving hotels, St Pancras is easy to get to from a lot of places, as is Paddington if you decide to take that day trip.

Michel_Paris

Bloomsbury is a good choice: direct Tube line to Heathrow, many B&Bs, walking distance to St Pauls, Covent Garden,etc... restos, pubs, British Museum...

walkabout

I would not recommend Paddington for a first-time visitor. It actually isn't <i>that</i> far out, but there are more central locations, particularly for a first-time visitor(your hotel is actually in Bayswater). I have stayed in several different areas in London, and I like the Trafalgar Square area because it is walking distance to Covent Garden, theater district,River Thames,Westminster Abbey, London Eye, several tube stops, Charing Cross Rail Station and a short tube ride to several other places. In fact, I walk almost everywhere from there. I stay at the Strand Palace or Royal Horseguards, but they are a bit pricey, particularly the Royal Horseguards.

Have you considered bidding on priceline? You will get a much nicer hotel for £80 than if you pay regular price. You can find tips for bidding and names of hotels recently won on biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com.

If you don't want to do priceline, you can check londontown.com or wotif.com for discounts.

I have heard good things about the Cherry Court Hotel near Victoria Station, although I have never stayed there. It gets better reviews on tripadvisor.com than the Grand Royale (84% recommend versus 53% don't recommend). I have heard of the Arosfa, and it gets good reviews too and is more centrally located than the Grand Royale. Lincoln House Hotel near Oxford St is another option.

Michel_Paris

P.S...as with Paris, there is no best!!