sgreenl

My husband and I are going to London. I am using hotel points from Marriott or Hilton for the stay. There are a lot of hotel options within both hotel networks. What area of London is best for a base location? Thanks in advance for any help.

KayF

Bloomsbury is good, central and lots of eating options about. If you check on a map, that's the area around Russell Square tube station.

Kay

Dukey1

What area of London is best for a base location?

WITH THE VERY GREATEST OF RESPECT for you, IMO it would be VERY helpful if you would mention some of the things you are going to be doing when you are IN London (assuming you have some idea).

I'm IN London as I write this, staying in a flat in Covent Garden. The reason I am in this particular part of town is that it is convenient to show venues which is one of the chief reasons i came over.

Also, how are you planning to get around while you are here? Taxi? Underground? On foot? Makes a major difference.

Whereas, for example, the Bloomsbury rec above is perfectly fine it would not be the "best" spot for me and my own interests.

Lifeman

If you're asking for a base, then I'd guess that you intend to see all the sights that you can from there. I'd recommend somewhere alonmg the river, maybe Tower and/or London Bridge area as being reasonably easy to travel from across the city.

janisj

Asking for a specific area isn't really the way to go when using points. Hiltons and Marriotts in London all require different point levels. Which ones are you considering?

There are many Hiltons/Doubletrees in London. Fewer Marriotts but County Hall Marriott can't be beat really for the views/location.

nytraveler

For people doing basic tourist the closer to the center the better (you can walk to quite a few places and grab a tube to others). So, first, central, and 2nd close to a tube stop. I don;t know all of the Hiltons, the only one I have stayed at is the original one next to Hyde Park. Which was OK, a little tired then and a reasonable location.

IMHO near the Tower is too far east for many things you will want to see.

If I picked just be location it would be Mayfair or near Covent Garden - or Knightsbridge (handy for many museums and much more pleasant the south kensington which tends to wander into Earl's Court))

sgreenl

So here are the options I have narrowed it down to knowing that I plan to use Hilton/Marriott points for the stay. Marriott has better deals with amount of points, but it appears to me that Hilton has better locations. What do you think?

Hilton Properties:
The Trafalgar London - Trafalgar Square

The Waldorf Hilton - West end

Hilton London Tower Bridge - 5 More London Place

Marriott Properties:
London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch -within walking distance from Hyde Park, Oxford Street and London attractions

London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square

janisj

Based on locations alone I'd rate them as:

1) Trafalgar/Waldorf tied (Both are very nice and very well located)
3) Grosvenor Sq (Quiet/semi-boring location)
4) Marble Arch (in Edgware Rd)/Tower Bridge (near London Bridge station) tied.

I'd be very happy at either the Trafalgar Sq or the Waldorf. Of the others, Tower Bridge would probably be my personal favorite -but I wouldn't recommend it for a first time visitor.

walkabout

I have stayed in all of the locations you list, and for a first-time visitor, my first choice would also be Trafalgar Square or the Waldorf in Covent Garden. The great thing about these two locations is that you can walk to many tourist sights in London, and most others are just a short tube ride away.

Tower Bridge would be my least favorite choice. It's not exactly the boonies, but it is not as centrally located as the others, particularly Trafalgar Sq and the Waldorf.

BigRuss

Trafalgar or Waldorf. Skip all the others.

And Lifeman's wrong - if you don't know London, then you can be far better served in a number of locations other than London Bridge/Tower area. E.g., Bloomsbury, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Westminster, Trafalgar Sq., Southbank (near the Eye or County Hall) and that's just starters. London Bridge is near Monument and St. Paul's and not far from the Tower, but far from the rest of the major sites in Central London.

sgreenl

Thanks for the great information. I am really having a hard time picking between the Trafalgar and Waldorf. Any help deciding which one to stay in?

dutyfree

Personally I think that the Holiday Inn Bloomsbury is in the perfect location-half block from Russell Square tube station on the Picadilly Line so you can get off your flight at Heathrow;get on the tube fore 46 minutes for about 6 pounds on your Oyster Card and you are at your hotel in 5 minutes. The hotel is in a great neighborhood with Brunswick Mall right across the street-shops,restaurants and a wonderful Waitrose grocery store and Boots pharmacy right there.You are just a few blocks from the British Museum,close to Kings Cross and St. Pancreas,etc.
My son lived here for the past year and just moved.It was a terrific area to be located in for getting around London and doing everything either by walking,tube or bus.
I go to London at least twice a month for work and I usually stay over by Glouester Road/Kensington area and I really really like Bloomsbury better!

janisj

sgreenl: Just pick one of those two. They are both in absolutely great locations for visitors. One is at Trafalgar Sq in the very center of sites from the National Gallery to Buckingham Palace/parks, Westminster/Big Ben, Horseguards, etc.

The other is in Aldwych on the very edge of Covent Garden.

So you honestly can't go wrong w/ either. Pick based on which photos/style impresses you most, or if one takes less points. Both properties are in the best locations for touring.

almcd

Are you comfortable paying the obscene cost of these hotels that are listed? Have you considered rented a house through companies like VRBO or Coach House Vacation Rentals. My wife and I recently rented a 2 bedroom house with a huge bathroom and kitchen, 500 metres from Victoria Station for £145 a day. The big hotels are nearly £400 a night. We had some great meals from the nearby supermarkets. I would always do it this way. You should too.

BigRuss

almcd: what part of the original poster's statement that she is using HOTEL POINTS did you not understand? And if they want to pay that kind of money and eat out, why do you care?

travelgourmet

<i>Are you comfortable paying the obscene cost of these hotels that are listed?</i>

I think you missed the fact that these are points stays...


To the OP... I'd go with the Waldorf, but both are good hotels in very good locations.