What an awesome start to your trip report! $600 rt from Boston. That's a great fare. It's no wonder you couldn't resist. Looking forward to more!

yk, I'm glad you're posting your report! You've made a great start and I admire the focused planning you did on a last minute basis.

Day 0
Getting to London in record time

AA operates twice daily service BOS-LHR, one day flight and one overnight flight. I always prefer the day flight as it is more comfortable for the body. The departure time was 9am, which didn't sound too bad when I booked it, but I was not happy when my alarm went off at 4:15am that morning.

I didn't have the heart to make DH drive me to the airport (~1 hr r/t plus toll), so I had him drop me off at the Riverside station (Green line T stop) which is only a 10-min drive from our house. I was at the stop at 5:30am and the T departed at 5:40am. I had to make 2 changes to get to the airport, but everything went smoothly and I arrived at the 50 minutes later, which was WAY early for my 9am flight.

With my Platinum elite status, I was able to hang out at the AA Admirals Club until it was boarding time. While I was at the club, I asked the agent if there were other aisle seats open on the flight. Surprisingly there were (even though the seat map says otherwise) and I got moved up 20+ rows to the 2nd row of Economy, and an aisle seat of a 2-seater instead of a 5-seater.

The flight time was just under 6 hours, and I was glad I didn't splurge for the upgrade as I wouldn't have felt it was worth the money. First meal was breakfast with a choice of French Toast or Cheese Omelette. I had the french toast a few months ago which was inedible, so I chose the omelette which was much better. It also came with a snack pack which I saved. The 2nd meal was a cold cut sandwich. This was also better than my last flight.

The 777 offers individual monitors with about 15 movies to choose from, plus TV shows. It is not 100% AVOD - but better than the old-style loop. Each movie starts every 20 minutes or so, so one never has to wait too long to watch a movie. The movie selection however was rather poor. But with nothing else better to do, I watched 3 movies.

We arrived at Heathrow ahead of time and surprisingly did not have to wait for a gate to open up. We landed 15 minutes early at 8:15pm. After a short taxi, the aircraft door opened at 8:20pm. Given this was just before the US & UK holiday weekend, the First and Business classes were empty. Since I was moved up to the 2nd row of Economy, I deplaned very quickly.

The immigration hall was empty, and with no checked luggage, it was hard to believe I was out in the arrivals hall by 8:35pm, just 20 minutes after we landed!!! This has to be a record.

I was staying at a Heathrow airport hotel for that night because hotel rates in town were very high. I initially tried for a 4* on Priceline, but it was rejected. My 3* Priceline bid won me the dumpy Thistle Heathrow ($101 all-in). The only plus was the Thistle is serviced by the free local bus so I saved £8 r/t without having to take the Hoppa.

The free local bus leaves from the Central Bus station. Finding the hotel itself was actually quite a challenge, which I will detail in my hotel review at the end of the trip report.

After checking in, I ate the snack pack from the flight for dinner, and went to bed. Unfortunately, with jet-lag, I wasn't able to sleep well that night.

Day 1 - London
British Library, Geffrye Museum, Chelsea Flower Show

I got up around 8am and checked out just after 9am. The trek to London took longer than I thought. In retrospect, I wasn't sure if it was worth the savings by staying at Heathrow that night. I didn't arrive at the Holiday Inn Regents Park (where I will stay for 3 nights) until 2 hours later. I got the Holiday Inn via Hotwire for $97/night.

After checking in and dropping off my suitcase, I took the bus to British Library where the current (free) exhibition is a 17-th century Indian manuscripts of the story of Ramayana. [Thanks to flanneruk who alerted me of this exhibition.] It is quite interesting, though not my usual cup of tea (I'm more into European art). The place wasn't crowded so it was nice. After the exhibition, I quickly went to the "British Library Treasures" gallery. I had visited there just last September, but I wanted to see the Magna Carta again as well as Beowulf. The British Library owns 2 of the 4 known existing copies of the Magna Carta, but the better quality one is currently off display.

After an hour at the British Library, I popped next door to the newly-reopened St Pancras Station to check it out. It is now a hybrid of old and new. Old is the brick building & facade; new is the glass and steel ceiling.

Lunch was at North Sea Restaurant for fish and chips, which I have read about a lot here. It is located just a few blocks from the British Library. I had the haddock, which was so fresh and juicy. The portion was rather large; I finished the fish but ate only half the chips. Lunch was £13.

North Sea Fish Restaurant
7-8 Leigh St
WC1H 9EW
(020 7387 5892)

After lunch, I ventured to the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch. It is a bit of a trek to get out there (2 buses) but it was worth the effort. The museum shows English domestic interior settings (think period rooms) from 1600s to the present. Admission is free. There were very few visitors which was a plus. In the back of the museum is a herb garden plus a stretch of period gardens starting from the Tudor times. The gardens are beautiful and lots of flowers are blooming.

Many people raved about the cafe/restaurant at the Geffrye museum. It has nice setting overlooking the gardens, but I was still too full from lunch so I didn't eat there.

By now, I was feeling exhausted, so I returned to the hotel for a short nap.

I emerged just before 5pm and headed to Sloane Sq by tube for the Chelsea Flower Show. I was very excited that my trip coincided with the show, and there were still late afternoon tickets (5:30p entry) available.

When I got there, there was a sign saying all tickets for the day were sold out, and there was a queue for people waiting for return tickets. The flower show was like nothing I had seen, even though I had visited the Philadelphia flower show a few times. First of all, it is outdoors. Second, it is huge in comparison. The place was packed when I arrived, in fact it was difficult to get a glimpse of the displays. As the day went on, the crowd slowly thinned out. The designs were simply amazing. I am not a gardener myself but I still enjoyed it very much.

I felt I had enough time (2+hrs) to see everything there, but I didn't bother spending anytime at the many vendor booths selling all sorts of gardening stuff.

For dinner, I decided to go back to Tom's Kitchen where I had gone on my previous trip. Tom's kitchen is a less formal restaurant owned by chef Tom Aikens, who has a Michelin-starred restaurant by the same name. It is about a 10-min walk from the Flower Show. I did not have a reservation, so I had to wait about 20 minutes. It has a nice/comfy lounge area upstairs.

I was seated at the bar (which I requested) so I could see all the cooks and chef at work. I ordered gazpacho w/tapenade, and a appetizer portion of beet risotto w/goat cheese. I also had a side order of sauteed mixed mushrooms. Everything was excellent. I finished my meal with an amazing mango + passion fruit mousse with ice cream. What a great meal. Another thing I like about Tom's Kitchen is that everyone who works there is extremely nice. The hostess is genuinely nice with a big smile, while the rest of the crew (waitstaff, bus boys, manager) are all so pleasant. Dinner was £31.

Tom's Kitchen
27 Cale Street
Chelsea
SW3 3QP
Tel 0207 349 0202
http://www.tomskitchen.co.uk/

yk:

Background information:

Did you travel by yourself on your last trip 8 months ago?

Do you work outside the home?

I am interested to hear more about the day time flight and how this worked out with jet lag. Sorry to hear you didn't sleep well the first night.

Sandy



Sandy

Yay! Can't wait to hear more!

Hi Sandy-

<< Did you travel by yourself on your last trip 8 months ago? >>

Yes. I had a great time. I also went to Spain by myself back in Feb this year. You can read my London TR here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=35064483

<< Do you work outside the home? >>

I'm currently "in between jobs" so to speak, hence I can jump on last-minute fares without worrying about vacation days.

<< I am interested to hear more about the day time flight and how this worked out with jet lag. >>

This is my 3rd time taking a day flight to London. The downside is getting up real early on the day of departure. I prefer it because I always have a hard time sleeping on overnight flights, and I feel horrible the next day like I was in a fog.

Part of the problem I had this trip was I fell asleep just after 11pm, then my cellphone rang which woke me up. I went back to sleep, then woken up again just after 12 midnight by some weird alarm from the TV! I think if I hadn't had those 2 interruptions right after I had fallen asleep, I would have done much better.

But despite that, I still felt a lot better the next day than I would have felt if I had taken an overnight flight.

Day 2
Windsor Castle

My last visit to Windsor Castle was almost 30 years ago when I was a kid.

I slept much better and woke up to a sunny day outside. A quick bus ride from the hotel (Great Portland St station) to Paddington took just about 10 minutes. I bought a cheap day return ticket to Windsor (£8.20). While I was there, I also used the self-service machine to pick up my 2 train tickets which I had purchased in advance (to Bath and to Salisbury).

There are 2 ways to get to Windsor from London. One is from Paddington to Windsor & Eton Central. This route is faster but involves a change of train at Slough. Another route is from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside. It takes longer but no change required. The 2 stations in Windsor are close-by, though the Central station is slightly closer to the Castle.

However, it's worth noting that the 2 routes are operated by 2 separate rail companies, so buying a r/t ticket on one route does not allow you to take a different route on the way back.

I took the 8:51am train which arrived at 9:26am. Despite today being the Saturday of a holiday weekend, Windsor was still relatively quiet at that hour. The castle doesn't open until 9:45am but I was waiting at the gate by 9:35am. This turned out to be a good decision because by the time it was 9:45, at least 100 tourists arrived at the gate. Since I was near the front, I only had to wait a few minutes in line to get my ticket. Those who were at the back of the crowd were in line for quite some time. The ticket includes a free audioguide.

Initially I had planned to visit the Doll House/State Apts first, but it turns out there is going to be Changing of the Guards at 11am, and I wouldn't have enough time to finish Doll House/State Apts by then. Instead, I walked around the grounds listening to the audioguide, and visited the St George's Chapel. This took about 1 hour.

By 10:45am I emerged from the Chapel and found myself a decent spot along the railings to watch the Changing of the Guards. It was rather boring IMO, and would have been worse if I hadn't gotten a front row spot. I was more amused by the airplanes flying on top of our heads every 60 seconds than the guards.

After watching for 30 minutes, I sensed it was coming to the end, so I took off to the direction of the Doll House/State Apts while the majority of the crowds were still watching. This turned out to be an excellent idea because the line to the Doll House/State Apts was short and I had to wait just a few minutes.

After the Doll House, the route takes you into a special Drawings gallery. One-half shows a number of rare drawings owned by the Queen, including a couple by Leonardo da Vinci (the Queen owns several hundreds of his drawings - largest collection in the world), and a few by Holbein. The other half has a special exhibit celebrating the 60th b-day of Prince Charles with photos and memorabilia.

After that gallery, the route enters the State Apts. I think the audioguide does a good job - not too little but not too much. After the visit, I must admit I was disappointed because I did not see the painting by Pieter Breugel the Elder (which is one of the reasons I wanted to visit Windsor Castle). I knew I didn't miss it but I wanted to be sure, so I went around to the entrance to the State Apts again.

By now, the line for Doll House/State Apts is a 45-min wait, but fortunately, there's another line for just the State Apts (no wait). Once back inside, I asked one of the guards about the Bruegel and he just said it's not on view currently.

[Now rechecking the website, the Bruegel is part of a traveling exhibit. It was at the Queens Gallery in Edinburgh last year and will be at the Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace later this fall. I guess I'll have to plan another trip to London!]

I spent around 3.5-4 hours at Windsor Castle. It was enjoyable, but I prefer Hampton Court Palace. When I left, there was a long line at the ticketing office to get in.

I was starving by then. I decided to eat at Wagamama. I had a noodle soup which wasn't memorable. Bill was £11.

AFter lunch, I did some shopping (bought a light silk scarf which I knew I would need for the next few days based on weather forecast), and then walked across the Thames over to Eton. It was a beautiful day (the nicest day on my trip) and it would have been nice to walk along the Thames. But since I didn't have that much time to spare, I turned around to catch the 3:30p train back to London.

I returned to the hotel for a much needed nap, then left around 6pm to Covent Garden for Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera.

[When I was looking online to buy the opera ticket, I originally planned on buying the cheapest unobstructed view ticket which is £30. Out of curiosity, I checked the orchestra stalls price and surprisingly there is a special "email offer" for £55 seats which normally retail for £165. I was able to select the £55 option, but got concerned so I actually phoned the Royal Opera to make sure it wasn't a hoax. The agent told me this is an offer for people who haven't been back to the opera in order to "lure" them back. I couldn't believe my luck.]

My seat was perfect - right smack in the center of the orchestra stalls. The couple next to me was holding their tickets which clearly printed £165! The opera of course was wonderful, and for someone like me who is used to sitting in the nosebleed sections, it was incredible to see the set & stage up close and see the expressions of the singers without opera glasses. "So, this is how the opera should be seen and heard," I thought to myself.

During the intermission, I had a chocolate ice cream. Eating the Royal Opera ice cream during intermission is a tradition of mine. In fact, the ice cream they sell is a special brand made specifically for the opera house and has won many awards.

The opera ended at 10pm. I went to Chinatown for dinner. I ate at HK Diner, which I had been to several times before. It serves basic Cantonese diner fare. I had a shredded duck congee and a plate of stir-fry Chinese broccoli. Bill was £10.50.

HK Diner
22 Wardour St
London, W1D 6QQ
+44 20 74349455

Welcome back. Thanks for the kind words

That's great that you got to have lunch w/ julia_t. I'll be looking forward to the rest of your report and to see if you managed to squeeze everything in. Isn't the Chelsea Flower Show amazing?!

yk

My flight originates in St. Louis and the last two times I have connected thru JFK with my final destination of Stansted airport.

I have thought off and on about getting a day time flight out of Chicago which would mean get up very early or fly up the day before.

It is always good to hear how others work their flights out.

Best wishes with the "inbetween jobs" - one of our sons is in the same boat.

Looking forward to more.

Sandy

oops - your next installment appeared while I was posting. I'd better get cracking to catch up . . . . . .

Welcome back. Is the Bruegel in the Royal Collection "Massacre of the Innocents"? Apparently there's at least one other version -- the one in Kunsthistorisches Museum.

I wonder if one is a copy, or did Breugel paint two versions?

Did you read about the guy who bet on a Frans Hals that turned out really to be a Frans Hals? The painting increased about ten-fold, I think, and will be auctioned off very soon. There's another version in Brussels.

111op - Yes, the Bruegel is the Massacre of the Innocents. This is the exhibition that's coming up:
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/microsites/b2r/

janis- there were a couple of places I wasn't able to squeeze in (Wellcome Collection, Borough Market), but I guess there's always the next trip to London!

Day 3 - London
Spencer House, Spitalfields Market, Dennis Severs House

Today was supposed to be a sleep-in day, as Spencer House doesn't open until 10:30am.

However, some last-minute communications had me meeting up with my aunt and cousin for breakfast at 9am! My cousin is studying in London but my aunt happened to be visiting her from Hong Kong, and the only time we are all free was Sunday morning breakfast.

I set my alarm clock for 7:45am. But at 7:30am, some strange loud noise woke me up from sleep. What the heck is that?!?!

The noise continued and I was hitting the alarm clock, TV remote, telephone, cell phone in the dark while I was still half-awake. It wasn't another minute later I realized it was the fire alarm!

Once I was fully awake, I put on a sweater and some shoes and headed out. I followed the crowd down the fire exit stairs, and got a rude awakening when the exit door led us outside of the building into pouring rain! [I thought the stairs would take us to the lobby where we could wait inside.] Fortunately, there was a sheltered area across the street, so we all huddled there.

While waiting, a fellow traveler complained that this is the second fire alarm in the last 3 days! He said the other one happened at the same time ~7:30am.

About 15 minutes later, we were let back into the hotel, though no hotel staff explained what caused the alarm to go off. By the time I got back to my room, it was time to get up anyway, so I headed to the shower.

Well, there is NO HOT WATER! I let it run for 10 minutes and it stayed cold. I called the front desk and they said they're working on it. Well, I couldn't wait any longer, so I took a cold shower. You can imagine how miserable I was after standing in the cold for 15 minutes followed by a cold shower.

I was meeting my relatives at Baker Street station, which is a 10-min walk from the hotel. However, it was still pouring rain when I left the hotel, so I took a bus instead.

We picked a random cafe nearby for breakfast, since we didn't want to venture far in the heavy rain.

After breakfast, my cousin had to return to her schoolwork, but my aunt went sightseeing with me. I told her I wanted to visit the Spencer House, which is only open once a week on Sundays only.

We arrived at 11:10am. Spencer House can be visited by guided tours only, and the next one was at 11:30am. We were shown to a waiting room and watched a 15-min introductory film. At 11:30am our tour began. There were a total of 4 visitors on this tour.

The house was originally built by the Spencer Family (of Diana's family) in the 1700s in the Palladian style. In the early 1900s it was rented to various people and clubs, and used as offices. In the 1980s it was rented to Lord Rothchild, who decided to restore 8 of the rooms back to its former glory. His restoration cost was £16 million. The rest of the house is still used as offices. Many of the paintings & furniture originally owned by the Spencer family were dispersed to various museums, but the museums have re-loaned those pieces back to the House. Other furniture were copied by craftsmen.

The House sustains itself not by the Sunday visitor admissions, but rather by rentals for functions. The rate starts at £10,000 and can go up as high as one wishes.

It was a great visit as they have done an excellent job with the restoration. Our guide/docent was very knowledgable. She knows every painting and every piece of furniture by heart. The tour lasted for 1 hour.

My aunt and I then had a simple lunch at Pret a Manger nearby (on Piccadilly) and then we parted ways.

My next stop was Spitalfields Market. It is located just a block from Liverpool station. For some reason, I thought it is an old market selling food & produce. In reality, it is a restored old market with new interiors, and no produce is sold. It has many restaurants and a few shops, plus many stalls selling cheap clothing (almost like a flea market).

I didn't spend much time there as I wasn't interested in buying clothes, so I went to visit Dennis Severs House which is just a block north of Spitalfields Market.

Dennis Severs House was an interesting, though a bit disappointing, visit. I visited on a Sunday afternoon and the visitors can just "drop by" without making advance reservations.

It is a house where time stood still since the 18th century. It is supposed to be an experience, which one feels like he/she is stepping back in time into someone's house 150 years ago. The house is lighted by real candles, real food is displayed on plates, tea in tea cups etc. However, I was never able to get "into the mood" so to speak. Part of it was because the place was crowded! There were at least 3-4 other visitors in every room I visited. Plus the front door constantly opened and closed for visitors and I could hear the guide talking to the visitors. I suppose the Monday evening candlelight tour is better?

Even though Brick Lane is nearby, I didn't have the time or interest to visit. Instead, I had a quick rest at Patisserie Valerie (strawberry tart and a cappucino), then went to Charing Cross station to take a train to Sevenoaks to visit a friend of mine (and her family) for the rest of the afternoon/evening.

yk -

I'm enjoying reading your trip report, and reminiscing about some of our stops on our short trip to London several years ago.

Since we didn't have time to travel outside of the city, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report, visiting places I've always dreamed about (particularly Stonehenge & Salisbury).

Robyn

I'm also enjoying your trip report, yk.

I saved your Spain report for future reference.

You seem to be enjoying this trip more than that one...

I also went to the Geffrye Museum a few years back - very interesting and not touristed...

That's great that you are able to pick up and go like that

Thanks to all of you who have commented. It's always nice to know that someone is reading the trip report.

Mara- What can I say? London is my favorite city so I am biased in a way. Apart from the many trips I've taken to London, I also lived there for almost 1 year when I did my junior year abroad. So for me, visiting London is a bit like "going home" for me, rather than going there as a tourist.

My Tips on London

- Take the bus! It's easier than you think, cheaper than the tube, and far more entertaining to ride!

- For a short visit to London and not needing 2-for-1 discounts, Oyster PAYG is the answer.

- It is possible to enjoy London without massive crowds: visit the off-the-beaten-path sites, or visit popular sites early in the day.

- Make sure you know which Heathrow terminal you are departing from. Unlike most other airports where the terminals are right next to one another, at LHR, T4 & T5 are miles away from T 1/2/3. If you are taking the tube or a bus (eg National Express coach) to LHR, you don't want to get off at the wrong terminal.


Day 4 - Bath

I was having such a great time with my friends in Sevenoaks the night before that I barely caught the last train back to London at 10:50pm. I didn't get back to the hotel until midnight. With a 7am train to catch, my alarm clock went off at 5am this morning.

The main reason I booked such an early train is because there were no cheap advance tickets left for the 8am train and it would have cost me twice as much. Plus I wanted to maximize my time in Bath.

I checked out of the hotel at 6:15am, and as soon as I got to the bus stop a bus to Paddington came by. I got to the station with plenty of time to spare.

The train left on time and I fell asleep on this 90-min journey. Very few people were on this train and even fewer got off at Bath.

The weather was absolutely disgusting. It was cold at around 50F, very windy with gale-force winds, and raining. I was so glad I had bought the silk scarf the other day.

As there was no luggage storage service at the train station, I had to walk about 200 yards to the Bath BackPackers Hostel (13 Pierrepoin Street) where they charge a £2.50 luggage storage fee. The "storage area" is really just a corner of the lobby area and is not that secure. The staff's counter is located just across, so technically the staff can keep an eye on it.

I walked around for a bit, including along River Avon and Pulteney Bridge. The whole town was like a ghost town. At 9am, I arrived at the entrance to the Roman Baths.

There are 2-for-1 entry offers for Bath and Bristol with a valid train ticket, and I had downloaded one for the Roman Baths in advance. Now the key is to find another single traveler and pursuade him/her to go in with me.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1741

Soon, I spotted a single guy - probably in his 40s/50s. I approached him and he agreed. When we got to the ticket counter, the agent sort of insisted that we show him TWO rail tickets. The guy didn't have one, so I kind of fudged some excuse; the ticket agent eventually gave in.

The admission was normally £10.50 per person, and the guy handed over a £20 bill. The agent asked if we had 50p and I did. After we got our ticket (just one receipt for the 2 of us), I realized I didn't have anything smaller than a £20 bill. When I offered it to the guy, he declined and told me not to worry about it. I felt rather bad :"> as I kind of "used" him and got out of paying. I did let him have the ticket receipt as a souvenir.

The entrance fee includes a free audioguide. I don't recall there's SO MUCH to see in the display when I visited 15 years ago. The audioguide was too much, too lengthy for my taste. In addition to the official audio clips, there are extra clips by Bill Bryson - his take on various displays. I enjoyed those much more because he is so hilarious at times.

I think I listened to 95% of the audio clips, and to listen to all of it would probably have taken 2.5 hours total. The Roman Baths got a lot more crowded as the morning went on, with most tour groups arriving after 10am.

They also offer free guided tours of the baths but I didn't take it. Perhaps they are more interesting than the audioguide.

At the end of the tour, one can get a glass of the Bath water - but the location of it is a bit obscure. It is actually inside the Pump Room restaurant, at a stand off to the side. Each visitor can get a glass for free by showing his/her ticket. Since I gave my ticket to that guy, I had to pay 50p for a glass. I thought it tasted normal, though I'm not used to drinking warm water.

I then visited the Bath Abbey located right next door. The western portal/main entrance has an interesting facade - with sculpted ladders on both sides and angels climbing up and down on the ladders.

The Abbey has very nice fan-vaulted ceiling; and the Vaults Heritage Museum downstairs was quite good. My visit lasted about 1 hour, and it was perfect timing for my meeting with Fodorite julia_t at 12:15pm.

She was already waiting outside the Abbey when I exited. We had lunch at Raphael, which serves a lovely 2-course prix fixe lunch for £10.95. I was really moved that she came all the way to Bath (1-hr drive) despite the horrible weather.

We both started with soup of the day which was cream of broccoli + cauliflower. For the main course she had a seafood risotto (IIRC) and I had a mushroom + guyere omelette. It was so wonderful to meet up with fellow travelers, swap travel stories, and put a face to the screenname.

Raphael Bar & Restaurant
Gascoyne House
Upper Borough Walls, Bath
BA1 1RN
Tel: 01225 480 042
http://www.raphaelrestaurant.co.uk/

After lunch, the rain had finally stopped. We wandered around for a bit before she dropped me off for the 2pm free walking tour.

Even though the rain stopped, the winds didn't. With wind chill, the temperature must have been in the 40s. Fortunately, I was wearing a hooded cashmere sweater and the hood came in handy. Despite the bad weather, the group was still quite big. At times it was difficult to hear the guide unless I was standing nearby.

Overall, the 2-hr walking tour was interesting and I learned a lot about history, architecture, famous dead people etc. But I forgot most of it by the next day.

The tour ended at 4pm, and I went to No. 1 Crescent of the Royal Crescent. It is now a museum with Georgian interiors. It only has 4 rooms plus a kitchen to see, so it didn't take much time at all (45 mins tops).

By then it was almost 5, and it was time to head for the train station as my train to Salisbury leaves at around 5:30p. I returned to the hostel and thankfully my suitcase was still there.

The train to Salisbury ended up being 8 minutes late, and it took 1 hour to get there.

My B&B in Salisbury is located near the cathedral. With a google map in hand, I was able to find it without any difficulty. It was a 20-min walk from the train station.

The B&B is called 85 Exeter Street and run by this lovely lady named Susan. I found it via Alastair Sawday's guide. I can't say enough good things about this place. In fact, her B&B is featured in this month's (May 2008 ) Food and Travel magazine - a UK magazine.

As soon as I arrived, Susan offered me tea and biscuits. Then she gave me several restaurant suggestions for dinner. She asked me what my travel plans are for the next day, and I told her I'll be visiting Stonehenge and Wilton House. Can you believe that she is a guide at Wilton House?! She immediately brought me the official guide books (one general guide, one paintings guide) to look at.

I went out at around 8pm. It's still light out so I walked around town for a bit, checking out locations of bus stops which I'll need tomorrow. This is one nice feature of visiting the UK in May/June; the days are so long and the sun doesn't set until 9pm!

Salisbury is a nice compact town with cute shops and plenty of restaurants. Also has quite a few half-timbered houses. Overall I find it a pleasant town to stay.

I had dinner at Prezzo, recommended by Susan. It is a chain serving Italian food. It has a nice cozy atmosphere, and the 3 main waitresses (all from Poland) are hard-working, friendly and speak perfect English. I ordered a field mushroom risotto and a mixed salad. This is the best risotto I've had in years. The rice was cooked just right, and the sauce was neither too heavy nor too light. I almost licked the plate. This plus ice cream for dessert and a soda came out to £18.50.

Prezzo
52 High Street
Salisbury, Wiltshire
SP1 2PF
01722 341333
http://www.prezzoplc.co.uk/

My Tips on Bath
- Don't forget to check out the 2-for-1 offers.

- Arrive early or stay late, in order to enjoy the town without the daytrippers.

- The 2-hr walking tour is a great way to learn about Bath and see Bath.

- There are plenty of other sights which I didn't have time to see, such as the Costume Museum, Assembly Rooms etc. There is definitely enough to see for 2 full days.

- If I had the time, I would have tried to squeeze in a visit to the Thermae Bath Spa for a treatment.
http://www.thermaebathspa.com/

- Lastly, despite the weather, I still had an enjoyable time in Bath. As my friend in Sevenoaks said to me, "Bath is still pretty when it rains."

Prezzo is a nice little chain, in addition to Italian dishes, they offer excellent free range rotisserie chicken. I go to the one in Reading from time to time and recommend the one in Kensington to people whoa re looking for reasonably priced meals in that part of town. Thanks for the heads up about the Bath location.

Re the Queen's Flemish masters collection, DH is seeing it in Brussels today and I'll be seeing it there in about a month. Friends who saw it there earlier this week said it was excellent and not crowded at all. So if anyone is interested in that type of art and happens to be passing through Brussels between now and late September, it's worth a stop.

oops, sorry, I meant Prezzo in Salisbury, not Bath.

This is a link to the exhibition in Brussels:

http://www.expo-royalcollection.be/EN/Tentoonstelling.aspx

Thanks for pointing this out. I'll see if I want to go in about two weeks. We're flying to Rome from Brussels, so we'll have a few hours there.

yk, I'm continuing to enjoy your report! Is Prezzo the place that has an outdoor eating area upstairs? We had just arrived and taken our seats outside (last table available) and it began to rain, so we had to find somewhere else to eat. Good to know about the b&b in Salisbury.

Oh, and how fun to meet up with a fellow fodorite on your travels. I'd love to connect with a few but so far that hasn't worked.

BTilke & 111op - The exhibition does seem good. I just realized DH & I should be in Brussels in Sept and we can catch it there just before it closes! Thanks for pointing it out and the link. IIRC, the admission for the Fine Arts Museum in Brussels is much lower than the Queen's Gallery in London.

noe - I think the Prezzo is Salisbury has an upstairs dining area, but I'm not sure if it's outdoors! The Prezzo is at the corner of High Street & Crane Street, about 50 yards down the street from Lemon Tree. It is housed in a half-timbered building.

I think Prezzo is fairly new to Salisbury. I was there early this year and recall passing the site with an "opening soon" sign (if that's the place I'm thinking of).
I ended up grabbing a sandwich in the cathedral's cafe, although if I'd had a little more time, I would have liked to try the tea room in the square facing the cathedral.

Besides the fire alarm and subsequent no hot water, would you recommend the hotel in London?

Really enjoying your report.

Very much enjoying your trip report, yk, especially the Bath/Salisbury parts. Looking forward to Stonehenge.

Hi yk, enjoying your lovely report!
As we have just arrived home from 2 weeks in the UK a lot of your comments are still fresh in my mind.
We tried the North Sea Fish place on our first day in London but there is nowhere to sit down and eat, so gave it a miss. If it hadn't been blustery wind and pouring rain we could have found a bench somewhere in nearby Tavistock Square but the weather was awful.
Did I miss part of their restaurant or is it only take-out?

The Salisbury Prezzo isn't new - I've eaten there several times over at least teh last few years.

sounds like a nice trip so far, enjoy reading it and looking forward to more..........

Thanks again to all your comments. I don't think I'll have time to finish the rest of the TR until at least tomorrow. And I'll have a full report of the hotels & the B&B at the end too.

To reply a few of you:

moxie- If I were paying the official hotel rate (can be 100-200GBP/n), I would NOT stay at the HI Regents Park. The room I got is very small, smaller than the other 4* Priceline London hotels I've gotten in the past. It would have been very cramped if 2 people were staying in my room. I also am not crazy about the location either - it's fine but just a bit far from the places I tend to go to, esp at night (Soho, Chinatown, Covent Garden etc). For that price, I'd rather stay in Bloomsbury. But in my case, it was convenient to get to/from Paddington Station where I had to use a few times.

tod- Yes, there is a sit-down restaurant at North Sea. It is right next door to the take-out section thru a separate door. Too bad you missed it, but there's always the next trip, right?

yk... it was lovely to meet with you last Monday, despite the torrential rain! It only took me 45 minutes to get home - there was hardly any traffic and the roads were almost dry by then - and I thought of you on your walking tour, hoping you weren't getting too wet and cold.

It turned out the closed roads were due to the annual Woolsack Races in Tetbury... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetbury_Woolsack_Races

What a really great trip report you are posting, with so much helpful information for readers, and so quickly after your return too.

Many thanks for your thoughtful gift - it was much appreciated.

noe, janis, anyone else... I am happy to meet with fellow travellers if it works out. Do get in touch if you are in my part of the world, which is 30 miles north of Bath and Bristol, about the same distance from Stow-on-the-Wold, 12 miles east of the River Severn and 12 miles south of Cheltenham.

yk, I'm really enjoying your trip report. How lovely that you got to meet julia_t!

Lee Ann

Ah, what a difference 30 or 40 years makes. You've accomplished more in 6 days than we did in a month.
Thanks for the report. It's giving me ideas for our next few trips.

hey yk! welcome back, always enjoy reading your reports...glad you made it to Spencer House and happy to hear you had a small group...makes it nicer I think.

Looking forward to hearing about where you stayed this time.

bookmarking

FYI, there's a TV show tonight on National Geographic channel called "Stonehenge Decoded". It starts at 9pm ET. Not sure if it's any good but I'll be watching.

yk, on Hotwire, did you choose 1 adult in the search box? If so, you were undoubtedly given a single room at HI Regents Park. With Priceline, you are always supposed to be given a double room, so that is something else to consider when deciding between the two services. That said, I think once I was given a single room with Priceline, because they saw I was only one person, but I didn't bother with it, because it was only one night.

I am enjoying the rest of your report. No matter how many times one goes to London, there is always more to do. I would also like to try some areas outside of London, and what you describe sounds very interesting.

Nice trip report, yk. Thanks for the tip on the "special email offer" for opera tickets.

WillTravel-

Yes, I did select "1 person" on hotwire, and my initial impression of my room at the HI was that I got a single room. HOWEVER, when I look at other "travelers' photos" on tripadvisor, the pics of those rooms look essentially the same as mine. Also, when I go to HI Regents Park own website and do a dummy booking for one person, there is no choice for single room - just standard room or double room (both says a maximum of 2 persons). So I assume the HI Regents Park doesn't have single rooms.

Day 5
Stonehenge, Wilton House

I woke up to another cloudy day, but at least no rain. In fact, the weather held up for the rest of the day and I even caught a glimpse of sun for a few seconds!

I have pre-arranged with Susan, the B&B owner, to have breakfast at 8:15am. Breakfast was scrumptious - I'll describe it in detail in the review later on.

Today is Tuesday, and there is a farmer's market held in the central square every other Tuesday. I arrived around 9am, planning to browse for 15 mins or so and then go to the bus station for the 9:40am bus to Stonehenge. Well, it turns out I screwed up (my only mistake this trip) as I had read the bus schedule incorrectly. 9:40am is the first bus to Stonehenge for the summer months, which doesn't start until June. For the low season, the first bus leaves at 10:10am.

In the past, the local bus company, Wilts & Dorset, operates a regular bus (#3) to Stonehenge. However, the line was discontinuted in March 2008. Instead, W&D replaced it with a touristy HOHO bus called The Stonehenge Tour. I felt the price they charge (£11 for the bus ride) is really highway robbery. However, that is the only way to get there by public transport. The next best option is to take a local bus to Amesbury and then walk 2-3 miles to Stonehenge!
http://www.thestonehengetour.info/index.shtml

Anyway, I bought the Stonehenge tour (£17.50 including admission) and got on the bus. There were only 9 pax on this first bus of the day.

Along the route, it has recorded commentary describing surrounding scenes as well as history of Stonehenge. The bus was supposed to arrive at Stonehenge around 10:30 but we hit a major traffic snarl neary Amesbury (thanks to the brilliant rotaries) so we arrived 20 minutes late. The positive side of the Stonehenge tour is the bus driver takes us to the admission gate and we get to jump the queue.

The admission includes a free audioguide which I think is a must - in order to know what you're looking at. It wasn't too crowded which was nice.

I arrived with low expectations, based on other reports I've read (plus the fact one can only see the stones from afar), and my brother actually told me not to bother. But in the end, I was glad I went and thought it was worth the trouble. However, I didn't get any "mystical feeling" when I was there. The surrounding landscape is very pretty too.

The audioguide is about 30 minutes long. The next Stonehenge bus leaves at 11:40am so I kind of had to hurry along - during the low season the bus only runs 1x/hr so I definitely did not want to miss it. I think I'd like to spend another 10 minutes there longer but it was adequate.

But of course, the bus was stuck in traffic again so it didn't arrive until almost 12noon. If I had known I would have stayed in Stonehenge longer, rather than sitting on a bench at the bus stop.

There are plans to construct a new visitors' center and car park at Stonehenge. The grand plan is to move everything a good 2 miles away from it, and bury the motorway underground in a tunnel, in order to "restore" the original setting of Stonehenge with just fields around. And they'll build a train line between the car park/visitors center and Stonehenge. Not sure when this will finish.

The Stonehenge bus takes a different route on the way back along A360. We passed by numerous burial mounds, and the A360 is much more scenic. Along the route, I even spotted a pheasant!

The bus stops at Old Sarum on both directions. I had thought about visiting, but wasn't sure if I would have enough time. On the bus there was a family of 4 and they were also contemplating the same. I chatted with the dad and he had been to Old Sarum years ago. They decided against going this time because he doesn't think there's enough to see to keep his kids interested. Basically it was a thriving town for centuries but the town people moved to Salisbury in the 1200s. When they moved, they took all the building stones with them to Salisbury, so all that's remained in Old Sarum is just the foundations of previous abbeys and castle. Quoting the dad, "One has to use a lot of imagination" at Old Sarum.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.16426

Anyway, I got back into town around 12:30pm. I stopped by St Thomas Church in town which has a famous Doom Painting (which I learnt from the Stonehenge bus tour commentary). Then I had a quick lunch at a coffee/sandwich shop on Butcher Row. A cappuccino and a tomato/mozzarella/mushroom panini was £6.30.

After lunch, I took the 1:30p bus to Wilton House. Bus Route #60/60A/61 all go there and the bus stop is on New Canal Street (just outside M&S). During the day it runs every 15 minutes. Fare was £2.20 1-way, £3.40 r/t - you pay the driver. The bus ride takes 15 minutes and stops right outside the main entrance to Wilton House.
http://www.wiltonhouse.co.uk/

Wilton House is the home of the Earls of Pembroke for the last 5 centuries. Originally it was the site of an Abbey in Wilton, but with Henry VIII's reformation and dissolution of the monasteries, the land was taken by the Crown and Henry VIII gave it to William Herbert who was later made the 1st Earl of Pembroke.

The Wilton House is a true gem, and I encourage everyone to visit if they find themselves in Salisbury. I was lucky enough to coincide my visit with their Tuesday guided tour at 2:30pm.

When I arrived, I first went to the Old Riding School where it now has displays as well as an excellent 20-min movie (made by the late 17th Earl) which gives a comprehensive history of the Herbert family. After the movie, there is Tudor Kitchen and old Laundry Room displays.

At 2:30p I met up with the guided tour (only 3 people on the tour). The docent is so good and there's so much to see. She talked 1 mile/minute in order to cram everything in the one-hour tour. We mainly visited the State Rooms, and she told us history of the house, and pointed out paintings (many van Dycks), furniture (Chippendale, William Kent & Charles Boulle) and such. I highly recommend the tour (additional £4).

If you are visiting on a day without a guided tour, I recommend buying the official house guide (£2.50) and tour the house using the guide. Otherwise, one will be at a lost as to what to look for while visiting.

After the tour, I returned to the house entrance and re-toured the house again because I really wanted to take my time to look at everything. In addition to the antiques, there are many photos displayed throughout the rooms of the Herbert family.

I also have read that the Wilton House has paintings by Brueghel - it turns out that all 3 are by the sons of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The most famous one, Winter Scene with Birdtrap, is a copy done by the Brueghel the Younger. Apart from some great Flemish paintings (it has one by Hugo van der Goes), and one by Rembrandt (portrait of his mother), it has plenty of Van Dycks. The best one is one of the family portrait of the 4th Earl.

After the house, I spent about 45 minutes walking the grounds. It is very beautiful, as the house is situated right next to River Nadder, and there is a Palladian-style bridge built over it. The gardens consist of a Rose garden, a Japanese-style water garden.

I was done just around 5pm, and Susan was leaving too, so she gave me a ride back to the B&B. Of course with her working there, I continued to ask her more about the history of the house and the family etc. I did not realize the famous Wilton Diptych at the National Gallery was named such because it originally belonged to the Wilton House. It was sold in order to pay death duties.

The current earl, the 18th Earl of Pembroke, took over from his father who died in 2003. He just turned 30 in May, and is single and very good-looking. Apparently, he lives in Wilton House and is seen a lot walking the grounds with his dog. So for those of you single women out there, this is your chance to become part of English aristocracy! Unfortunately, I didn't see him during my visit.

The Wilton House is featured in many films, including Sense and Sensibility and Madness of King George. The most recent movie filmed there is Young Victoria (starring Emily Blunt and Miranda Richardson) - I think it's due out this year. When I was visiting Hampton Court Palace last September, they were filming Young Victoria in the palace gardens. So I'll be seeing the movie when it comes out.

I took a short nap after returning to the B&B, then went out just before 6pm for dinner at The Lemon Tree. It is recommended by several people here, but my dinner was a bit disappointing.

First, there was only 1 person working in the restaurant who served as the host as well as the waiter for 6-7 tables. He wasn't the most friendly, I suppose he was just overwhelmed. Second, I guess I picked the wrong dish to order. I was tempted by "Pancakes with spinach and ricotta". It turned out to be a crepe filled with spinach and ricotta, and baked in a cheese & mustard sauce. It was so greasy and heavy that I was full by just looking at it! Anyway, dinner was £12.

The Lemon Tree
92 Crane Street
Salisbury
Wilstshire
SP1 2QD
Tel: 01722 333471
http://www.thelemontree.co.uk/

I then headed to the Salisbury Cathedral for the 7:30pm symphony concert. It is part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival and performed by the London Philharmonic Symphony + London Philyharmonic Choir. The programme consists of

Elgar Introduction and Allegro
Poulenc Gloria
Britten Spring Symphony

I bought the cheapest ticket so I sat way in the back. Given the size of the cathedral, I didn't think the acoustics was that good, but overall the concert was quite nice. Funny thing was the folks sitting next to me were also at The Lemon Tree! What coincidence, considering there are over 500 seats at the concert.

Day 6
Salisbury, then Home

After another wonderful and hearty breakfast, I set out just before 10. I first went to the Marks & Spencer in town to get some orange-chocolate biscuits for DH (he's addicted to the Harrod's version, but I told him he has to settle for M&S because they're 75% cheaper!).

I arrived at the Salisbury Cathedral just around 10:30am. This year the cathedral celebrates its 750th anniversary - imagine that!

The cathedral offers free guided tours throughout the day - and the day I visited there're tours every 1/2 hour or so. I caught up with the 10:30am tour though I missed the first 5 minutes of it.

I cannot recommend the tour enough!!! Even though there are leaflets on the Cathedral and one can wander on your own, I learned so much more by taking the tour. Our guide is very knowledgable, and apart from giving us the history, pointing out the obvious (various famous tombs, effigies, the oldest clock, choir stalls, spire etc), she went over many many things that are not listed in the leaflets and most likely not even in the best guide books.

For example, in one of the side chapels, she pointed out a badge on the ceiling. One half is decorated with the Tudor Rose (symbol for Henry VIII), the other half is decorated with pomegranates which is the symbol for Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. Very few of these survived because after the reformation, people were sent out to destroy any traces of her & anything Catholic. In the same chapel, a sculpture of the virgin mary was destroyed, so it is quite a miracle that the ceiling badge escaped!

The guided tour lasted for 1 hour, and it does not include the Chapter House. The Chapter House is most famous for its copy of the Magna Carta. This is the best preserved one of the 4 existing. Unforunately, the original wax seal was destroyed before WWII. It was broken into pieces when it was moved to a safe place. Regardless, it was a beautiful piece of work and history. Also in the Charter House is a medieval frieze depicting scenes from the Old Testament. (The Cathedral staff in the Chapter House can answer any questions - they know everything!)

The cathedral also offers Tower Tours which last 2 hours. Unfortunately I did not have time for it. But Fodorite noe847 had taken it before and I believe she recommended it.

I returned to the B&B at 12, picked up my luggage and headed for the train station. I needed to catch the 12:45pm train. It had started to rain, so I was gonna to take the bus to the train station. The bus line called "PulseLine" goes to the train station, and the stop is on New Canal Street, which is still a 10-min walk from the B&B. Basically by taking the bus, it cuts the journey by half. When I got to the bus stop, the LED display showed all the buses were delayed and the next one wasn't due for another 20 minutes! As the rain sort of died down some, I went ahead and walked the remaining journey.

My trip from Salisbury to Heathrow is a bit complicated. First I need to take a train from Salisbury to Woking. Then at Woking, I change for the National Express Coach which stops at the Heathrow Central Bus Station (it also stops in T4 & T5). This is called a "RailAir ticket" so one only needs to buy one ticket which covers both journeys. The entire trip takes 2 hours.

I probably didn't have to leave Salisbury so early, but as I was worried about possibility of train delays, bus delays, cancellations, traffic jam etc, I decided it's better safe than sorry.

Of course everything went smoothly and on time. At Woking, it was very easy to find the National Express Coach - right outside the train station. There was a total of 6 pax on this coach.

The bus route from Woking to Heathrow goes pass Runnymede, which kind of makes my trip a full circle, as Runnymede was where King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215.

The bus first stopped at T5, so I had a good look at this new terminal, then it stopped at the Central Bus Station (it didn't go to T4 as no one on the bus was heading there).

Check-in and security didn't take much time at all. I still had 3 more hours before the flight was due to depart. I had a sandwich at EAT before going to the Admirals Club.

My return flight was fine. I was able to reserve seat 31H, which is exit row with unlimited legroom. First meal was lasagna or chicken, and the lasagna was edible. Second meal was again the pizza, which I've had on every single TATL return flight on AA. The pizza is truly disgusting every single time. I guess this is the only thing AA can do consistently.

I watched a few movies on the way back. The selection was the same as the outbound, so pickings were slim as I've watched the interesting ones on the outbound already. One of the movies I watch on the return was "Northanger Abbey" based on the Jane Austen novel. I was bored to tears, though I kept watching because many scenes were shot in Bath.

The flight arrived 20 minutes early, and initially I was going to take the T back to Riverside. However, DH alerted me that there was an accident on the T Green Line earlier and the line was shut down (with shuttle bus service instead), so he kindly drove to the airport to pick me up.

My Tips On Salisbury
- Salisbury is a nice cute town. Well worth a visit. There are plenty of other interesting sights to see (eg Mompesson House, Rifles Museum etc) which I didn't have time.

- Please do not miss Wilton House. It is truly a gem.

- The Salisbury "English mini-guide brochure", which is available at the bus station (and probably tourist center) has a number of discount coupons for various sights. One of them is £2-off to Wilton House, other discounts include the Mompesson House, Old Sarum, and the Cathedral Tower Tours.

- Make sure you take the free guided tour of the Salisbury Cathedral.

- If you buy the HOHO Stonehenge bus tour, to get from Old Sarum back into Salisbury, you can take ANY local bus, not just the HOHO bus.

Thanks for a very enjoyable trip report, yk, especially the details about Salisbury.

Hotel Review

Thistle Heathrow

Again, I decided to stay at Heathrow on my first night upon arrival was to save money, as I wasn't to find a good rate for London for 4 nights.

3 months ago I needed to stay at Heathrow for one night. I got the Holiday Inn M4 Jct 4 (3*) thru Priceline. It was a fine stay despite bad reviews on Tripadvisor.

This time, my bid for 4* was rejected, so I went down to 3*, thinking that I'd get the HI again. Instead, I got the Thistle for $80 bid, $102 after taxes/fees.

The reviews over on tripadvisor were horrible, but I thought to myself, that's the same for the HI which turned out okay, so it couldn't be that bad.

Well, it really was that bad. My review here is essentially the same as the TA review I posted.

PROS:
Accessible to/from Heathrow by the free local bus; no need to pay £4 each way for the Hoppa

Bedroom itself is clean, but there is a stain on the bed cover. Room smelled okay, no traces of cigarette smoke as other reviews have noted

Relatively quiet in the night, but gets noisy by 5am when other guests get up to catch their early flights.

CONS:
Hotel is difficult to find from the local bus stop - in fact, you cannot see the hotel (nor is there a sign) from the main road where the local bus runs.

My room is on the ground level, but because of the layout of the hotel, to get to my room I have to:
1) walk UP a flight of stairs (no elevator)
2) walk along 2 hallways
3) walk DOWN a flight of stairs

The signs for the room numbers were incorrect. There was a sign to direct me to go down the stairs (after the 2nd hallway) to my room. And halfway down the stairs, there is another sign telling me to go back UP the same stairs that I had just gone down. Not funny when carrying my suitcase up/down after a long flight!

Bathroom has lots of black spots on the ceiling (likely mold). There is no ventilation fan in the bathroom so I'm not surprised there's mold.

The toilet in the bathroom doesn't flush well. Out of 10 flushes only 1 flushed completely.

Room is small with no space to put suitcase. No shelving space in bathroom to put toiletries.

No tea or coffee making facilites in the room.

**How to get to the hotel from Heathrow using the free local bus?**

From the Heathrow Central bus station (at T1/2/3), catch the # 75 or 76. The stop to get off is just after the McDonalds/Petrol station on your left hand side. After you get off, walk back towards the McDonalds but just for about 20 yards. There is a narrow public foot path to the Right. Take the foot path, when you get to the next road, you'll see the Thistle in front of you. It should not take more than 3 minutes to walk there.

When I took the bus, I didn't realize the foot path takes me to the hotel (as I said, there's no sign as to where the hotel is when you get off the bus), so I took the long route to McDonalds and asked for directions.

To return to the airport, again, take the foot path back to the main road. Cross the main road with care - lots of traffic. I couldn't spot any bus stops on the other side, so I walked towards Heathrow direction, and the bus stop was at least a 5-min walk. I think there probably is a closer bus stop if I had walked the direction away from Heathrow.

Bottom Line - If I need to stay at Heathrow again in the future, I would avoid bidding for a 3* on PL as I really do not want to run the risk of getting this hotel again, ever!

Hotel Review

Holiday Inn Regents Park

This hotel I got on Hotwire (4*) for $97/night.

PROS:
Clean room, has in-room safe, tea/coffee making facilities. No smell of cigarette smoke.

Quiet throughout the night. No traffic noise noted; my room faces within the building.

NEUTRAL:
Convenient Location to public transport - short walk to 2 tube stations (Great Portland St + Regents Park), and many bus stops (on Euston Rd and on Great Portland Street).

However, not a location I really desire for London. I'd much rather stay in Bloomsbury, or even Kensington than where this hotel is.


CONS:
Small room. I have stayed in many Priceline 4* hotels in London before and this is the smallest room I have ever gotten. There's barely space to put my 21" carryon suitcase.

The bed is small. I booked for 1 person on hotwire, but I believe the room is also sold as a double. The bed is the size of a full, definitely not queen. I'm glad it was just me staying there as the bed would have been very cramped with 2.

Horrible water pressure from the shower (my room was on the 4th floor). It was basically a slow trickle of water.

My stay got worse on my second night. The fire alarm went off at 7:30am (Sunday). Other guests & I went down the fire escape and found ourselves outside of the bldg and it was pouring rain out. While we were waiting, another guest said this was the second fire alarm within 3 days!

We were let back inside after about 15 minutes, and there was no one from the hotel staff explaining what caused the alarm to go off.

When I returned to the room to get ready for the day, I found out there was no hot water! Called the front desk and they said they're investigating it. I had to take a cold shower after all the fire alarm drama.

B&B Review

85 Exeter Street in Salisbury
http://www.85exeterstreet.co.uk/

It has been many, many years since I last stayed at a true small-scale B&B. Booking this place was kind of a leap of faith. I have stayed at hotels so many times I always get caught up with reading reviews from many sites. I found 85 Exeter on Alastair Sawday's guide, and it is not even listed on Tripadvisor. Basically I had no reviews to base on at all.

I made the initial contact via email. After I got a reply the following day, I sent another email with some f/u questions. As I didn't hear back the day after, I called the B&B directly. The owner, Susan, answered the phone, and she seemed so nice over the phone that I decided to go ahead with the booking. She did not ask for CC info, just took my name down and in good faith believed I will show up.

The B&B is her house. It has 3 floors and she rents out 2 rooms. Mine is the smaller one on (US) 3rd floor. It has a twin bed (plus a roll-out twin underneath). The bathroom is outside the bedroom just next door. It is a private bathroom with full bath.

I also asked to look at the other room, which is a larger double on the (US) 2nd floor. It is very spacious and has its own en-suite bathroom, but shower only.

Location-wise, it is <5 min walk to the Cathedral, 5-10 min walk to center of town, 20 min walk to train station. On the same block, there are 3 other B&Bs (Cathedral View, Cathedral Cottage, and Spire House).

Susan is a gracious host. Her teenage son lives there as well and is very quiet. I felt like I was staying with someone I know. Both guest rooms face the back instead of the front of the house. Downside is one cannot see the cathedral spire; but major upside is how quiet it is. Exeter Street is very busy and I imagine it's noisy facing that street.

Breakfast is laid out each morning on the ground floor room. 3 types of cereal, fresh cut fruit (strawberries + canteloupe on Day 1, strawberries + pineapple on Day 2), greek yogurt, OJ, milk. Choice of freshly-brewed coffee or tea. Susan then cooks breakfast to order - choice of eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms - any or all of the above. There is also toast, which is homemade by Susan. Then there is 2 kinds of jam plus butter. What a wonderful way to start the day!

Based on my conversations with Susan, it seems that she gets most of her clients from Sawday's guide. She is contend with that, as she wants her clients to have similar interests so that they get along better at breakfast. During my 2-night stay, I was the only guest so I didn't get to meet anyone else.

My room rate for single was £55/n, cash only. I would not hesitate to stay there again in the future.

Holy cow! £55/n?

Wow, 3 years ago, when I took a driving trip to Devon and Cornwall, the B&B I stayed at charge me £20/n. Two people staying in a double room even get a discount. £36, instead of £40.

Well, Salisbury is quite a touristy place! I think it's more expensive because of the location/proximity to sights. Of all the B&Bs I have looked at, they range £50-60 for a single. There are plenty of B&Bs located just outside of town and probably much cheaper, but not nearly as convenient esp w/o a car.

And of course, it's always more expensive (per person) for a single vs double. 85 Exeter charges £75 for a double.

You really do write the gold standard of trip reports, yk. Thank you very much for such a delight.
Welcome home!

cmcfong - thanks for your kind words.


What's the Damage?
Using £1 = $2

Transportation
Airfare $600
London transport £15.40 (= ~£5/day)
Train transport
r/t Windsor £8.10
r/t Sevenoaks £8.30
one-way London/Bath £9.50 (advance purchase discount)
one-way Bath/Salisbury £8
Salisbury bus (to Stonehenge/Wilton House) £13.2
one-way Salisbury/Heathrow £28.20

Hotel
$618 for 6 nights, $103/n on average

Admissions
£65.30 (average £11/day)

Entertainment
Chelsea Flower Show £19.75
Opera £55
Symphony £16

Food - including snacks
£145 (average £24/day)

Total not including shopping
$2001.50

rkkwan: "Wow, 3 years ago, when I took a driving trip to Devon and Cornwall, the B&B I stayed at charge me £20/n. Two people staying in a double room even get a discount. £36, instead of £40."

You can still find £20 pp B&Bs, or £60+ pp B&Bs. Or anything in between. The rates at one B&B in one area really doesn't have much bearing on what they cost somewhere else. Though rates will naturally have gone up a bit in 3 years.

yk: I love the detail you are including

BTW, I'm always surprised by how much the trips ended up costing when I got the final tally.

A few thoughts on how I could have saved some $/£:

1) If I had planned the trip earlier, I might have found some cheaper lodging deals. Eg, Travelodge UK has advance booking rates as low as £19/night

2) Many of the London attractions I went to charged admission. Certainly I could have saved money by going to the free ones.

3) Even the churches (Bath Abbey & Salisbury Cathedral) charge admission. They call it "donations" and I suppose one could refuse to donate. However, I do realize it costs a lot for them to maintain the facilities, and of course the more visitors, the more wear-and-tear.

4) Since I moved location a lot, the train costs added up quickly.

5) I don't think I splurged much on food, as most meals were under £15; but I could have saved more if I stuck with sandwiches from Pret a Manger every day.

I actually think you got a lot for your $2001.50!

Excellent report with very useful information. Thank you for the details.

Photos

For some selected photos on this trip, plus photos of my hotel rooms, you can view them here:
http://p099.ezboard.com/feuropetogofrm16.showMessage?topicID=431.topic

yk, on FlyerTalk, there is currently a discussion about people who have gotten refunds for 3* hotels that did not measure up to the expected standards. I wonder if you might complain about the Thistle, based on what you posted here, and get some compensation?

If I were going to be staying near London Heathrow again (which I have done three times, luckily at the Holiday Inn Ariel), I'd definitely have mixed feelings about what to do. I'd want to be on the free bus line, because it's so convenient and quick (and free), and I'd want a reasonably pleasant hotel room, and it obviously you can't be sure of either with Priceline.

WillTravel - thanks for the heads up. I will definitely write to Priceline and complain about the Thistle Heathrow. Maybe I can get PL drop it from their list - that would be wonderful.

I agree with about the free local bus. It is much faster than the Hoppa based on my experience.

I actually meant to complaing to Holiday Inn as well, in regards to the fire alarm plus lack of hot water. But now I'm not sure if I should complaing to HI or to Hotwire.

Re the fire alarm - I'm not sure if much can be done, unless it was a mechanical fault that caused it. Someone who works in a hotel told me that certain tour groups tend to have people who pull the alarms. In respect to the hot water, you might as well complain to both the hotel and Hotwire.

Trying to reach PL's Customer Service was quite a challenge. First I tried ther online "Contact Us" feature. I filled out the boxes and clicked "GO", only got a response on the next page saying "Data not valid". I did this back and forth numerous times and didn't work.

Then I called the CS phone line. The person just said perhaps the website is down and told me to try it again later. He refused to give me the direct CS email address.

I went back to the website and tried again with the "Contact Us" for another 20 minutes. Still got the same response.

Called CS the 2nd time and again asked for the email address. The CS agent said he'll take down my complaints instead. AFter I finished, he offered a $10-off for my next PL bid. (ie, if I place a $40 bid, it'll automatically become a $50 bid.) I told him I didn't call because of the $ but rather let PL know about the Thistle Heathrow and perhaps they can take that hotel off their list.

Hi yk -

I finally had a chance to finish reading your trip report. Thank you for the excellent information, particularly about Bath, Salisbury & Stonehenge. I enjoyed reading about your travels.

Robyn

YK
This is a great report. You did very well on your lodging. I spent three nights at a very mediocre hotel last summer around Knightsbridge for 280 pounds/night before tax. (New Millenium!) I decided to give up on London since, as it offers the worst value for money compared to other European cities. Should I attempt London again, I must seek your advice.

Hi Robyn - thanks for reading!

SophiaMaple - the only way I could afford to visit London is to use Priceline or Hotwire for hotels. Last year, I went during early Sept and stayed at a dorm which is part of London School of Economics. If I had to pay the real rates of London hotels or B&Bs, I would have to stay at a really dumpy place given how expensive London is!

wow YK - what a GREAT trip report. I felt like I was there with you.

Hi, I'm just skimming this report again. I'm curious to know how you'd rate Bath among the main tourist attractions. I've also been to Bath and Stonehenge years ago.

I'm checking a map and I can see why you put Bath and Salisbury together.

I'll check some of your other reports. Which ones do you think are the best day trips out of London? I've also been to Oxford (but also years ago). Haven't yet been to the castles (Windsor) and palaces (Hampton Court).

If things go well, I should have a couple of days free in London. I need to stay somewhere for one night, which is my arrival night, so it might be nice to spend it outside of London. For the next couple of days, I can still take day trips, but there's probably in London to keep me occupied.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!

Hi, I think Windsor makes sense for your initial arrival, as it's the closest. But if you're taking the day flight, I think you may need to take the taxi to Windsor, depending on what time you get in. Since you're flying BA (right?), if you get in early enough, you can take the bus to Windsor as the bus only departs from T5. Check the bus schedule to see what time the last bus departs.

Hampton Court is a lot of fun IMO, as you can see the original Tudor-era Great Hall. Plus, it's the 500th anniv of Henry VIII ascension to the throne, so there is a lot of special events going on this year at HCP.

Bath is okay, not my favorite but perhaps because the weather was so bad that day. I much prefer Oxford (you can check my other trip report). However, I did enjoy my stay in Salisbury and the visit to Wilton House.

Thanks. I'm taking a redeye as usual, and yes, it should be BA if everything goes as I've planned.

I was reading your other trip report on Oxford. Oxford kind of works for this trip, but then, not really. So I started reading this one instead.

I'll see how things go this coming week. I'm thinking of buying a book, but the shop is only open on the day I get in (what else is new!). So I'll prioritize later this week.

I will probably never go to these places but I love your concise writing style and your take on things.

thanks for the great resource.

Thanks for the 2008 report....I am sure it will be helpful today.
We are going in May.
BTW, we saw Windsor before, but not St Georges because there was a funeral that day.
Is St George a separate entry from Windsor?

Judyrem: "Is St George a separate entry from Windsor?"

No, it is inside the castle grounds and included in the admission. Be sure not to visit on a Sunday--unless you want to attend services only. Also, there are frequent scheduled closures, so check the website to make sure it will be open the day(s) you might visit.