2+ weeks in UK, need help with accommodation and etc...
 

My husband and I plan to visit London for about 10 days, arriving August 23th, then travel North to Scotland and other intersting sites for another week, return to LHR for our flight back to NY.

The Sheraton at Heathrow Airport is US$75+-/day. There is The Heathrow Express to the city every 15 min. Is this location VERY inconvenient or is it OK. Is Priceline.com a good option to consider for UK? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

We also need help with transportation from London and travel North to Scotland, and other interesting sites. By rental car, rail or bus?

PS. I have read about purchasing the travelcard and the 2 for 1 offers...Thank you.

OK -- are you asking about staying at the Sheraton for just the night before flying home -- OR are you asking about staying there the whole 10 days??

It is a fine place to stay the last night (though you can get it cheaper via Priceline). But it is a simply <U>TERRIBLE</U> place to stay as a base for seeing London.

R-T on the HEX is £32. So you'd be adding £64 a day to get into town on the HEX. Plus £8 R-T each for the hotel hoppa bus to get from the Sheraton to the airport to catch the HEX. And the HEX only gets you to Paddington which is not near any of the sites so you have extra time/expense to get anywhere interesting.

So $75 a night PLUS £80 ($130) just for transport.

Now of course, no one would take the HEX back and forth for several days - But if you take the tube every day -- it means having to get 6 zone transit cards (way more expensive than central London zone 1-2) PLUS the hoppa buses, PLUS and hour each way into town.

So no - the Sheraton is NOT convenient and definitely NOT a bargain.

(Ignore all the above if you were only asking about you last night)

Transport north depends mostly on what you want to see. But w/ only week you do not have time to drive up and back. So one option would be a train to York for one night, train to Edinburgh for maybe 2 nights, pick up a rental car for 3 days to explore a bit, and then fly back to LHR to catch your flight home.

meant to add - Priceline is wonderful for central London and for Heathrow -- but not as good for other areas. Especially because it really mainly deals w/ large, business type hotels, which aren't the sorts of places one usually wants to stay - and that are sort of non-existent in most areas you'd want to visit.

But there is really no need to use PL outside of London anyway - in most other areas you can get very nice B&Bs for near the price of a PL hotel in London.

Try these websites for UK accommodation:

www.lastminute.com
www.laterooms.com

They both offer much cheaper than rack rate rooms.

If you can't/won't change London for 10 days, one week to see the rest of the UK is impossible, except in a blur! Train is your best choice and if you can fly back from a Northern airport, you'll save lots of time. Manchester, for instance, flies direct to JFK and Newark and is a great place to visit.

Scotland and other interesting places. Is a bit like saying California and Alaska and parts near by. It is a very dense country. So you either need to chose some options or tell us what you like to do (castles, glens, fishing, golf etc)

Train for two is probably good for city to city, but if you want to go into the countryside then a local rental will be needed

I'd fly and drive or train and drive.

janis, given that it takes less than 5 hours from central London to Central Edinburgh by train, why do you suggest an overnight in York? It's not like the need the break for exhaustion, and they've only got a week.

sheila -- "<i>why do you suggest an overnight in York?</i>" Because the OP said >>North to Scotland and other intersting sites<< in fact, she said it twice. It isn't necessarily what I'd do, but was just a way for them to see something else.

In any case, they need to focus a bit more before we can really help much. I sort of answered her question, but hopefully the questions get more "answerable" ;)

OK. Just asking...

Another thought - have you looked into flying back to NY from Edinburgh? It would give you a little more time in Scotland.

Lee Ann

Thank you all for your valuable information. Sheraton is definetely OUT of the question as base. We have never been to London so may be we should just stay around London for the entire trip instead. We like to walk the cities visiting castles, gardens, Museums,palaces, shops, see shows etc. There must plenty of things to do for 18+ days in London. Is staying in one place in the city as a base a good idea in London? I will try Priceline and hope to get a good rate($100/night at a 3 stars for 18 days). I thought with current economy, it should be easier to get rooms at the last minutes, especially at the end of the summer vacation, end of August. Your input, suggestions?

Again, thank you ALL so much for your time.

Blade

janisj, you indicated "Priceline is wonderful for central London and for Heathrow -- but not as good for other areas. Especially because it really mainly deals w/ large, business type hotels, which aren't the sorts of places one usually wants to stay - and that are sort of non-existent in most areas you'd want to visit".

If we stay in central London for the entir trip, why the large hotels aren't the sorts of places one usually wants to stay? Is it not a good idea to stay in one hotel and visit closeby areas/cities? one day trip?

Blade2007 your other option in London is to rent a studio apartment which is what we always do when we go over. It seems to be much more convenient and less expensive for us to do so. There are a quite a few sites such as VRBO that can show you what is available. We always try to get one close to a tube stop. Our last one, in May was only about 250 ft from the tube stop in Kennington.

Mikej48, Thanks. I will definetely look into it. Yes, I would certainly like to prepare some "health" food ourself instead of eating out every meals. Would you mind sharing with me which one you stayed? and the cost? Thank you.

blade2007 - I think your trip can go either way. Ten days is a great amount of time to see a lot of London and do a day trip or two, if you still want to spend the rest of your time seeing some of the rest of the UK that may not be good for day trips (Edinburgh, Lake District, etc). You can certainly fill up 18 days in London, though. It all depends on what you would like.

I think large hotels in central London are fine. This may or may not be what janisj meant, but in other places, bed & breakfasts or other smaller places may be less expensive and have a little more "personality." Plus the Lake District, for example, doesn't really have large chain hotels. I think the apartment idea is a great one, even if you don't stay in London for your entire trip. I can't recommend any myself, but there are many trip reports and threads on these boards which mention them.

Sounds like u would enjoy say 5 days in central London and then maybe train or coach trips to York,, Cambridge, Oxford, Stonehenge and the like. This very much the golden tour (ok e=add stratford which is not a good use of a day).

August 23 is at the height of UK summer just before we all go back to work so first week busy, second less so. Accomdation will be easeir to find in week 2. You could do lake district or hadrians wall

I would never EVER stay 18 days in a hotel -- anywhere -- if I could help it. I'd get stir crazy w/i the small rooms in most affordable London hotels. And PL really isn't good for extended stays -- since the availability are strictly based on expected room inventory. It would be really difficult to get an 18 day booking, using PL. You'd have to break your bids up into 3, 4 , 5 days stays and then have to move from hotel to hotel. If one was to spend 18 days in London - then a flat makes much more sense.

But That is not what I'd recommend for the average first time visitor. 7 to 10 days is a really good intro to London. Ten days in a flat would be fabulous. Then you could go anywhere else for the other 8 days. Say a B&B in York for 2 or 3 days, and another in Edinburgh for the rest. That would be a totally non-driving trip.

OR - you could take the train to Edinburgh for a couple of days and then pick up a car for 4-6 days (depends on how long you spent in London) to see a bit if the countryside.

Once you get a feel for where/how long you want in each place we can help you refine your itinerary . . . .

We had 17 days in May in UK. We stayed several days in London then took the train to Edinburgh for 3-4 days. We rented a car and drove up to Sterling & stayed in Callandar (Scotland) for couple of days. We then drove to York (along the North coast to sightsee) and stayed in York for several days and left the rental car in York and took the train back into London for the last couple of days before heading back to US. We stayed at a place in York that had parking and we kept the car a couple of more days. You don't need it in York though.

The last 2 nights we stayed at the Paddington Hilton (which we got on Londontown.com). It is connected to Paddington station and we just walked over and took the HEX back to Heathrow.

The first several nights in London, we stayed at "The Sumner Hotel".

Thank you all for your information. I will try to create an initial itinerary in the next couple of days. I'm sure I will need add'l help from you all.

Hi All,

I have firmed up my flight schedule. Arriving LHR 8/27 AM and departing LHR 9/9 AM. 13 nights in London. May be the next trip North to Scotland, Dublin...

We would like to hit all the major attractions - British museum, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court, Victoria & Albert Museum, the British Museum and Library, Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, Windsor Castle, The Eye, Kew Garden, Covent Garden, Kensington Garden and Palace, Soho, Antique Markets, Shopping( Knightsbridge, Borough Market,Camden MarketGood, Portobello Road, Spitalfields Market), 1-2 shows. If time allowed, day trip to Oxford, Cotswolds and/or Bath.

We both enjoy walks, able to walk to places within reasonable(30-45 min). We plan to get the travelcard with the 2 for 1 offer. We like to be close to shops, restaurants, markets, night life.

Question #1: Since we can walk to many places do we need to get the travelcard for all 13 days or does it have to be consecutive days?

Question #2: For lodgin, which area(s) are best located? We preferr to stay in one/same hotel, so we eliminate the check-in/check-out process. Unless you feel we would be better off staying at different area hotels so to be closer to the various spots. Below are the hotel areas from Priceline.com. I am hoping to spend US$70-$80/night for a 4* hotel, less for a 3.5*, possible?

1. Bloomsbury - Marble Arch

2 Finsbury and Islington

3 Hammersmith

4 Kensington - Earls Court - Knightsbridge

5 London Docklands

6 Mayfair - Soho

7 Notting Hill - Bayswater

8 Regents Park - Baker Street

9 The City and London Bridge

10 Westminster

Last, but most importantly. Would someone help me to GROUP the sites with consideration of their locations(Central, East, West...etc).

Thank you very much for all your help.

Blade

Hi Blade -
You will have a hard time getting a Priceline hotel for that length of stay. It's usually much easier to get 2-4 night stays. You might have to split your stay into several chunks which could mean changing hotels. You may want to try to get a flat instead.

As far as areas go, you'd be closer to things if you went for Mayfair/Soho, South Kensington/Knightsbridge, and Bloomsbury. I prefer S. Kensington/Knightsbridge, but that also depends on the hotel. I don't really like the PL hotels in that area for long stays so I usually stay at the Rembrandt.

There is never a non-busy time for London hotels - the last 2 years I've gone in Jan-Feb and it's still busy then. So don't expect to find a bargain due to "end of summer vacations". London is never a bargain, but a visit there is priceless.

There are sites all over the city. You would benefit from a guidebook so you can see how the city is laid out and where things are located. We are happy to offer advice but you do have to do some research yourself! Kew Gardens is outside central London, as is Hampton Court.

I would suggest that you will take public transportation most days, even if you think you will walk to most sights. It's a big city, things are spread out quite a lot, and even using transport you will still do tons and tons of walking. Way more than you realize.

You should also check out London Walks (www.walks.com) - they are generally very interesting, and there are some guided day trips offered which might fit the bill for you.

Two weeks in London is wonderful, I think it's great that you've decided to stay put in London and take daytrips.

I agree with janisj though- have you thought about renting a flat instead of staying in a hotel? A flat will give you more space and a kitchen- you could have breakfast and some evening meals at home which saves you money and the effort of always having to go out to eat 3 meals a day for 2 weeks straight. It could end being more economical.

Space is no small consideration either- having more than one room so you aren't always on top of each other can be a relationship-saver.

I'd also suggest you rent an apartment or maybe try http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/

Lee Ann

hi blade,

great to see someone who really wants to stay put and see the place they are visiting, instead of flying in and immediately gonig somewhere else!

that said, if you stay in an apartment, there's nothing to stop you doing one or even two overnight stays outside the capital - which would enable you to take in a play in Stratford, or walk on the beach at Brighton in the moonlight, or even spend a night in Paris.

when you are looking for accommodation, remember to look at how easy it is to get from there to other places in London - near a tube and/or bus is very important.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

Thank you all. I will check into prices for a flat as well. I read a mother and son/2pp got Holiday Express Earls Court for $49/night in June. Is this a good enough location? The price seems to be very reasonable for June. Your input? I am prepared to spend up to $80/night for a 4* but as long as it's convienent, safe, clean it's good enough.

taggie - Thanks for your suggestions. We have planned to do the London Walks and take the bus (#15, #11)on the first day or so. We'll take the tube/bus. I will get hold of a guidebook and group the sites as suggested.

Thanks Ann,

We usually like to visit ONE country at a time and take our time to soak it all in. The past years, we were in Paris for 9 days (06), Italy for 19 days(07) and Malaysia for 14 days(08). Taking day trips out of the city to nearby towns is also great way of learning about countrysides, it's places and people. Sorry, English is not my mothertone.

hi blade - your english i quite as good as many of the native speakers here - LOL.

as you ahve alrady been to Paris, you may like to strike that from your list of possibilities. Earl's court is not a premier area, but it's safe enough and [reputedly] full of australians. More importantly, it's on a busy underground hub, so quite a convenient place to be. $49 per night per room would indeed be a great rate, but on priceline, you can't book a specific hotel - just area and grade, as I understand it.

it would also be convenient for visiting places outside London, like Hampton Court, and Kew, both of which I would strongly recommend.

regards, ann

If you can book the Holiday Inn Express directly (in other words, not through Priceline) for $49 That would be a very VERY good deal. The hotel is near the West Kensington tube station. Priceline really isn't a good option for long stays like yours. You might bid a good price but have it rejected simply because one or two nights during your stay the hotel is booked up.

A flat would be a good option - but none would be near as low as $49 a night.

"<i>Since we can walk to many places do we need to get the travelcard for all 13 days </i>". From any one location, you could only walk to a very few sites. London is very spread out - so you can count on taking some sort of public transport just about every day. And <u>especially</u> if you stay at the HI Express - you would definitely take public transport every single day.

I think that $49/night rate at the Holiday Express Earls Court came off of Hotwire- a couple of posters saw it and got it this past spring.

Thank you janisj - I have read a lot of your postings. You must be such a pro and so kind of you to offer your experiences and knowledge. I'm almost getting hooked on reading and reading on Fodors. Especially, when I'm planning a vacation somewhere. It's a GREAT forum.

BTW, is HI Express in a convienent location to public transportation? Is it still in zone 1,2?

Thank you Ann - I have planned to visit other sites outside of Central London such as Hampton Court, Kew Garden, and hope to have time for day trips to Oxford, Coltwolds and/or Bath. I have not study the maps so I have no clue as to the locations of all the sites. I was hoping someone familiar with London would help and get me a head start to group the sites but may be I should do my own homework. I don't have any particular area of interest to be a certain sites for more than normal/usual length of time.

For PL bidding, I am going to split into 2 different areas. Soho and Kensington or Bloomberry. Your idea?

Thank you Apres_Londee - I have not looked up with Hotwire for the Holiday Express yet. Any information will be very helpful. I am prepared to spend up to $80/night, but as long as the place is clean, good, safe, convienent the lower we can get by the better:)) We plan to be out 24/7 except for sleeping:))

Hey Annhig, I'm assuming that Earl's Court being full of Australians would be a good thing . . . wouldn't it?

Blade2007, we recently stayed in a 1 bedroom flat just west of Kensington Gardens and found that a good base for London. We are strong supporters of the idea of staying in an apartment/flat as it feels more like 'home', gives you a lot more privacy and offers the opportunity to provide for yourself instead of eating out all the time. Here is a link to the place we stayed:
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/ren...n-zone-1/75461

GregY2 - Thank you. I went to the link you provided it seems the dates I need are completed booked. The place looks really nice, it has a lot more room than we needed. The price is also quite high for what we want to spend. I appreciate your reply but all we need is a safe, clean, convienent place with a VERY good rate. $80 or less a day.

hi gregY2 - well they might all be a bit down at the moment, [a little matter of a cricket match] but generally, yes of course.

blade, taking your list, here's my attempt to rearrange them into [hopefully] doable groups:

British museum, Victoria & Albert Museum,

Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral,Tate Modern

Buckingham Palace, Kensington Garden and Palace,
Westminster Abbey, The Eye,
the National Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden,

the British Museum and Library,

Windsor Castle,

Kew Garden, Hampton Court,

Antique Markets, Shopping( Knightsbridge, Borough Market,Camden MarketGood, Portobello Road, Spitalfields Market), - a bit too wide to group together

1-2 shows. Soho, [to which I add China town]

hope this helps,

rgards, ann

The Holiday Inn Express hotels are named after an area but they are not exactly central to the named area in London. So the HI Express Swiss Cottage is just north of Finchley Road tube station, a new build, it is a good transport hub but a bit of a walk from the area that is closer to Primrose Hill, where you have the Regents Park Marriott. I am not familiar with the area of the Earls Court HI Express but its nearest station is on the District Line but zone 2.

If you're adamant about paying $80 a night for lodging, I'll recommend again looking into the LSE link I posted earlier, or you might want to try one the excellent YHA hostel facilities. Either one will allow you to fix some of your own meals and save money on food.

Here's YHA's link for London:

http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommoda...don/index.aspx

Lee Ann

Hi blade,

Like Lee Ann already suggested, you should really take a look at this: http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/ or the hostel link she posted.

For Hotwire, there's some info on how to figure it out and make bookings here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...on-lodging.cfm

These websites also have helpful information about Hotiwre and Priceline: betterbidding.com and biddingfortravel.com

I've been looking on Hotwire and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much on offer for under $80 right now (except for hotels at the airport or in Hammersmith- places where you really don't want to stay)

However, I did see that unlike on Priceline you can book hotels on Hotwire for 2 weeks and it doesn't seem to affect the rate you get offered (ie nightly rates are the same whether you book 2 nights or 2 weeks)

Remember to keep in mind that anything you book on Hotwire or Priceline is nonrefundable.

If Hotwire still seems confusing, I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have.

Lastly, I thought I might as well suggest this flat (I stayed here for a week last October): http://www.vrbo.com/52647

It's actually showing up as booked for your dates but if looks suitable than it may be worthwhile to email the owner to ask about cancellations.

There is one major caveat with this apartment- it's on the very top floor and there is no elevator in the building, and it's about 100 stairs up to the flat.

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions. I will check into them.

Thank you Annhig, for your help in grouping the sites for me, it's a good start for me to work on our itenerary.

From the list of areas I posted earlier from Priceline.com, please rank the order of preference in terms of safety, convenience, etc. Also, please note the areas to avoid. Thank you.

None of the PL zones are dangerous so that isn't a problem.

But generally the best bidding zones for convenience are:

Kensington - Earls Court - Knightsbridge (you will usually get Earls court or Kensington but you <i>might</i> luck out and get South Kensington/Knightsbridge)

Mayfair - Soho (terrific and central - but hard to "win" at reasonable bids. A high priced zone)

Westminster (used to be the best zone - but now there is at least one hotel south of the river near Vauxhall that is pretty inconvenient. Still lots of good properties in good locations)

Bloomsbury - Marble Arch (though you can get King's Cross)

The City and London Bridge (used to be a crap zone - but now the borders have been re-drawn and some good catches can be had. Though you can also end up in business areas that are dead at night)

Avoid (decent areas but mostly avoid because they include several PL hotels in inconvenient to VERY inconvenient locations):

Notting Hill - Bayswater

Regents Park - Baker Street

Finsbury and Islington

Hammersmith (definitely avoid this one)

London Docklands (this one too)

I think someone has already recommended London Walks, www.walks.com. They have one-day Explorer Day walks that you might like. We've done Oxford, Bath, Greenwich, Canterbury, and the Christmas Dickens walk. They were all great. These would give you a chance to see some areas outside London. Of course they have dozens of walks in London itself.

Thank you crckwc1-Yes, we definetely have plans for walks.

Janisj-I have started the bidding process with PL, 4*. It's getting close to my target for Kensington. I will avoid all other areas as mentioned by you. Thank you very much.