birthday trip to london
Sep 28th, 2003, 02:51 PM
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birthday trip to london
My mother and I are taking a trip to London in the spring (late March/early April). I'm taking her for my 30th birthday to celebrate her 30th anniversary of being my mom, and I'm doing my research to try to make sure everything's great.
My questions are these:
1. I know that rates stay relatively low for airfare through the end of the winter season. Is it a good idea to wait until the holidays to look for lower rates on hotels in the spring than if I were to book our trip now?
2. What is the best hotel in London? (wishful thinking, really, but I'd love to consider it an option.)
3. Assuming I can't afford the best hotel in London - a virtual certainty - what are good solid places that I should look for? I'd prefer a suite or two smaller rooms so we can each have some privacy. I'd also like to be near a tube stop, and it would be wonderful if the hotel had high-speed internet.
4. I'm looking at Virgin Vacations and they have a series of hotels listed in their offering, and the Montcalm sounds nice. Does anyone have any current info about that property?
Thanks!
My questions are these:
1. I know that rates stay relatively low for airfare through the end of the winter season. Is it a good idea to wait until the holidays to look for lower rates on hotels in the spring than if I were to book our trip now?
2. What is the best hotel in London? (wishful thinking, really, but I'd love to consider it an option.)
3. Assuming I can't afford the best hotel in London - a virtual certainty - what are good solid places that I should look for? I'd prefer a suite or two smaller rooms so we can each have some privacy. I'd also like to be near a tube stop, and it would be wonderful if the hotel had high-speed internet.
4. I'm looking at Virgin Vacations and they have a series of hotels listed in their offering, and the Montcalm sounds nice. Does anyone have any current info about that property?
Thanks!
Sep 29th, 2003, 07:38 AM
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A comment: I loved your reason for going to London. I bet your mother does too.
What is the best hotel in London? Claridges, the Ritz, the Dorchester, Browns...traditionally all get a nod or two as best hotels in London. Can you afford $300-$500 or more per room per night?
There are a whole host of 4 star and 4 star plus hotels in central London. The Marriott County Hall is one example, the Rubens, Chesterfield Mayfair...the list goes on and on. You might want to take a look at Tripadvisor.com--a website that lists hotels and provides reviews by people who have stayed there. If you type "London hotels" in the search box, you'll eventually get a list of popular hotels in London (all prices and quality levels).
Pay attention to prices, quality, and location--the latter criteria is often overlooked. In my opinion, the more central a London location, the better.
Enjoy your trip
David White
[email protected]
What is the best hotel in London? Claridges, the Ritz, the Dorchester, Browns...traditionally all get a nod or two as best hotels in London. Can you afford $300-$500 or more per room per night?
There are a whole host of 4 star and 4 star plus hotels in central London. The Marriott County Hall is one example, the Rubens, Chesterfield Mayfair...the list goes on and on. You might want to take a look at Tripadvisor.com--a website that lists hotels and provides reviews by people who have stayed there. If you type "London hotels" in the search box, you'll eventually get a list of popular hotels in London (all prices and quality levels).
Pay attention to prices, quality, and location--the latter criteria is often overlooked. In my opinion, the more central a London location, the better.
Enjoy your trip
David White
[email protected]
Sep 29th, 2003, 09:40 AM
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Karen, I'm also going late March/early April. Rates start going up the closer you get to Easter. I was told airfare goes down in Jan (BA just recently had a fare sale but it was supposed to be over 9/25). I'm not sure whether hotel rates will be cheaper if you wait. The only reason to book now would be if you're staying at a very popular, small, inexpensive place that books up quickly. That doesn't sound like what you plan. David's list of "best" is a good start. There's a thread here on the Lanesborough that has a rather extensive discussion on the finer hotels in London. Type Lanesborough AND London in the text search & read it for fun.
A fun site to check is tablethotels.com. You can browse some of the better places. To look for reviews go to tripadvisor.com and check Rants & Raves here on Fodors in the hotel section. Happy hunting!
A fun site to check is tablethotels.com. You can browse some of the better places. To look for reviews go to tripadvisor.com and check Rants & Raves here on Fodors in the hotel section. Happy hunting!
Sep 29th, 2003, 09:47 AM
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BA extended the sale thru 10/2. See http://www.expedia.com/daily/promos/....asp?rfrr=-393
Oct 1st, 2003, 08:50 AM
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Consider checking out londontown.com for London hotels. They usually have great rates and you choose the level of hotel. We love to travel to London in March because of the cheaper airfare and hotels. I've noticed that prices start to go up beginning in April.
Oct 1st, 2003, 11:02 AM
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Look into the Cranley Hotel. It's a charming Georgian hotel with WONDERFUL service and I believe they have some connecting rooms. Very close to the Gloucester Road tube stop. They often run specials on londonnights.com
Oct 2nd, 2003, 05:11 AM
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Spent a week in London early Sept. as a 20th anniversary trip and did lots of research. If you are staying a week and plan to be in the London the whole time (very easy to do - I could have stayed another 2 weeks) consider renting a flat. You save money, don't have to find a restaurant for every meal and have the benefit of more room to live in. Find the book: "How to stay in London for less" by Diana & Ronald Jensen. They have visited every flat they describe and give lots of detail as well as resources for contacting flat management companies.
A location tip. Stay central!!! We saved a LOT of time by being close to what we wanted to see and do. Also, look at the tube map and make sure you are staying near a tube station that is on a tube line(s) that services multiple areas. We stayed near the Green Park station. Ideal to be able to go so many directions from our home base. When in London you do not want to waste lots of time just getting to and from your destinations!!! Another benefit of the Green Park/Mayfair area is that you can walk lots of places, including the nightlife/theatre district.
Many folks love Kensington and Knightsbridge areas. They are really lovely, but for us they were too far from the main action. Look at what you want to do and stay close to your main points of interest, near a handy tube station. You will be glad you did!
A location tip. Stay central!!! We saved a LOT of time by being close to what we wanted to see and do. Also, look at the tube map and make sure you are staying near a tube station that is on a tube line(s) that services multiple areas. We stayed near the Green Park station. Ideal to be able to go so many directions from our home base. When in London you do not want to waste lots of time just getting to and from your destinations!!! Another benefit of the Green Park/Mayfair area is that you can walk lots of places, including the nightlife/theatre district.
Many folks love Kensington and Knightsbridge areas. They are really lovely, but for us they were too far from the main action. Look at what you want to do and stay close to your main points of interest, near a handy tube station. You will be glad you did!
