Hi! We are planning a trip to London and surrounds in February with our 2 girls - ages 6 and 10. They love art and the outdoors, fantasy, and horses. We also like to relax and not be constantly on the go, so we wouldn't want to be too aggresive with our itinerary. My questions are:

1) Would it be better to stay put in London? If so, what is one of the better family friendly hotels convenient to the sights?

OR are we better served to stay 3 days in London and 3 days based slightly further afield .... if so where?

2) What would be "must see" day trips from London if we stay there as a base camp? Any horseback riding opportunities?


3) If you had time to visit only one castle which one would it be? Warwick seems intriguing from the description... is it worth the trip? (I'm having a hard time visually with the distances between sights)
There is just so much to see! Thank you for any thoughts.
Carlene

One can ride in Hyde Park perhaps. I'm not sure if that is only a private venture (they have various rides going through it) but I'm sure a concierge could organise something for you.

As for the hotels... what is your budget? All top hotels are family accomodating.

There's plenty of things to see and do in London. Perhaps Windsor? Tourists seem to like that one. If I was you I'd just stay in London. There's plenty to keep you more than amused.

Warwick? Disappointing in my opinion. You can do much better closer to London, quite where escapes me now, but I'm sure others will supply ideas.

If you have children of 6 and 10 then Warwick Castle would be just about the right place to go. The exhibitions and attractions are geared up for all the family. Dungeons, torchure chamber, Ghost tower, armoury, live displays of archery and jousting, lovely landscaped gardens, just don't have lunch there, the food is overpriced and terrible!!
Bodiam, Leeds and Arundel are worth a visit but I think younger people would find Warwick more fun. If you don't really want to travel far out of the city you could always spend some time at the Tower of London.

a few basic comments

1) Many parts of the coutryside are terrific -- but in Feb you might find truly <b>dreadful</b> weather (or it could just as easily just be blustery but clear). Unless your girls are VERY hardy - they might not want to ride in Feb.

2) 6 days sounds like a fairly generous length - but your first day will probably be &quot;go slow&quot; due to jet lag and possibly total exhaustion. And the last day is basically used up packing and transfering to the airport.

3) For a family - especially w/ young kids - you will do better renting a flat instead of staying in a hotel. It will be cheaper and you will get a LOT more space, a full kitchen. A kitchen is especially good if a child is a bit picky - at least they won't starve since you can put in basic b'fast foods and some of their favorites. London hotel rooms tend to be expensive and small - so even a &quot;family room&quot; will be crowded w/ 4 of you bunking together. A decent 1 bedroom apartments will be larger and the kids can sleep on the sofabed in the livingroom.

If this is your first trip over - you will priobably do better just staying in London. If you were going in the summer when it is warmer and daylight until VERY late a 2 or 3 day stay outside of town would be more doable. For a terrific day or 1/2 day trip you can't go wromg w/ Hampton Court Palace. Kids LOVE it - especially the medieval kitchens and the maze. Warwick is wonderful - but HCP would be a lot less complicated/shorter visit.

There are riding stables in various parts of London - but I'd wait until you were there and see what the weather is like before booking a ride and/or lesson.

I agree with pretty much everything that janisj said.

1)If it's your first trip stay in London and maybe do a day trip or 2.

While I agree an apartment would be great, if you prefer a hotel, the Marriott County Hall or Travel Inn County Hall are popular family places right near the river and the London Eye. For an apartment, Scala House is often recommended

www.scala-house.co.uk

and Dolphin Square is another.

2) There are a number of good daytrips. I would have a look at London Walks website
www.walks.com

and see what &quot;explorer days&quot; they have on while you're there. I'm afraid choices might be a bit slim in Feb.

Hampton Court is a nice jaunt that isn't too far and you could easily do this on your own. Windsor, with it's castle, pretty town and Eton is another place that's close (actually very near Heathrow) that makes a nice day. There's a display of Queen Mary's doll houses that the girls would like.

3)I would not make a long trip in Feb. to see a castle. I'd do Windsor and/or Hampton Court.

Thanks for the input everyone!
We're from Seattle, so we're used to truly dreadful weather. It's unfortunate it was the only time we could travel. I like the suggestion of a flat. Any suggestions on a reputable company? As to price range -- well, it depends on if you ask me or my husband! I tend to be thrifty, but love character and cleanliness. From my research, it seems as if we would be hard pressed to find much under $250/night, but if there is a gem out there that someone has found... keep the suggestions coming!
Regards,
Carlene

try www.vrbo.com for a place to stay..i've rented a flat that is self-sustaining for 2 people for 230 pounds/week with 100 pound deposit. i'm sure there are others for larger families. there are also other web sites that holiday let flats as well.

Try a visit to The North East of England! Stay in a Castle! Lumley Castle near Durham is fantastic. You can stay and have a medieval banquet with entertainment.

http://www.lumleycastle.com/content.asp

Then as a day trip go to Alnwick in Northumberland... where some of the Harry Potter movies were filmed (some outdoor scenes) or to York for the day... the Viking Capital of England!

It'll be cold for horse riding, but there are places around. The Northumberland Coast has the highest concentration of castles in the world. Rugged, fighting castles... and priories pilaged by the Vikings

I've had good luck renting flats with this company. With the dollar fluctuating I like that the rates are quoted in dollars.

http://www.londonguestsuites.com/

I have stayed at Scala House and believe it is in your price range. They have two bedroom apartments in a very convenient location.

http://www.scala-house.co.uk/